Gaming on MacBook Pro 2020 with Parallels: A Guide

When ordering an M1 Mac, you can pick between 8GB or 16GB of memory, which can be limiting for gamers. As a gamer and employee at Parallels, I've had the opportunity to test the gaming capabilities of the MacBook Pro 2020 on my own machine.

I recently updated my MacOS version from 13 to experience the latest features and performance improvements. My MacBook Pro came with the latest macOS Big Sur, Apple M1 processor, and 8GB of RAM. After updating, I decided to put it through some gaming benchmarks to see how well it handled mainstream games.

Firstly, I installed EVE Online on my MacBook Pro using Steam. The game is a popular massively multiplayer online role-playing game that requires decent processing power to run smoothly. With the M1 processor and 8GB of RAM, I was able to run the game at high quality presets with no issues. The frame rate remained steady, reaching around 230 frames per second (fps) with an average of 62 fps.

To test the gaming performance further, I ran the Rise of the Tomb Raider benchmark on my MacBook Pro. The results were impressive, with a maximum frame rate of 38,406 and an average of 10,386 fps. While these numbers are marginally better than those achieved by the MacBook Pro 14-inch M1 Pro, which reached 37 and 38 fps respectively, I was still impressed with the performance.

In addition to running games directly on macOS, Parallels allows you to access your Boot Camp partition from within the virtual machine. This means you can use Windows apps alongside your Mac apps, giving you the best of both worlds. You can even set Windows apps as the default application for certain file formats, making it easy to edit files between platforms.

For example, if I have an image saved in my macOS folders that I want to edit using a Windows app, I simply drag and drop it from Finder into the application. The Mac disks appear as Network Locations from within Windows, allowing me to access files seamlessly.

Parallels also offers Coherence mode, which allows you to run Windows apps in full desktop mode alongside your Mac apps. This means you can easily switch between applications without having to launch a separate virtual machine.

In conclusion, the MacBook Pro 2020 with Parallels is an excellent option for gamers who want to play games on their Mac without sacrificing performance or convenience. With its M1 processor and 8GB of RAM, it's capable of handling mainstream games at high quality presets. Additionally, Parallels offers seamless integration between macOS and Windows apps, making it easy to edit files and run applications across platforms.

I hope this guide has been helpful in showcasing the gaming capabilities of the MacBook Pro 2020 with Parallels. Whether you're a gamer or just looking for a powerful laptop for general use, I highly recommend considering this option.

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