Apple’s WWDC 2025 event has been a few weeks, and while Apple has announced a new Games app that will be included in the new Micros Tahao later this year, there is not much news about the upcoming topics that Mac Gamers are waiting for the game.
However, during the WWDC, there was an important sports announcement that may have gone a bit under the radar. The announcement was made from the UL solutions, with the launch of the new Mac version of its 3DMark bench marking app.
This is an important development for Mac Gamers, because 3DMark is one of the most famous tools used to test PC graphics performance – and its arrival on Mac reflects the fact that Mac is finally being taken seriously as a gaming platform. Keeping in mind, I want to take some time to discuss how you can go to Best MacBox and Max about benchmarking.
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The 3D mark’s solar bay test is great for testing and comparing the 3D graphical performance. (Image Credit: UL Solution)
And, as with A-List sports The Beliefs of the killers: the shadow And Cyberpank 2077 Now available for Max, many of us are surprised to find out how good the game will play on our Max. As the name suggests, 3D Mark focuses especially on performance testing with sports and 3D graphics, but there are also other options available you can use to be benchmarking your Mac (and also to compare your Mac performance with Windows PC).
Diy bench marking
Some games (including the above mentioned AC: Shadow And Cyberpank) Their own benchmarking tools are already made, which allow you to test your Mac performance and watch the frame per second (FPS) score that can be achieved when playing the game.
The Beliefs of the killers: the shadow McCows is one of the latest triple-A games-and has a built-in benchmark feature. (Image Credit: Yubisoft)
These tools can be useful as they allow you to experience with different graphics settings within the game to maintain the best balance between graphics quality and performance for your specific Mac model. But, of course, these tools only work in individual sports, so they don’t give you much indication of how your Mac will work with other sports, or how it will be compared to other Max or PC – in addition, you will really have to buy a game to play a benchmark in most cases.
PC gamers who use steam probably know that the steam app involves an option to show framersat in the game. Unfortunately, the steam may be the Mac version of the steam … a little wrong, and its FPS counter went around 2023 a while ago. However, another welcome to the gaming news that comes during the WWDC announced that it was currently examining a new version of Steam, especially for the latest Macs with Apple Silicon processors, so hopefully it will work more reliable in the future.
Putting the Steam aside, Apple actually provides its option for gaming performance testing. This is called metal HUD (head -up display), as it is part of a metal software that Apple uses to display 3D graphics on MacS and other EPEL devices. The metal HUD was actually designed for developers who need to test their games or apps in Macos, but if no one objects to drowning in the terminal app on their Mac, anyone can use it.
A close -up of metal hood, which appears as an overlay in the corner of the screen during the game. (Image Credit: Apple)
The terminal is found in applications/utility, and you can just double click on it to launch it like any other Mac app. When the terminal window appears on the screen, you can activate the metal HUD by typing the following command:
/Bin/Launch CTL STENV MTL_Hud_enabled 1
You will not see anything immediately, but the next time you launch a game with 3D graphics on your Mac, the metal HUD will appear automatically. Metal HUD shows enough technical information for developers, but your screen resolution and refresh rate is up, followed by the current average FPS score. This allows you to adjust the resolution and other graphics settings within any game so you can see how they affect the performance.
And, when you finish with metal HUD, you can easily close it by typing another command in the terminal window:
/Bin/Launching Setenv mtl_hud_enabled 0
Testing with Gack Bench 6
The popular gack bench test has been available for many years on Sweet Mac, and it also runs on Windows PC, Linux, and Android, so it is a good option to compare your Mac performance with different PCs and other devices. There is also a huge database of test results on Geekbench.com that you can also find.
Jennich is one of the trusted Mac Bench Marking Tools. (Image Credit: Gack Bench)
The Gack Bench contains two main sets of tools, which have a CPU Benchmark that tests GPU Benchmark for your computer’s main processor performance, and graphics performance. However, GPU tests focus on 2D graphics tasks, such as applying filters for photo editing work, so it is not necessary to have the best indicator of 3D performance for gaming. Nevertheless, the Gack Bench is still a useful tool for a general review of your Mac performance, and a free version that you can download from Geekbench.com, as well as a Pro version that costs.
3dMark for Mac
Mac Gamers will probably start jumping at this location, and telling me that the 3D Mark has been available for many years at the Mac App Store. This is true – but if you look closely at the Mac App Store, you will find a small print stating that this version of the 3 -mark was “designed for the iPad, and was not confirmed for Mac”. It is also very old, so it does not contain the latest graphics techniques, such as ray tracking.
However, the new version of 3D Mark for Max that we see here is currently available only on steam, and is specifically written to run on the latest Mac models with Apple Silicon processors. There is a demo version of 3D Mark on Steam, which allows you to run the main performance test free. Full version value. 29.50/$ 34.99 and contain additional features, such as the ability to adjust the screen resolution used in different tests. And, when you buy a 3 mark on steam, the same purchase allows you to download the Mac or PC version as needed, so you do not need to pay twice for separate Mac and PC version.
For Maclos, 3D Mark does not have a complete suit of tests found on Windows, but it still has enough to make some reasonable comparisons. (Image Credit: UL Solution)
Unlike the Gack Bench, 3D Mark is particularly focused on benchmark tests that assess your computer’s performance with 3D graphics in sports. The new Mac version does not include a full range of tests available in the PC version, but in four tests you should give a fine review of your Mac’s gaming performances. The scores in these tests also include the PC version of the 3DMark directly, which makes it easier to compare the Mac and PC performance.
Currently there are four important tests available for Max, though two of them are very similar. Steel Gypsy is a general purpose of 3D graphics performance. It is designed to run on more powerful Max and PC instead of smartphones and tablets – so the 3D graphics scenes that create these are run in full 4K resolution. There is also a test called Steel Gypsy Light, which runs on 2560×1440 resolution, and is designed for less powerful computers, such as MacBook Air.
3D Mark provides you with a performance error after each test and allows you to compare the score with other users. (Image Credit: UL Solution)
The Wildlife Extra is also a similar test, which runs at 4K but designed for a wide range of mobile devices, so it can be a good option to compare high -end iPad Pro with MacBook Pro Laptop or PC gaming laptops. However, neither steel nomads nor Wildlife Extra Tests use ray tracing graphics technology that is now used in many modern sports, such as The Beliefs of the killers: the shadow. So there is another test, called Solar Bay, which is specifically designed to test your Mac performance when using ray tracing in sports.
Ray tracking is a technique that produces impressive and realistic light effects within sports, but it is very demanding and requires a beautiful powerful Mac or PC. In fact, Apple introduced ray tracking on Max with the introduction of an M3 processor just 18 months ago – and, of course, the current M4 – so the solar gulf is designed for the latest Max and high -end iPad models, including M3 or M4 processor.
The good news is that most of these benchmarking tools are free to use – or at least provide a useful working demo – so this will not cost you to download and try them.
