Ever since the MacBook Neo launched as Apple’s budget-friendly laptop, gamers and tech enthusiasts have wondered just how capable it is beyond everyday work.
Priced at just $599 with an A18 Pro chip, 5-core GPU, and 8GB of unified memory, it wasn’t designed as a gaming machine. That said, Apple’s improvements in macOS gaming support, thanks to the unified memory architecture and tools like MetalFX, have some questioning whether this budget notebook can punch above its weight in modern titles.
We decided to find out for ourselves by putting the MacBook Neo through a real-world AAA gaming test. Rather than sticking to smaller Apple Arcade games, we chose two demanding titles that would truly stress the system’s integrated graphics and limited memory.
The games in question were Cyberpunk 2077, one of the most graphically intensive open-world titles, and Resident Evil 4 Remake, a game that has already proven it can run well on the best iPhones thanks to strong optimization.
To give the Neo a fair shot, we adjusted the resolution and graphics settings for both titles. We ran them at approximately 1080p where possible, testing various presets and enabling Apple’s MetalFX upscaling technology (both on and off) to see how much it could help the 5-core GPU and 8GB of unified memory handle these games.
Without giving away the results (watch the video for that!), the good news is that the MacBook Neo can play games. Apple Arcade titles and other lighter, well-optimized releases can run smoothly. However, it’s no replacement for one of the best gaming laptops.
Make sure to leave your thoughts in the video and in the comments below. Also, don’t miss our separate Chrome tab stress test for the everyday performance side of the story.
