Apple's $599 MacBook Neo punches above its weight in games but 8 GB RAM is reportedly a bottleneck
Aside from the unimpressive battery life, one of the ways Apple has managed to bring the price of the MacBook Neo to $599 is by using the A18 Pro SoC, a chip that powers the iPhone 16 Pro/16 Pro Max. As it turns out, the A18 Pro is no slouch when it comes to gaming. The MacBook Neo can play AAA games like Cyberpunk 2077, Resident Evil 2 Remake, and Control well at 1080p/720p with low settings. However, the 8 GB RAM is reportedly a pretty big bottleneck.
According to Andrew Tsai’s testing, the MacBook Neo is able to run Cyberpunk 2077 above 40 FPS at 720p (MetalFx upscaled from 360p) using the lowest settings. Similarly, Control reportedly runs around 50 FPS on the MacBook Neo at 1080p/low settings (MetalFx upscaled from 540p). Properly optimized games can run even better.
Andrew Tsai shows that the MacBook Neo can push the Resident Evil 2 Remake close to 60 FPS at 1080p, upscaled from 540p with default graphics. Less demanding and indie titles like Minecraft can even be pushed into high frame rate territory.
Not everything plays good, however. The MacBook Neo struggles in games where memory becomes the limiting factor. The problem becomes especially worse when emulating consoles like the Nintendo Switch and running PC games through CrossOver, a software that allows you to run Windows apps on macOS and Linux.
For instance, Elden Ring reportedly runs horribly with an average FPS in the mid-20s and a choppy frametime at 450p/low settings. There just isn’t enough memory to run both CrossOver and a modern AAA title at the same time. On the other hand, Dark Souls Remastered runs quite well through CrossOver, getting a stable 60 FPS with minimal frametime stutters.
Nintendo Switch emulation also looks to be pretty jittery in demanding games like The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. Other Switch games could work better.
All in all, it is clear that the MacBook Neo is a capable computer for everyday tasks and light gaming. Less demanding titles native to macOS will play the best on the affordable notebook. The laptop can also emulate Windows games and other platforms, but the experience will vary game to game.
Source(s)
Andrew Tsai on YouTube, Teaser image source: Apple, Pixabay, edited
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