Recently, the phrase “Mac mini gaming” took on a whole new meaning. That’s because Apple released the M4 and M4 Pro Mac mini desktop computers in a much smaller form factor and with unprecedented performance. Today’s MacBook Air and MacBook Pro user is over the moon about what his new M4 Pro Mac mini can do with World of Warcraft and other games.
This post contains affiliate links. Cult of Mac may earn a commission when you use our links to buy items.
Gamer gears up for action in dual-display setup with new M4 Pro Mac mini
Gamer and Redditor A-Basic-Gamer (“Basic”) showcased the action-ready setup in a post entitled, “New addition to my now complete Mac setup – Mini M4 Pro.” They mentioned to a commenter that they “finally got there” with this setup. After all, reviews for M4 Mac mini iterations, shipped earlier this month, have been revelatory. And that would include Cult of Mac‘s own hands-on review.
In addition to a pair of older MacBooks for personal and work use, Basic just added the tiny but mighty new M4 Pro Mac mini to his setup with two displays, a 34-inch Dell S3422DWG curved 1440p monitor in landscape orientation and, to the right, a super-affordable 24-inch Koorui FHD display in portrait orientation.
“Got my Mini M4 Pro the other week, home/gaming rig is now complete, M2 Air for work and i9 [MacBook Pro] for traveling,” they said. “(Also I’m a wire freak and enjoy cabled equipment, don’t judge me I know it doesn’t look as good).” As you can see in the photograph, he uses wired input devices — a Satechi Slim W1 keyboard and a Razer Basilisk gaming mouse.
Commenters approved. “Ok this might actually be the first and only double display with ultra-wide setup that I liked, and it makes perfect sense to me,” one enthused. “Ultra wide is enough for simple multitasking during which second monitor can be the ‘sidecar.’ For heavier use, both can be used. Thanks for the inspiration OP!”
“It’s so cool to see people gaming on their macs!” another person gushed.
Mac mini gaming: Is enthusiasm born out by performance?
“What’s performance like playing WoW?” asked a commenter. “Any other games you’re playing right now?”
“Really good, actually, I posted 2 posts in Macgaming the past week and links to my YouTube gameplay, FPS is very good, still got some further testing to do,” Basic replied. “It’s warm to touch but I would compare it to my previous gaming PC. The fan noise can be heard when it’s cooling but it’s not constantly doing it and I hardly notice it when doing dungeons and questing.”
And here’s another person’s 2 cents on World of Warcraft gaming, pertaining to display resolution and older Macs, and upgrading to a new Mac mini:
I would not recommend gaming on 4K 144Hz … It’s probably is fine for 1080p and maybe some light 2K gaming. I tried WoW with the M3 Pro with 24GB RAM … it will run OK until you get into a dungeon or something where everyones casting spells. I do love the price point of the mini though, especially with $50 off you can get from Amazon … $550 makes this thing an absolute steal … Highly recommended for anyone with a low to mid end PC looking to switch to Mac.”
How does WoW run on the mini? ” another person asked. “I’m also curious about WoW running on the Macs.”
“Really well!” Basic replied. “I uploaded some tests to YouTube if you want to see.”
Shop these items now:
The new Mac mini is smaller, lighter and 50× more adorable. It's super-powerful and by far the best deal in computing right now.
- Powerful M4 Pro chip
- 512GB storage
- 24GB unified memory
- Compact desktop design
- Headphone jack on front
- BYODKM (bring your own display, keyboard and mouse)
Computers and stand:
Display and light bar:
- 34-inch Dell S34422DWG Curved Gaming Monitor
- 24-inch Koorui FHD monitor
- BenQ Screenbar Monitor Light
Input devices:
Lighting:
If you would like to see your setup featured on Cult of Mac, send some high-res pictures to [email protected] (iPhone pics usually suffice). Please provide a detailed list of your equipment. Tell us what you like or dislike about your setup, and fill us in on any special touches, challenges and plans for new additions.
