The new 2024 Mac mini, even in its base configuration with the Apple M4 chip, has shown surprisingly capable gaming and emulation performance in tests conducted by ETA Prime.
The M4, with its 10-core CPU and 10-core GPU, handled natively supported games like Hades 2 at 1080p and high settings with a locked 120 FPS. Shadow of the Tomb Raider (macOS version) averaged 49 FPS at 1080p medium settings, outperforming the Radeon 780M by about 6 FPS.
Using CrossOver, the Mac mini ran Spider-Man Remastered at 1080p medium with IGTI upscaling, averaging 88 FPS. Elden Ring, also with CrossOver, achieved around 50 FPS at 900p medium settings. Even Cyberpunk 2077 was playable at 1080p low with AMD FSR 3 and frame generation, averaging 73 FPS.
Emulation performance was also tested using RPCS3. PlayStation 3 titles like Skate 3 ran at around 60 FPS at 720p with the Vulkan backend, and God of War 3 hovered around 50 FPS with similar settings.
These results suggest that the entry-level M4 Mac mini offers a solid gaming and emulation experience, particularly with native macOS titles. It could be a good, affordable option for macOS gaming.
