Apple's M4 Mac mini demonstrates its gaming capabilities by running Death Stranding at over 60 FPS with very high settings. While Apple is a relative newcomer to the gaming market, the M4 SoC proves it can handle demanding titles.
The YouTube channel MrMacRightPlus tested Death Stranding on the base M4 Mac mini (10-core CPU, 10-core GPU, 16GB RAM) at 1080p resolution with Apple's MetalFX upscaling set to "Quality." The game maintained a stable 60-75 FPS, with occasional dips below 60 FPS near foliage. The Mac mini's robust cooling system kept the external temperature below 38.1°C, preventing thermal throttling.
Interestingly, Death Stranding only allocated 8GB of RAM, suggesting that developers may not require the full 16GB available on the base model.
The Mac mini's thermal performance appears to be a key factor in its ability to maintain a consistent framerate. In a previous Premiere Pro test, the Mac mini outperformed the MacBook Pro with the same M4 chip in a 4K export task.
The base M4 Mac mini (16GB RAM, 256GB storage) is currently available with a $20 discount on Amazon, priced at $579. The 512GB version is also discounted by $50, available for $749.
