Cyberpunk 2077 is a large sport – and now it is lastly out on Mac. Practically 5 years on from its unique launch, CD Projekt Purple has delivered a model of the RPG epic for Apple Silicon Mac computer systems, promising ray tracing help and superior MetalFX options. So how does the sci-fi journey maintain up on Apple’s current-gen laptop lineup and what ought to avid gamers count on in efficiency and stability? We put the port by way of its paces on a spread of contemporary Mac {hardware}, helpfully equipped by Apple, and the outcomes are intriguing.
Out of the field, the Mac model of Cyberpunk 2077 is pretty easy. The sport boots with out problem on my M4 Max Macbook Professional, and it presents a settings menu that’s basically an identical to the PC model of the sport. There are only a few gadgets of be aware right here, apart from the presence of Apple’s MetalFX temporal upscaler, which is obtainable right here alongside the analytically-based FSRs 2.1 and three.0. The sport helps any M-series Mac chip with at the very least 16GB of RAM, so no 8GB machines or Intel-based Macs. I am testing three machines at present, together with a lower-end M4 Mac Mini, and an M4 Max MacBook Professional and M3 Extremely Mac Studio in basically maxed-out configurations.
Whenever you load your first save, the sport appears to bear a speedy burn of shader compilation, as noticed utilizing the detailed MacOS 26 Metallic efficiency HUD. The variety of compiled shaders explodes throughout the first load right here on a contemporary MacOS 26 set up, with little or no obvious shader compilation exercise throughout gameplay. Loading one other save in a distinct section of the world fires up one other spherical of shader burn, and shader compilation whereas in-game is pretty restricted. Because of this, the sport does not seem to endure from shader compilation stutter, so this resolution appears fairly efficient. I ran Cyberpunk underneath MacOS 15.5 for the testing on this video, however I did dip into the MacOS 26 Beta 3 to floor a few of these metrics.
Check Methods
Mac Mini
MacBook Professional 16
Mac Studio
Processor
Apple M4
Apple M4 Max
Apple M3 Extremely
CPU
4P Cores/6E Cores
12P Cores/4E Cores
24P Cores/8E Cores
GPU
10 Cores
40 Cores
80 Cores
Reminiscence
16GB LPDDR5X at 120GB/s
128GB LPDDR5X at 546GB/s
512GB LPDDR5X at 819GB/s
Because of Apple for supplying the above {hardware} for this piece.
By default, the sport kicks you into the “For This Mac” graphics preset, which adjustments graphical settings based mostly on the chip you are utilizing. For the M4 Max laptop computer, we’re basically getting extremely settings at 1440p with MetalFX because the upscaler of selection. Dynamic decision scaling is enabled to stability GPU load towards a 60fps frame-rate goal. This default setting appears to work fairly effectively on the MacBook, usually logging a 60fps replace with out problem. There are some barely regarding drops throughout open-world traversal, the place the sport suffers from pronounced stutters for just a few moments. Heavy fight moments can drag down the frame-rate graph as effectively with transient however harsh tumbles down into the 50s. Prolonged stutters pop up in these sequences too, which momentarily pause the motion. I am undecided precisely what is going on on right here.
I did strive altering the MetalFX preset to efficiency to remove any DRS-driven variance, and that appeared to alleviate the problems to a point, however I struggled to duplicate the issues on a constant sufficient foundation to make certain. It is arduous to inform precisely the place these drops stem from as a result of the sport’s GPU time readout within the Metallic Efficiency HUD does not appear to correspond with precise in-game load. Usually talking, I would not be too involved and I performed by way of prolonged stretches of gameplay with no efficiency points in any way, however you could not get pleasure from a very faultless run of play right here.
Apple’s MetalFX temporal upscaler is vital to the visible outcomes as it is a very succesful upscaling resolution for this title. Uncooked, native MetalFX decision metrics are an ideal match for AMD’s FSR scaling presets, and line up intently with Nvidia’s DLSS presets as effectively. Utilizing MetalFX with dynamic decision scaling seems to reveal a wider scaling vary in comparison with the presets, with a ground at 50 % axis res and a ceiling at 80 % axis res in my testing at 1440p. So, at native 1440p, the dynamic decision vary is 720p to 1152p.
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If we evaluate MetalFX down the preset ladder, we’re taking a look at a near-doubling of efficiency going from native 4K with TAA to MetalFX high quality with the efficiency preset yielding a few 130 % bump in frame-rates. 1440p carries considerably much less compelling boosts, topping out at roughly double the efficiency with the most important scaling issue. MetalFX ought to yield some satisfying outcomes right here, particularly in the direction of the upper finish of the decision vary.
Picture high quality comparisons show fairly compelling for MetalFX. FSR 3 is well conquered right here at 1440p decision with efficiency mode upscaling, with much less troublesome breakup and disocclusion when propelled ahead by way of the surroundings. Curiously although, it truly compares considerably favourably to Nvidia’s top-tier Transformer mannequin DLSS on PC, producing a extra steady, although softer, picture in my exams. Slower traversal exposes extra of that MetalFX softness and shimmering points are typically pretty apparent on each machines. Our prior exams discovered that MetalFX is aggressive with PC ML-based upscalers, and that pattern is broadly holding true right here.
Sadly, that is not fairly true when the sport’s lighting is path traced. RT Overdrive tends to be fairly messy utilizing MetalFX on the MacBook, whereas DLSS 4 Ray Reconstruction manages to wash up the picture successfully. The splotchy, shimmery reflections on the foyer ground on this shot replicate the drawback Macs have and not using a Ray Reconstruction different. Picture high quality with RR is not excellent, nevertheless it’s a far cry from the tremendous resolution-only options we’d in any other case use.
MetalFX Upscaling
1080p
1440p
2160p
MetalFX High quality (66.7% scale)
720p
960p
1440p
MetalFX Balanced (58.9% scale)
635p
847p
1271p
MetalFX Efficiency (50.0% scale)
540p
720p
1080p
Apple is about to debut the MetalFX denoised upscaler in MacOS 26 later this yr, which replaces hand-tuned denoisers with one machine learning-based denoising cross. This may hopefully produce a extra aggressive visible consequence with the likes of DLSS Ray Reconstruction, with which it shares a spread of frequent inputs.
The Mac model of Cyberpunk is a reasonably strong expertise on the MacBook Professional I have been testing to this point, in ways in which aren’t strictly performance-driven. HDR on the inner show as an example seems extremely impactful, with searing vivid highlights and dimmed blacks. MacOS does an outstanding job integrating HDR and SDR content material in the identical interface – one thing Home windows does not even try to handle – so Cyberpunk can function in HDR whereas the remainder of the OS seems completely effective mapped inside a extra restricted, dimmer luminance area.
No built-in Mac display screen helps VRR, however the MacBook Professional does help Apple’s ProMotion tech, which permits for various mounted refresh charges as much as 120Hz. I had no problem capping Cyberpunk to 30fps, 40fps, or 60fps by way of the in-game v-sync choices, and these frame-rates offered with out frame-time inconsistencies.
In the meantime, battery life on the MacBook Professional is strong for a laptop computer underneath heavy gaming load, working for about an hour and eighteen minutes on the default ‘for this mac’ settings with HDR enabled at max show brightness. That is a very good consequence for a gaming laptop computer working at basically full-tilt. Most gaming laptops cannot even provide full energy to their GPU and CPU underneath battery, however the MacBook absolutely maintains its efficiency stage whether or not linked to the mains or working solo.
That is pushed by the spectacular effectivity of Apple’s SoCs. Underneath load, we’re pulling about 55 Watts at peak for the CPU, GPU, and Apple Neural Engine mixed. It will be fascinating to see these figures in contrast towards AMD’s Strix Halo, which adopts the same power-sipping system-on-a-chip design. Apple is packing a 99.6 Wh battery that is calibrated proper to the FAA 100 Wh restrict, so that is about nearly as good because it will get for Mac endurance.
As an general expertise on a high-end Mac, I am glad with Cyberpunk 2077 – it is a well-done port that does not step into prior Mac port pitfalls and it comes full of loads of Apple-specific expertise to justify its place on the Mac platform. Nonetheless, we do want to check efficiency a little bit extra totally to see how Apple’s Macs fare towards fashionable PC chips within the Home windows ecosystem.
With that in thoughts, we examined throughout three Macs, two representing the high-end of Apple’s current-gen choices and yet another attribute of its lower-end elements. The M4 Max and M3 Extremely within the MacBook Professional and Mac Studio are these higher-end chips, and the M3 Extremely finally ends up beating its weaker counterpart by 35 % to 41 % in benchmark exams throughout extremely settings and RT overdrive, falling to about 23 % in extremely RT.
Regardless of its title, the M3 Extremely was truly launched after the M4 Max and consists of two M3 Max chips linked over a silicon interposer. Apple has indicated they might be skipping an Extremely chip for the M4 technology, so that is most likely going to face because the quickest Apple chip obtainable for a while to come back. If we add the Mac Mini to the combination, we’re logging a efficiency stage that is excellent for an iGPU, however is a small fraction of the throughput of the bigger chips. The Mac Mini has a few quarter of the M4 Max’s GPU assets, and is available in at a few quarter of its frame-rate in these exams.
The M4 Max MacBook Professional’s closest PC competitors on this sport might be the RTX 4060, which trades blows with it in our raster-only Extremely benchmarking, although have in mind the MacBook Professional is managing with a small fraction of the RTX 4060’s 115W TDP. These PC settings do seem to match their Mac counterparts, so these must be like-for-like exams. After we dial in ray tracing although, the M4 Max begins to path the RTX 4060 a little bit bit. It isn’t an enormous deficit, however it’s noticeable.
M3 Extremely falls someplace between the 4060 and 5060 Ti in matched raster exams at extremely settings – nearer to the 4060, however nonetheless straddling the 2 playing cards. Nonetheless, it drops additional after we throw ray tracing into the combination, falling into lockstep with the 4060. It is a fairly snug stage of efficiency for rasterized Cyberpunk, and I would not count on any actual points with cheap settings.
The Mac Mini proves a little bit of a trickier prospect. Measured towards a comparatively weak fashionable discrete GPU, the AMD RX 6600, it falls considerably behind. The distinction between the playing cards is definitely a bit bigger with ray tracing, which maybe suggests a persistent MacOS deficit right here, given the relative weak spot of RNDA 2’s RT acceleration. Nonetheless, in comparison with one thing like a Steam Deck – which has built-in graphics and is extra in step with the ability consumption of an M4 chip – the M4 scores a superior consequence with 47 % higher efficiency in our raster benchmarks. Your level of reference issues quite a bit right here, however in comparison with most PC built-in graphics options, I believe the M4 fares simply effective.
I believe the Mac port of Cyberpunk 2077 is sort of good. Barring some hard-to-reproduce preliminary hitches, it runs easily, is straightforward to grasp and configure, and helps key Apple tech like MetalFX upscaling. That is undoubtedly the most effective AAA ports to MacOS I’ve seen. Evaluating PC efficiency comparisons is a little bit tough. In quite a lot of benchmarks, higher-end Mac GPU {hardware} lands someplace across the 70 sequence Nvidia merchandise, typically even reaching the 80 sequence chips. That is very true in productiveness duties, or in additional artificial rendering exams. Nonetheless, efficiency in precise retail video games tends to slide a little bit – usually nearer to lower-end desktop package and midrange laptop computer elements. That is one thing I hope to check extra totally within the close to future.
That mentioned, energy effectivity is very spectacular in comparison with PC elements and Mac {hardware} can squeeze into comparatively slim enclosures, with minimal thermal load and fan noise. Getting full efficiency on battery, and effectively over an hour of gaming time underneath load at max brightness, is one thing the MacBook Professional can ship and most gaming laptops cannot. Plus, the Mac carries a console-like simplicity that’s reassuring: there are not any driver updates to cope with, there isn’t any want to fret about some obscure elements mixture that might trigger complications, and Macs have high-quality inbuilt shows which can be completely calibrated to the wants of the working system and video games.
Apple eliminates quite a lot of the troubleshooting that Home windows PC customers are most likely used to, which leaves extra time to really get pleasure from software program. All advised, I am comparatively happy with the general expertise of taking part in Cyberpunk 2077 on Mac {hardware} and the efforts made to ship a tailor-made expertise for specific Apple Silicon – an nearly console-like set-up, with the choice to drop again to a totally tailor-made expertise. CD Projekt RED has actually put the legwork in right here, so when you’ve got the package, it is a strong port that is effectively price a glance.
