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WoW on M1 Chips
- Thread starter Invisible Elf
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So I did a couple of hours on WoW today with my new 16GB Mac Mini, very impressed in comparison to my previous Mini and other devices without any dGPU.
I am using a 3440x1440 monitor, 60hz. On max settings, I can get 30-35fps out and about, in a busier area such as the Stormwind bank it drops to a choppy and unplayable 25fps.
Any setting at 5 or below and 50-60fps all the way.
I have found setting it a 7 with a few small tweaks still achieves 55fps on average.
So overall really impressed, that is given previous devices would not have reached this high.
The Mac Mini barely got warm and I never even heard the fan, couldn't even sense it when touching the case. Again, in comparison to the previous Mini which would have seen the fans at full and the heat at concerning level within minutes.
I am using a 3440x1440 monitor, 60hz. On max settings, I can get 30-35fps out and about, in a busier area such as the Stormwind bank it drops to a choppy and unplayable 25fps.
Any setting at 5 or below and 50-60fps all the way.
I have found setting it a 7 with a few small tweaks still achieves 55fps on average.
So overall really impressed, that is given previous devices would not have reached this high.
The Mac Mini barely got warm and I never even heard the fan, couldn't even sense it when touching the case. Again, in comparison to the previous Mini which would have seen the fans at full and the heat at concerning level within minutes.
Thanks for posting your experience.
Do you have "Target FPS" enabled?
It was just recently added to the system options, so many don't know about it. If enabled, it would not really give an accurate comparison, as it dynamically changes the system setting behind the scenes to try to achieve the desired FPS.
The default is 60FPS, so I suspect that is why there is so many people posting frame rates with the M1 of 60FPS.
This is what it looks like:
No, it's off. At settings of 7 with shadow quality low, even in busy areas I am able to get 55-60fps quite comfortably, rarely dips below 55fps. That will do for me.
That's nice. Actually, anything over 40FPS is plenty for me.
I would probably sacrifice some FPS for more view distance and more environmental detail. The liquid detail is also nice, but in the past would usually make my fans go nuts.
Indeed, I am the same, just wanted to see how far I can push it and it seems quite far. Will adjust my settings again to improve viewing distance, get the detail up by sacrificing a couple of less important elements. I agree if that comes out at around 40-45fps, then ideal.
I'm hoping it's image compression in the above screenshots. Otherwise 7 on mac doesn't even remotely compare to 7 on windows.
Correct. It was for the setting and FPS, not quality. I think it's very close to comparable vs Windows. Having played since 2007 I am reasonably confident I can tell.
I mean be realistic, it is not going to beat a higher-end PC with an i7, RTX2070s as I have in my PC. This is not really about competing with the PC as a gaming machine. It is really more about the advancement over previous generation Apple devices.
WoW was in my view unplayable and that has changed. I love my quality and detail settings but after two hours of playing earlier today, I had no issues and actually enjoyed gaming on a Mac. Just done a few of the initial quests in Shadowlands and I am happy not to rush back over to the PC to play. I mean, I will just to compare experiences.
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So I did a few hours today on WoW, more as the new Shadowlands expansion has dropped, still incredibly impressed to be honest. I mean messing with settings as I went I was able to maintain 60fps on max settings with the only tweak being to turn off shadows.
And hardly a peep out of the Mac Mini, barely warm to the touch. I don't dungeon or raid any more unless I have to, I suspect that will be a different story and mileage will vary on them at max settings. But, it's all I need being selfish
And hardly a peep out of the Mac Mini, barely warm to the touch. I don't dungeon or raid any more unless I have to, I suspect that will be a different story and mileage will vary on them at max settings. But, it's all I need being selfish
I'm still downloading it on the M1 MBA, but if that is genuinely the case, my trashcan MP is getting sold so I can get a Mini as well, one less game that forces me to keep a W10 machine at home.So I did a few hours today on WoW, more as the new Shadowlands expansion has dropped, still incredibly impressed to be honest. I mean messing with settings as I went I was able to maintain 60fps on max settings with the only tweak being to turn off shadows.
And hardly a peep out of the Mac Mini, barely warm to the touch. I don't dungeon or raid any more unless I have to, I suspect that will be a different story and mileage will vary on them at max settings. But, it's all I need being selfish
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I also ended up trying a couple of other titles in my Steam library, just a few that I knew ran badly, 3 titles that I had tried on my 2018 Mac Mini and immediately removed as unplayable were Cities Skylines, Rust, and 7 days to die. All 3 required some tweaks and would not play on max settings but again they went from unplayable to perfectly playable and they were running through Rosetta. Not that I am going to pay them but it was interesting and nice to see how well it coped with them.
8GB Mac Mini M1 on BenQ EX2780Q running 1440p via HDMI
Setting 5 is recommended but you can use 10 and adjust some settings down manually, or setting 3 and adjust up some settings, view distance etc. I am getting around 100fps using the latter, even in new zones like Bastion.
Some in games bugs, battle pets etc, and occasional strange screen flicker which seems to have stopped now so may be settings related.
It’s an amazing machine! If anyone wants some fine detail on my settings then please shout.
Setting 5 is recommended but you can use 10 and adjust some settings down manually, or setting 3 and adjust up some settings, view distance etc. I am getting around 100fps using the latter, even in new zones like Bastion.
Some in games bugs, battle pets etc, and occasional strange screen flicker which seems to have stopped now so may be settings related.
It’s an amazing machine! If anyone wants some fine detail on my settings then please shout.
I bought my parents a Mid 2007 iMac back in 2011, and they have been using it since. I upgraded maxed the RAM when I bought it, and replaced the HDD with a SSD a few years back.
A few days ago, the GPU started to fail, and my parents asked about what Mac to get. I suggested they get the cheapest and newest Mac, the M1 Mac Mini, they did.
I set it up at my home, migrating all the files, setting my father up with an Apple ID, etc.
But, while I had it, I downloaded WoW and gave it a try.
WoW Retail:
I didn't have a lot of time to test, and the test was in the legion area, mostly around Dalaran, and the surrounding zones.
The Graphics Quality was set to 10, and anything else that was not set to the highest, was maxed out manually. I turned off Target FPS.
I was really impressed with M1. I was getting about 30-45 FPS everywhere I went, and it occasionally went higher.
The framerate never dipped below what I consider playable, so I was really impressed.
WoW Classic:
I didn't explore at all, and was in Grom'gol the whole time.
The Graphic Quality was set to 10, and anything else that was not set to the highest was maxed out manually.
I don't remember the exact frame rates, but it never once dipped below 50.
Overall impression, I was impressed with the performance for WoW on the M1. I am unsure how that would translate to other games on the Mac, but if you primarily play WoW and need a Mac, the M1 Macs might not be a bad deal for you.
I have even considered getting one myself, but I use a bunch of SW that I think would have issues with the M1, so I think I will wait a while.
A few days ago, the GPU started to fail, and my parents asked about what Mac to get. I suggested they get the cheapest and newest Mac, the M1 Mac Mini, they did.
I set it up at my home, migrating all the files, setting my father up with an Apple ID, etc.
But, while I had it, I downloaded WoW and gave it a try.
WoW Retail:
I didn't have a lot of time to test, and the test was in the legion area, mostly around Dalaran, and the surrounding zones.
The Graphics Quality was set to 10, and anything else that was not set to the highest, was maxed out manually. I turned off Target FPS.
I was really impressed with M1. I was getting about 30-45 FPS everywhere I went, and it occasionally went higher.
The framerate never dipped below what I consider playable, so I was really impressed.
WoW Classic:
I didn't explore at all, and was in Grom'gol the whole time.
The Graphic Quality was set to 10, and anything else that was not set to the highest was maxed out manually.
I don't remember the exact frame rates, but it never once dipped below 50.
Overall impression, I was impressed with the performance for WoW on the M1. I am unsure how that would translate to other games on the Mac, but if you primarily play WoW and need a Mac, the M1 Macs might not be a bad deal for you.
I have even considered getting one myself, but I use a bunch of SW that I think would have issues with the M1, so I think I will wait a while.
Hey guys, currently running WoW Shadowlands on an M1 MacBook Air, 8GB model. I have the graphical settings down to 1 and nothing running in the background.
Downloaded an app named TGpro to monitor my CPU temperature. This thing(CPU) is running at 90-100 degrees celsius while I'm playing. Should I be worried?
Downloaded an app named TGpro to monitor my CPU temperature. This thing(CPU) is running at 90-100 degrees celsius while I'm playing. Should I be worried?
You must have something else running in the background, because i've been running it on 7 at 2560x1600 for the past 4 hours and the monitoring peaked at 45 degrees celsius.
Maybe the i’m app using is faulty? What app do you use to monitor your CPU temp?
Alright, so I have iStat Menus, but I don't see the temperature option. Please, if you don't mind , walk me through the process of getting the option to see CPU temp, or posting a screenshot? This is what mine looks like.
Edit: Disregard, I think I figured it out.
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Great info. I am very casual WOW player - only play 2-3 months a year and currently do that on a work Windows laptop with Geforce 1050Ti @ 1080p. Works OK for my needs. My current Mac is 2012 iMac 27 and I was looking to get a replacement iMac from refurb store (2019 570X SSD etc) so I wouldn't have to use work laptop for WoW, but this M1 Silicon caught my attention. Even if Apple releases a new M1 iMac next year, I will probably not be able to afford brand new model and would need to wait until refurbs are available, which could push my purchase till 2022.
At this point, I am considering 16 GB Mac mini and and 27" 1440 @60Hz screen. I am hoping that this setup will give me a comparable or better performance to 1050Ti@1080p and overall better performance than any 2019 iMac, even the one with 580X?
At this point, I am considering 16 GB Mac mini and and 27" 1440 @60Hz screen. I am hoping that this setup will give me a comparable or better performance to 1050Ti@1080p and overall better performance than any 2019 iMac, even the one with 580X?
Played Warcraft on mine all evening and its a Warcrafting beast! Max graphics setting at 900p looks great and is 60fps most of the time.
Done 5 heroic dungeons this evening in Shadowlands, well done Blizzard for the quick M1 port.
Done 5 heroic dungeons this evening in Shadowlands, well done Blizzard for the quick M1 port.
Alright, finally got mine as well. Purchased the 8 core MBA. Runs Wow Classic perfectly fine on 60 fps. Using either a regular external monitor or my iPad as a second monitor.
Edit: A "funny" thing is that when in non-demanding in game areas, CPU-usage from WoW is like 40%, while the stupid logitech mouse software is using 80% :s
Edit: A "funny" thing is that when in non-demanding in game areas, CPU-usage from WoW is like 40%, while the stupid logitech mouse software is using 80% :s
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Does WoW flicker when you change brightness on your M1 mac? I have problems with this, and it occurs both when changing brightness manually, and when the auto adjust is enabled.
Just FYI, the Battlenet App does not have a Universal binary. WoW retail has a Universal binary but WoW Classic does not. As far as I know, none of their other Mac titles have a Universal binary.
The WoW retail Universal binary has its issues. As far I have heard, WoW will not run under Rosetta 2, so you're stuck with the current implementation.
The WoW retail Universal binary has its issues. As far I have heard, WoW will not run under Rosetta 2, so you're stuck with the current implementation.