Sims 4 on new or old Mac?

[Rose574]

I’m considering upgrading my old MacBook Air and would like to also be able to play the Sims 4 on it (all packs, cc and possibly mods).

Can the new M1 Air run the Sims without problems and with decent graphic settings or would it be better to find an Old MacBook Pro 15” from 2017 or 2018?

[Bluebellflora · Accepted solution]

@Rose574

I have the bog standard entry level M1 MacBook Air and it runs beautifully on it. I also have a 2017 15" MacBook Pro with 4GB AMD GPU it runs well on too.

However, the M1 MacBook Air is still primarily a portable work/school device, it has no fan so no way to mechanically cool itself. It doesn't produce as much heat as the old Intel Macs, it is extremely efficient. But if it was my only Mac and I needed it for more important things than playing the Sims 4, I would wait until Apple bring out, hopefully, the proper Pro machines.

[Bluebellflora · Accepted solution]

@Rose574

I have the bog standard entry level M1 MacBook Air and it runs beautifully on it. I also have a 2017 15" MacBook Pro with 4GB AMD GPU it runs well on too.

However, the M1 MacBook Air is still primarily a portable work/school device, it has no fan so no way to mechanically cool itself. It doesn't produce as much heat as the old Intel Macs, it is extremely efficient. But if it was my only Mac and I needed it for more important things than playing the Sims 4, I would wait until Apple bring out, hopefully, the proper Pro machines.

[Rose574]

I see, thank you for your response 

And I take it the lack of fans goes for the M1 MacBook Pro 13” as well?

[Bluebellflora]

@Rose574

No, the 13" MBP has a fan

[Rose574]

Ooh, that's interesting.

Sorry to keep bothering you, but would you have the same reservations regarding the 13" Pro as with the Air and older Pros in terms of preferably waiting for a proper Pro?

[Bluebellflora]

@Rose574

Yes because the 13" MacBook Pros have never been powerful machines. They've never had dedicated GPUs and always lower spec CPUs with minimal cooling. I've always gone for 15" at the highest spec and they've lasted me years. However the M1 Macs can't be compared to the previous Intel ones because this new chip really is amazing. The game is SO smooth on my M1 MacBook Air. My opinion (and that's all it is) is also based on longevity and how long I expect my Macs to last - years! Laptops don't like getting hot as it can shorten their lifespan. That's why I referred to if the M1 was my only Mac, I wouldn't want to risk running a game on it frequently.

[Rose574]

I see. Thanks so much for taking the time to answer my questions 

[Bluebellflora]

@Rose574

You're very welcome