Mac Mini Overheating In Games

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With a little work you can turn your Mac mini into a powerful Windows gaming system. So why not?

Jul 19, 2015  A Mac Mini isn't designed for heavy, sustained work. It is only intended to be used as an entry-level Mac or a HTPC, or some tasks like light-medium 1080p editing. But if you want, just go ahead.

I just heard something: A tectonic eruption of eye-rolling from PC gamers. Look, if you've got a custom rig with Nvidia Titan hardware and 4K displays to run Crysis 3 in ridiculous mode, move along. There's nothing for you here. If, on the other hand, you already have a Mac mini, or if you've been thinking about getting one but think it's underpowered for gaming, what I have to say may surprise you.

One of my kids wanted to play Windows games that weren't available on the Mac. He can certainly play plenty of games that are out for the Mac, but most stuff still isn't out for the Mac. That's not going to change. Apple accepts that, otherwise they wouldn't provide you with the Boot Camp Assistant utility to begin with.

Our victim is a 2010-era Mac mini. That's the last Mac mini model to sport a built-in SuperDrive. It has Nvidia GeForce 320M integrated graphics. Not as fast as the average gamer GPU card in a custom-built PC, granted. But enough to run a lot of games at acceptable frame rates.

It may surprise you, but the Mac mini is an adept little Windows gaming system. Its graphics speed can't compare to a dedicated gaming rig, but it doesn't have to. Because while it spends some of its time running Windows, it's also a great general purpose Mac running the latest version of Mavericks.

Better at Windows games than Mac games

Whatever Mac mini you use will probably run Windows games faster than it is does Mac games. Windows graphics tend to run faster than OS X graphics do on the same hardware, thanks to more extensive Windows driver optimization and underlying differences in the way the OSes are structured.

It took a few afternoons to get everything squared away. This Mac's been well used since it was new, and its drive partition didn't pass muster with Boot Camp Assistant. Once Drive Utility patched things up I was able to get started.

I used Windows 7, which has broad game support and is available in Home Premium trim for $99 or less from online retailers.

The alternatives

Running Mac games natively and exclusively is always an option. There are a lot of good games on the Mac, games that will run well or decently on the Mac mini. They're available from the Mac App Store, Steam, MacGameStore.com and elsewhere.

If you're looking for a Windows game experience but are reluctant to have to reboot your Mac each time to do it, you can install software that bridges the Windows gap.

VMware Fusion and Parallels Desktop get the lion's share of attention, partly because they broad appeal for Mac users who also want to run business software and specialty apps that won't run on OS X natively. Both continue to optimize their releases for the broadest and fastest driver support they can.

CodeWeavers' CrossOver is worth a special look from gamers. It's optimized for games, and unlike the other two or Boot Camp, doesn't require you to have a Windows license.

Putting the pedal to the medal

How well does it actually run, you ask?

A lot of it depends on the individual performance requirements of the game. Obviously some games employ enormously sophisticated 3D engines that want more horsepower than the Mac mini can muster. Many don't, and the relatively modest integrated graphics in the mini are perfectly sufficient to play them.

If you keep your expectations realistic, you can usually tweak settings and resolutions enough to get a really playable experience. For many games, that's frame rates of 20 to 30 frames per second; for others, it's even higher, with higher levels of detail possible.

I've played a combination of FPS, strategy and RPG games on our little Mac mini, and it's held up well. My 14 year old has been pretty happy; he's been dividing his time between various Steam games he couldn't play on the Mac and other fare; a particular favorite is Smite, a multiplayer online battle arena strategy game from Hi-Rez Studios. He also says that old favorites he could play on the Mac, like Valve's own Team Fortress 2, subjectively run better on Windows than on OS X.

The bottom line

I'm never going to ditch my Mac in favor of a Windows PC — I prefer the Mac user experience to the Windows user experience, that's all there is to it. But I can't dispute that there are a lot of fun Windows games to be played, and I'm grateful that Apple's made it easy to equip my Mac as a Windows PC.

As much as I love Sony and Microsoft's game consoles, they're just that — game consoles. The greatest thing about using a Mac for Windows gaming is that you're still using a Mac at the end of the day.

Tune back in tomorrow as I walk you through installing Boot Camp yourself. In the interim, I'm curious to see what you think: Have you set up Windows using Boot Camp Assistant? Are you tempted to?

Fishing time

C.J.'s next Fishing Tourney will be in July

There are four Fishing Tourneys each year in Animal Crossing: New Horizons. Here's when they are and what the rules are for participating.

Model 1

Space Gray

$799

4-Core

  • 3.6GHz quad-core Intel Core i3
  • 6MB shared L3 cache

6-Core

  • 3.0GHz 6-core Intel Core i5
  • Turbo Boost up to 4.1GHz
  • 9MB shared L3 cache

Configurable to:

6-Core

  • 3.2GHz 6-core Intel Core i7
  • Turbo Boost up to 4.6GHz
  • 12MB shared L3 cache

Configurable to:

6-Core

  • 3.2GHz 6-core Intel Core i7
  • Turbo Boost up to 4.6GHz
  • 12MB shared L3 cache

8GB

Mac Mini Overheating In Games
  • of 2666MHz DDR4 SO-DIMM memory

Configurable to:

  • 16GB, 32GB, or 64GB

256GB

  • PCIe-based SSD

Configurable to:

  • 512GB, 1TB, or 2TB SSD

Intel UHD Graphics 630

Support for the following combination of maximum concurrent display setups:

  • Up to three displays:
  • Two displays with 4096-by-2304 resolution at 60Hz connected via Thunderbolt 3 plus one display with 4096-by-2160 resolution at 60Hz connected via HDMI 2.0
  • or
  • Up to two displays:
  • One display with 5120-by-2880 resolution at 60Hz connected via Thunderbolt 3 plus one display with 4096-by-2160 resolution at 60Hz connected via HDMI 2.0

Thunderbolt 3 digital video output supports

  • Native DisplayPort output over USB‑C
  • Thunderbolt 2, DVI, and VGA output supported using adapters (sold separately)

HDMI 2.0 display video output

  • Support for one display with 4096-by-2160 resolution at 60Hz
  • DVI output using HDMI to DVI Adapter (sold separately)
  • Built-in speaker
  • 3.5 mm headphone jack
  • HDMI 2.0 port supports multichannel audio output
Thunderbolt 3
(USB-C)
USB 3
3.5 mm
headphone
jack

Four Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) ports with support for:

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  • DisplayPort
  • Thunderbolt (up to 40 Gbps)
  • USB 3.1 Gen 2 (up to 10 Gbps)
  • Thunderbolt 2, HDMI, DVI, and VGA supported using adapters (sold separately)
  • Two USB 3 ports (up to 5 Gbps)
  • HDMI 2.0 port
  • Gigabit Ethernet port (configurable to 10Gb Ethernet)
  • 3.5 mm headphone jack

Wi-Fi

802.11ac Wi-Fi wireless networking
IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n compatible

Bluetooth

Bluetooth 5.0 wireless technology

Ethernet

10/100/1000BASE-T Gigabit Ethernet (RJ-45 connector)
Configurable to 10Gb Ethernet (Nbase-T Ethernet with support for 1Gb, 2.5Gb, 5Gb, and 10Gb Ethernet using RJ-45 connector)

Width: 7.7 inches (19.7 cm)Height: 1.4 inches (3.6 cm)Depth: 7.7 inches (19.7 cm)

2.9 pounds (1.3 kg)

Line voltage:
100–240V AC

Frequency:
50Hz to 60Hz, single phase

Maximum continuous power:
150W

Operating temperature:
50° to 95° F (10° to 35° C)

Storage temperature:
–40° to 116° F (–40° to 47° C)

Relative humidity:
5% to 90% noncondensing

Operating altitude:
tested up to 16,400 feet (5000 meters)

Typical acoustical performance:
Sound pressure level (operator position): 5 dBA at idle3

Your Mac mini comes with 90 days of complimentary technical support and a one-year limited warranty. Purchase AppleCare+ for Mac to extend your coverage to three years from your AppleCare+ purchase date and add up to two incidents of accidental damage coverage, each subject to a service fee of $99 for external enclosure damage, or $299 for other repairable damage, plus applicable tax.

  • Mac mini
  • Power cord
Mac

macOS

macOS is the operating system that powers every Mac. macOS Catalina gives you more of everything you love about Mac. So you can take everything you do above and beyond.

Learn more

Accessibility features help people with disabilities get the most out of their new Mac mini. With built-in support for vision, hearing, mobility, and learning, you can create and do amazing things.

Features include:

  • Voice Control
  • VoiceOver
  • Zoom
  • Increase Contrast
  • Reduce Motion
  • Siri and Dictation
  • Switch Control
  • Closed Captions
  • Text to Speech

Configure your Mac mini with these options, only at apple.com:

  • 3.2GHz 6-core Intel Core i7 processor
  • 16GB, 32GB, or 64GB 2666MHz DDR4 memory
  • 512GB, 1TB, or 2TB SSD
  • 10Gb Ethernet

Mac Mini Overheating In Games Free

Mac mini is designed with the following features to reduce its environmental impact:

  • BFR-free
  • PVC-free5
  • Beryllium-free
  • 100% recycled aluminum enclosure6
  • Eco-friendly packaging
  • Meets ENERGY STAR requirements
  • Rated EPEAT Gold7

Apple and the Environment

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Read our Product Environmental Reports for detailed information on the environmental performance of every Apple product.

Apple Trade In

Letting go of your old Mac is easy. If it’s in good shape, you can trade it in for Apple Store credit. If it’s not eligible for credit, we’ll recycle it responsibly at no cost to you. Good for you. Good for the planet.

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