Minecraft on MacBook Air 2012

KimHansenDK · Aug 27, 2012, 01:44 PM

I am about to buy a new MacBook Air (8GB ram) and was wondering how well it runs Minecraft. Will it run on 'fancy' graphics and distance set to 'far' at reasonable FPS?

NutsNGum · Aug 27, 2012, 02:01 PM

Distance might have to be scaled back slightly, but runs on high for everything else.

KimHansenDK · Aug 27, 2012, 02:08 PM

Great - but it will not be unplayable on far distance?

Thanks for the quick reply

iaymnu · Aug 28, 2012, 02:29 PM

I thought minecraft uses CPU more than the gfx.

Closus · Aug 28, 2012, 03:15 PM

It runs at about 30 to 40 FPS on my 2011 MBA with everything set on fancy and distance set on far, so it shouldn't be a problem considering the 2012 model even has a slightly better CPU and GPU.

l0gikb0mb · Aug 28, 2012, 04:50 PM

Don't bother.

It's playable FPS wise, sure, but the amount of heat that comes with playing Minecraft is ridiculous. I wonder how all these people game on the macbook airs like they suggest - must be cooking the object under the mac under them. It's laughable at best.

NutsNGum · Aug 28, 2012, 05:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by l0gikb0mb

Don't bother.

It's playable FPS wise, sure, but the amount of heat that comes with playing Minecraft is ridiculous. I wonder how all these people game on the macbook airs like they suggest - must be cooking the object under the mac under them. It's laughable at best.

i.e. "I've never used one and I don't know what I'm talking about"

LeeM · Aug 28, 2012, 05:26 PM

my 13" 2.5 pro plays minecraft fine, but it gets hot as **** and the fan goes so fast like its trying to take off lol

Calot · Aug 28, 2012, 07:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by l0gikb0mb

Don't bother.

It's playable FPS wise, sure, but the amount of heat that comes with playing Minecraft is ridiculous. I wonder how all these people game on the macbook airs like they suggest - must be cooking the object under the mac under them. It's laughable at best.

He's probably using a $200 Acer Aspire One and thinks all ultraportables are like his.

isrefel · Aug 28, 2012, 08:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by l0gikb0mb

Don't bother.

It's playable FPS wise, sure, but the amount of heat that comes with playing Minecraft is ridiculous. I wonder how all these people game on the macbook airs like they suggest - must be cooking the object under the mac under them. It's laughable at best.

The heat is really quite manageable. It's really not an outlandish idea to use a laptop on a solid surface.

nms886 · Aug 28, 2012, 08:20 PM

Minecraft runs great on my 2012 MBA with 8gb ram and i7 upgrade. I run it and Skype to chat with friends and temps max out at 165F (74C) which doesn't not feel hot to the touch and is not bad considering diablo 3 takes me up to the threshold of the temps at 200F (94C). Heck using face time is about the same temps as MC toping out at ~150 (70C) It never lags and I play for hours at a time.

l0gikb0mb · Aug 28, 2012, 09:45 PM

Hahaha, the fanboys are hilarious in this thread.

I'm typing this on a 2012 macbook air base model right now. I've played minecraft. You guys are in denial if you think the heat is manageable. Top left corner can literally burn you if you hold it there for more than 30 seconds when minecraft is all loaded up.

bradPiano · Aug 29, 2012, 04:58 AM

I have to agree on that. I'm really happy with how cool my 2012 air runs for my everyday tasks, and it's only slightly heated when in moderate to heavy web development. It's a very different story when gaming though, and I find it hard to go on anything but short spurts without feeling the need to pull back (however irrational those concerns may be).

Clodey · Aug 29, 2012, 05:27 PM

I have a base 2011 13" (i5, 4GB) and it easily reaches 90C while playing minecraft.

sexiewasd · Sep 1, 2012, 12:17 AM

hot, but it's not really gonna cause burns. This is everything set to high/far/advanced OpenGL on a 2011 11" 1.6 i5 4gb FPS was between 20-40. Minecraft is entirely CPU bottlenecked. My workstation (AMD 1100t, 16GB ddr2000, ATI HD6970) gets around 60fps.

EDIT: That's case temp in the top left corner above the CPU, by the esc button.

Blackberryroid · Sep 1, 2012, 01:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by l0gikb0mb

Don't bother.

It's playable FPS wise, sure, but the amount of heat that comes with playing Minecraft is ridiculous. I wonder how all these people game on the macbook airs like they suggest - must be cooking the object under the mac under them. It's laughable at best.

I use UltraFan, the best Fan management app for Mac OS X.

iaymnu · Sep 1, 2012, 09:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by l0gikb0mb

Hahaha, the fanboys are hilarious in this thread.

I'm typing this on a 2012 macbook air base model right now. I've played minecraft. You guys are in denial if you think the heat is manageable. Top left corner can literally burn you if you hold it there for more than 30 seconds when minecraft is all loaded up.

it gets hot when touched. Getting burned is a bit blown out of proportion.

asting · Sep 2, 2012, 01:51 PM

How the hell do you play games if anything other than the keyboard bugs you? I've played a bit on mine, and sure if I lay my hand sideways across the top above the keyboard it might be warm, but never once while hitting a button have I thought, "Hm this button is too hot."
The buttons transfer heat terribly, so the heat isn't an issue.

amccullough · Nov 12, 2012, 09:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KimHansenDK

I am about to buy a new MacBook Air (8GB ram) and was wondering how well it runs Minecraft. Will it run on 'fancy' graphics and distance set to 'far' at reasonable FPS?

It can be variable. Depending on various components (i.e. what you're doing, multiplayer vs. not, and some of the other settings), you may not run perfectly, but I've never had a problem. I'd suggest testing whether turning down the graphics or the distance will give you better FPS. I think the graphics are a better sacrifice (I like to see as far as possible), but it may not have a big enough effect. On the whole, though, it should be fine.

fatdawg · Jan 3, 2013, 03:23 PM

I just got a 2012 MacBook Air for my family for Xmas. My 11 year old plays minecraft. The fan goes crazy and the uppe left corner gets hot... Well... Warm bordering hot...

Anyway my only concern is will this heat DAMAGE the laptop?

I imagine that the case is designed to get hot to help dissipate the heat and the fan goes crazy for the same reason - that's why it's in there and I'm totally ok with hardware doing what it's designed to do. The only real issue for me is this: WILL THE COMPUTER SHUT ITSELF OFF IF IT GETS TOO HOT, BEFORE CASUING PERMANENT DAMAGE? If yes, cool beans... My son gets to play minecraft and I don't have to return the laptop :-)

He has played for about 45 minutes and the game works fine... Just a little (ok lots compared to normal operations) fan noise as the fan blows the heat away.

The laptop is on a table, not his lap, and has free airflow behind it. A call to my 90 days of free Apple support said "if you think it's too hot take it the apple store and talk to a genius" ... Ummmm ... Ok, I'm lazy and don't want to drive to my local apple store. So I'm looking here for answers instead :-)

wilycoder · Jan 4, 2013, 08:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fatdawg

I just got a 2012 MacBook Air for my family for Xmas. My 11 year old plays minecraft. The fan goes crazy and the uppe left corner gets hot... Well... Warm bordering hot...

Anyway my only concern is will this heat DAMAGE the laptop?

I imagine that the case is designed to get hot to help dissipate the heat and the fan goes crazy for the same reason - that's why it's in there and I'm totally ok with hardware doing what it's designed to do. The only real issue for me is this: WILL THE COMPUTER SHUT ITSELF OFF IF IT GETS TOO HOT, BEFORE CASUING PERMANENT DAMAGE? If yes, cool beans... My son gets to play minecraft and I don't have to return the laptop :-)

He has played for about 45 minutes and the game works fine... Just a little (ok lots compared to normal operations) fan noise as the fan blows the heat away.

The laptop is on a table, not his lap, and has free airflow behind it. A call to my 90 days of free Apple support said "if you think it's too hot take it the apple store and talk to a genius" ... Ummmm ... Ok, I'm lazy and don't want to drive to my local apple store. So I'm looking here for answers instead :-)

Intel CPUs will shut off long before reaching a damaging temperature. Welcome to 2013.

Aug 27, 2012, 01:44 PM	#1
KimHansenDK macrumors regular Join Date: Jul 2011	Minecraft on MacBook Air 2012 I am about to buy a new MacBook Air (8GB ram) and was wondering how well it runs Minecraft. Will it run on 'fancy' graphics and distance set to 'far' at reasonable FPS?
	0

Aug 28, 2012, 02:29 PM	#4
iaymnu macrumors 6502 Join Date: Mar 2007	I thought minecraft uses CPU more than the gfx. __________________ rMBP 2.7/16gig/768 [x 2] 2011 MBA 11" & 13" Ultimate Uni 17" C2D 2.66 ghz Matte
	0

Aug 28, 2012, 03:15 PM	#5
Closus macrumors newbie Join Date: Apr 2012	It runs at about 30 to 40 FPS on my 2011 MBA with everything set on fancy and distance set on far, so it shouldn't be a problem considering the 2012 model even has a slightly better CPU and GPU. __________________ 2012 13" Macbook Air, i5, 8GB RAM, 128 GB SSD iPad 2, 32 GB, White iPhone 4, 16 GB, Black
	0

Jan 3, 2013, 03:23 PM	#20
fatdawg macrumors newbie Join Date: Aug 2008	Only concern is breaking the hardware I just got a 2012 MacBook Air for my family for Xmas. My 11 year old plays minecraft. The fan goes crazy and the uppe left corner gets hot... Well... Warm bordering hot... Anyway my only concern is will this heat DAMAGE the laptop? I imagine that the case is designed to get hot to help dissipate the heat and the fan goes crazy for the same reason - that's why it's in there and I'm totally ok with hardware doing what it's designed to do. The only real issue for me is this: WILL THE COMPUTER SHUT ITSELF OFF IF IT GETS TOO HOT, BEFORE CASUING PERMANENT DAMAGE? If yes, cool beans... My son gets to play minecraft and I don't have to return the laptop :-) He has played for about 45 minutes and the game works fine... Just a little (ok lots compared to normal operations) fan noise as the fan blows the heat away. The laptop is on a table, not his lap, and has free airflow behind it. A call to my 90 days of free Apple support said "if you think it's too hot take it the apple store and talk to a genius" ... Ummmm ... Ok, I'm lazy and don't want to drive to my local apple store. So I'm looking here for answers instead :-)
	0

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Aug 27, 2012, 02:01 PM	#2
NutsNGum macrumors 68030 Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Glasgow, Scotland	Distance might have to be scaled back slightly, but runs on high for everything else.
	0

Aug 27, 2012, 02:08 PM	#3
KimHansenDK Thread Starter macrumors regular Join Date: Jul 2011	Great - but it will not be unplayable on far distance? Thanks for the quick reply
	0

Aug 28, 2012, 04:50 PM	#6
l0gikb0mb macrumors member Join Date: Apr 2012	Don't bother. It's playable FPS wise, sure, but the amount of heat that comes with playing Minecraft is ridiculous. I wonder how all these people game on the macbook airs like they suggest - must be cooking the object under the mac under them. It's laughable at best.
	0

Aug 28, 2012, 05:26 PM	#8
LeeM macrumors 6502a Join Date: Jan 2012	my 13" 2.5 pro plays minecraft fine, but it gets hot as **** and the fan goes so fast like its trying to take off lol
	0

Aug 28, 2012, 08:20 PM	#11
nms886 macrumors newbie Join Date: Jul 2012	Minecraft runs great on my 2012 MBA with 8gb ram and i7 upgrade. I run it and Skype to chat with friends and temps max out at 165F (74C) which doesn't not feel hot to the touch and is not bad considering diablo 3 takes me up to the threshold of the temps at 200F (94C). Heck using face time is about the same temps as MC toping out at ~150 (70C) It never lags and I play for hours at a time.
	2

Aug 28, 2012, 09:45 PM	#12
l0gikb0mb macrumors member Join Date: Apr 2012	Hahaha, the fanboys are hilarious in this thread. I'm typing this on a 2012 macbook air base model right now. I've played minecraft. You guys are in denial if you think the heat is manageable. Top left corner can literally burn you if you hold it there for more than 30 seconds when minecraft is all loaded up.
	0

Aug 29, 2012, 04:58 AM	#13
bradPiano macrumors member Join Date: Oct 2011	I have to agree on that. I'm really happy with how cool my 2012 air runs for my everyday tasks, and it's only slightly heated when in moderate to heavy web development. It's a very different story when gaming though, and I find it hard to go on anything but short spurts without feeling the need to pull back (however irrational those concerns may be).
	0

Aug 29, 2012, 05:27 PM	#14
Clodey macrumors member Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: Wales, UK	I have a base 2011 13" (i5, 4GB) and it easily reaches 90C while playing minecraft.
	0

Sep 1, 2012, 12:17 AM	#15
sexiewasd macrumors member Join Date: Mar 2012 Location: Back in Your Head	hot, but it's not really gonna cause burns. This is everything set to high/far/advanced OpenGL on a 2011 11" 1.6 i5 4gb FPS was between 20-40. Minecraft is entirely CPU bottlenecked. My workstation (AMD 1100t, 16GB ddr2000, ATI HD6970) gets around 60fps. EDIT: That's case temp in the top left corner above the CPU, by the esc button.
	1

Sep 2, 2012, 01:51 PM	#18
asting macrumors 6502 Join Date: Jun 2012	How the hell do you play games if anything other than the keyboard bugs you? I've played a bit on mine, and sure if I lay my hand sideways across the top above the keyboard it might be warm, but never once while hitting a button have I thought, "Hm this button is too hot." The buttons transfer heat terribly, so the heat isn't an issue.
	0