Pimping Your Macbook For the Ultimate Gaming Experience

Even the biggest Apple advocate would have to admit that the Macbook doesn't exactly lead the field when it comes to gaming. But that's not to say that there aren't a few steps that you can take to improve the experience – and here are just a few of them.

"macbook" (CC BY 2.0) by stockcatalog

Get to know the system

The speed and smoothness of any gameplay are going to be dependent on CPU activity, so the first thing to do is get into your Activity Monitor. You'll find this in Utilities or by using the short-cut; Command, Shift, U. Once it's open, you'll be able to find out all kinds of useful information including memory, power, and available disk space. The first and most important thing to look at, however, is CPU usage. If there are any processes running that aren't strictly necessary, close them down and proceed.

Free up some hardware space

However diligent you are, over time you will have accumulated a lot of junk files on your hard drive. These are also going to slow things down so it's well worth spending some time clearing them. It doesn't have to be laborious, you can use a program like Clean My Mac, or you can do it manually if you'd like to stay in control of the process.

"MacBook" (CC BY-SA 2.0) by Christopher Ross

Get your graphics up to speed

When you have a quality retina screen in front of you, it's a shame if the graphics let it down, whether you're playing a driving game or an online casino slot. These days many of the slots on these sites have graphics to match the best video games. Furthermore, there are also many free-spin bonuses to attract new players, plus the titles can be accessed across many different devices - you can click here for more information. It's certainly true that better graphics will also definitely enhance the experience.

Whatever you're playing, you'll find the addition of an External Graphics Processing Unit (eGPU) will make a big difference. This connects to your Macbook via Thunderbolt 3, and you also need to be running the operating system High Sierra 10.13.4 or above.

Disable some start-up apps

There are bound to be some apps that automatically start up when you turn on your Macbook, with Spotify being a typical example. Unless you really do want them to do this and suck up processing power that could be used elsewhere, then disable them. This is simple to do by going to System Preferences/Users & Groups/Login Items and clicking on the minus button by each one.

Take control

Finally, there are some games that much better played with a traditional console. The good news is that there are a number of these that can be connected via Bluetooth or even USB. These include the PlayStation DualShock 4 and the Nintendo Joy-Con and Pro Controller.

The news is less good for Xbox fans as there's no easy way to connect it without installing an app called 360 Controller first.

So, there you have them. Some handy tips for making gaming an even better experience on your trusty Macbook.