MacBook Air is a laptop manufactured by Apple Inc and widely known for its slim structure and amazing overall performance. MacBook Air is very common among scholars, students, and business people who use laptops for light activities. Therefore, if you are a gamer, you might be wondering if playing games on your MacBook Air is damaging.
So, is it bad to play games on MacBook Air? The MacBook Air is a bad choice for high performance gaming as it not meant for playing these types of games. Resulting in possible overheating and the MacBook Air automatically shutting itself down to prevent damage to its internal components including the motherboard. This could affect the lifespan and overall performance.
Depending on the games you have installed on your laptop; some games can run smoothly, and you can play for hours without any issues. However, certain games require high-performing gaming PCs and would cause overheating issues on your MacBook Air.
The MacBook Air is a great laptop, and many people worldwide use it as a personal computer. If you like PC gaming, you might be thinking about getting a MacBook Air as your gaming laptop.
If you own a MacBook Air, you would want your laptop to stay in great shape and perform well for years. PC gaming is a great way of enjoying video games, but you might be concerned that playing video games on your MacBook Air might damage it.
Playing games on your MacBook Air does not cause any damage to your MacBook due to its high features. However, it may overheat if you overdo it. Irrespective of the fact that the MacBook Air has sensors to prevent damage from overheating, excessive gaming might cause damage in the long run because MacBook Air laptops are not designed for that amount of usage. Therefore, you need to take precautions to protect your MacBook Air from overheating; you can opt to use a laptop stand, place the laptop on a hard and flat surface, or lower the game settings. Also, consider the type of games you install since they may damage your MacBook Air’s software.
Most laptops are built with an inbuilt fan, which is used to cool the electrical components inside the laptop when in use. When you use your MacBook Air for light activities such as browsing the net or typing a document, the fan will rotate at a low speed because the temperature is not high.
Most video games are very demanding, and your MacBook Air will push itself further to run the game. After a few minutes, the temperature inside the laptop will increase, and the fan will start to rotate at high speed. MacBook Air has sensors that monitor the temperature, and when it gets too high, your laptop will power off on its own.
Apple did not design MacBook Air for gaming purposes; therefore, excessive hardcore gaming can lead to damage in the future. MacBook Air can withstand heat but will power off if the heat is too much, but if you play games daily and for many hours, the heat will start to degrade certain components. Sometimes, excessive gaming can also cause damage to critical parts of your laptop, such as the keyboard and trackpad. If you continue pressing certain keys for a long time every day, they might get loose, and you might end up replacing the whole keyboard.
Playing games can be an emotional activity, and there are numerous videos on the internet of people losing their temper and damaging their gaming machines. Sometimes, your emotions might get the best of you, and you end up hitting or punching your laptop.
Hitting your MacBook Air hard might cause damage to some of the delicate hardware inside your laptop. Repairing a MacBook Air is very expensive, and if you predict that you might get angry and erratic if you lose an online multiplayer game, you should avoid playing games on your laptop.
If you want to avoid overheating your MacBook Air every time you play a game, you should use a laptop stand or place it on a hard and flat surface. Laptops need the cold air from the outside to cool down the electrical parts inside.
Laptop stands allow your MacBook Air to draw in cool air using its fan to regulate or lower the temperature. If you do not have a laptop stand, you can use a flat and hard surface like a table or desk. Do not play games on your MacBook Air while lying on your bed because the uneven surface might block the cold air.
You can also lower the game settings before playing the game. When you install a particular game, you can go to the game setting and choose how you want your computer to run it. If you choose higher graphics, your laptop will have to push itself to the limit, which can cause overheating.
You should select lower settings or settings compatible with macOS to prevent overheating. If the game does not have the recommended settings, you should not install it because MacBook Air will not run any program without the recommended settings.
You should also avoid installing games from unknown developers. Certain games might contain malware or bags that might damage your laptop’s software. There are many digital platforms to download games for your MacBook Air that are trustworthy such as Steam, Blizzard, and Origin. If your computer warns you against installing a particular game, you should follow the instructions and stop the installation.
MacBook Air is a strong computer and can play several games without damaging any hardware or software. However, it should only be used for casual gaming and not excessive gaming. If you intend to spend the whole day playing video games, you should not use your MacBook Air. You can buy a video game console, or if you like PC gaming, there are many gaming PCs you can buy that will perform very well.
What Are the Features of a Good Gaming PC?
PC gaming is very popular, and there are many companies selling PCs with features dedicated to hardcore gaming. When buying or building a gaming PC, it is important to understand all the features that will guarantee you a great gaming experience.
When purchasing a gaming PC, one important thing to check is the graphics. In addition, a good gaming PC needs an excellent cooling system to avoid overheating. You also need to check the specification of the basic setup of the gaming PC, such as the CPU, motherboard, RAM, GPU, and SSD. Speed is another important feature of a good gaming PC. You should also check the price of the gaming PC to avoid selecting a machine you cannot afford.
Graphics is an important part of gaming, and getting the latest graphics ensures that you enjoy your games by getting the best display and resolution. If you need a clear display, you need a gaming PC with the latest graphics card (GPU).
Normal computers meant for business and studies do not have a dedicated graphics card; therefore, their display of games might be a little bit off. Gaming computers have a dedicated graphics card, and if you want the best gaming experience, you should buy a gaming PC with a mid-range or high-end graphics card.
A cooling system is very important on a gaming PC, as it prevents the computer from overheating. Overheating can cause damage to delicate components in the computer and can cause severe damage to the motherboard.
Most gaming PCs have cooling fans, but others also have a liquid coolant system. Cooling fans use the cold air in the room to cool down the computer parts and can be very noisy. A liquid coolant system produces less noise improving your gaming experience.
You also need to know in detail the basic setup of the gaming PC, and the CPU is the first thing you should check. A gaming PC needs a strong CPU to perform, and the best gaming PCs have Intel core i5 or i7 processors with up to 8 cores.
If you do not have enough money, four cores will work perfectly for you. It is also important to note that the processor is very difficult to upgrade. Therefore, when buying your gaming PC, ensure that you choose a computer with the best processor you can afford that will last for many years.
If you want to play games without any issues, it is important to have enough Random Access Memory (RAM). You should buy a gaming PC with at least 8GB of RAM, and you can upgrade it later to 12GB. The more RAM you have, the more applications you can run on your computer at the same time. If you are looking to upgrade your gaming PC’s RAM, ensure that it is compatible with the motherboard before making the upgrade.
The motherboard is among the most important items inside your computer. A motherboard has a specific type of socket that has to match with the processor. So, if you opt to build your gaming PC, ensure you select a motherboard that is compatible with the processor you want to install on your computer. Internal storage is also very important when buying a gaming PC. Internal storage is the space that you will be storing all your games and other applications. You can use either common hard disk drives (HDD) or use solid state drives (SSD).
If your gaming PC of choice has HDD, you should select the one operating at 7200 rpm. Hard drives store data on rotating disks, and the faster a disk rotates, the faster the drive will read and write data.
Drives operating at 5400 rpm will access data slowly compared to a drive operating at 7200 rpm. SSD does not have moving parts, and many computer manufacturing companies prefer to make their gaming PCs with SSD. SSDs are faster than HDDs and improve your computer’s performance.
The price of a gaming PC is also important when deciding which computer you want to buy. The best gaming PCs are very expensive, but they have the best hardware and software; therefore, you are guaranteed an excellent gaming experience. If you do not have enough money, you can buy an average gaming PC and slowly upgrade some parts as you continue gaming.
The price can range between 5,000 US dollars and 1,500 US dollars. If you have 4,500 US dollars, you can buy Corsair One Pro i200, or if you are on a tight budget, you can buy the Dell G5 Gaming Desktop 5090 for 1,400 US dollars.
For avid PC gamers, acquiring a new gaming PC can be achieved in two ways, buying a new PC or building your gaming PC. Some gamers choose to build their gaming PCs because they can design them according to their liking. It is also cheaper to build your gaming PC by reusing some old or refurbished computer components.
However, you need to have excellent knowledge of computers to build your gaming PC. Some gamers opt to buy a gaming PC because it is easy and ready to use, and it is also cost-effective. however, you cannot personally configure your new gaming PC without voiding the warranty
Wrap Up
The MacBook Air is a strong machine; however, Apple did not intend for people to use it for intense gaming. MacBook Air is a workplace or school laptop, but it can also perform well if you are a casual gamer. If you are looking forward to gaming on your MacBook Air, choose less demanding games and limit your gaming time to one or two hours.
You can buy games to install on your MacBook Air from platforms such as Steam, Origin, and GOG. You can try these popular games on your MacBook Air, including Call of Duty, Battlefield, World of Warcraft, and Football Manager.
A gaming PC is more powerful than a standard laptop because of the demanding nature of many PC games. You have to check the specs of a gaming laptop before buying it to ensure it will perform well. A powerful processor and a strong graphics card will ensure you have a great gaming experience.
If you have good knowledge of computers, you can choose the option of building your gaming PC. If you are new to PC gaming, you can use the information in this article to buy the best gaming PC.
