New Macs will not satisfy game enthusiasts: No support for eGPU. The new ARM-enabled Macs will not be able to use dedicated, discrete graphics and along with the limitations of the built-in GPU, it will limit the ability to play games. It is not a priority for Apple and certainly not for most potential buyers, but support for eGPU would have added greater possibilities.
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Talking about “PC games” has traditionally been synonymous with Windows PCs. Microsoft has taken advantage of the very high market share of Windows on the desktop, which together with the control over OEMs, components such as DirectX multimedia libraries and in recent times an almost complete integration with its Xbox ecosystem, has managed to monopolize almost the entire segment of video games on personal computers.
Apple has also shown no interest in changing this reality. Although playing on Mac is possible in several ways and the announcement of the Apple Arcade service has opened a new business path for the company, Apple does not have specific equipment for games, most Macs only mount integrated and the dedicated GPU. The result is that the major studios do not consider Mac as a relevant platform and the catalog of games (like Linux) is still very small compared to Windows.
External dedicated graphics (eGPU) are a good way to cover almost any computer task, with only one computer. The underlying idea is attractive. You can use a laptop or mid-range convertible on the go, and when you get to your office or home desk, connect it to the eGPU to increase its potential. This type of accessory allows you to mount dedicated graphics for gaming and also professionals, getting a reasonable performance without having to spend on a specific laptop (much more expensive), a desktop or a workstation.
New Mac can not use external dedicated graphics according to media, although Apple has not officially clarified the situation, it has removed its preferred solution, the Blackmagic eGPU, from the list of compatible accessories for new ARM-enabled Macs. This means that the player will have to be satisfied with the performance of the GPU integrated into the M1 itself.
Beyond the fact that Apple has achieved a great performance in its chipsets for mobile devices and that the GPU of the M1 promises a gross power of 2.6 TFLOPs, forget about running games.
New Macs will not satisfy game enthusiasts: No support for eGPU. Maybe that’s the real focus for the new Macs, but in my opinion, Apple could have been more aggressive and offer support for these external graphics (which it offers in the Intel models). Its capacity would have increased enormously and the first Apple laptops with ARM would be more attractive for those who also want to play games on Mac.
