Apple’s latest M4 Max chip proves to be an impressive upgrade from the M3 Max. The entire M4 series showcases significant performance enhancements, especially within the built-in GPUs, which have seen the most substantial generational boost so far.
Gaming Limitations on Mac
Despite these advancements, gaming continues to be a weak spot for Macs. While Apple is actively trying to improve this situation, in 2024, many popular AAA games are still missing from the platform. Nevertheless, tools like CodeWeavers’ Crossover and Apple’s GPT have made some titles accessible on the Mac, although the performance is notably limited. Andrew Tsai’s recent video explores the gaming capabilities of the M4 Max, highlighting both native and non-native games.
Impressive Performance in Native Games
One standout title for the Mac, Resident Evil 4 Remake, reveals the M4 Max’s potential in a native setting. This game operates smoothly at 48–60 frames per second on the 4K high graphics preset, maintaining a steady frame rate even in challenging situations. When MetalFX upscaling is activated in Quality mode, players can achieve frame rates between 60 and 70 FPS for those seeking enhanced performance over visual quality. This seamless gameplay illustrates the M4 Max’s proficiency with demanding Mac-native titles.
Racing Games and Their Performance
GRID Legends is among the few native racing games that truly leverage the M4 Max’s capabilities. It impressively hits 100 FPS at 4K resolution with all settings maxed out. The M4 Max boasts a 52% performance increase compared to the M3 Max, averaging 96 FPS instead of the M3 Max’s 63 FPS. This clear progress underscores the advancements Apple has achieved, particularly regarding GPU performance.
Cyberpunk 2077’s Compatibility
While Cyberpunk 2077 isn’t natively available for macOS yet, it surprisingly performs well on the M4 Max through the Crossover compatibility tool. With DirectX 12 converted to Metal, the M4 Max achieves frame rates that are 55% higher than its predecessor, making the game playable even with ray tracing enabled. Although frame timing and consistency could be polished, the chip’s capability to run such a demanding Windows title is quite impressive. Cyberpunk is expected to debut on Apple Silicon early next year, raising our hopes.
Black Myth: Wukong Tested
Another challenging title for the M4 Max is Black Myth: Wukong, which is perhaps one of the most graphically intense games in testing. With FSR 3 upscaling set at 65%, the game operates at 45–55 frames per second at 1440p medium settings while using Crossover. Performance dips during intense combat, but fine-tuning the upscaling settings might enhance the experience. The smooth running of this DirectX 12 game on Mac demonstrates the tremendous processing power of Apple Silicon and the effectiveness of the translation layers. However, the performance doesn’t match what a native port would offer, which isn’t surprising.
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