Level Up Your Mac: Running Diagnostics to Boost Gaming Performance

Just a few years ago, gaming on a Mac was an inside joke among the enthusiast PC community. However, Apple’s passionate push for Mac gaming means Mac users don’t have to jump ship to play their favorite games. Sure, Apple still has a long way to go to catch up with PCs in its game library.

However, things have been looking up since the arrival of macOS Sonoma. With Sonoma, Apple provides two things – a new Game Mode to make sure a game gets the highest priority of CPU and GPU and a new Game Porting Toolkit to make it easier for game developers to bring their games to the Mac. 

In the very near future, gaming enthusiasts can see several games coming to the Mac, such as World of Warcraft: The War Within, Assassins Creed: Shadows, Resident Evil 7: Biohazard, and many more. 

While this is good news for Mac gaming, your gaming experience can get affected if your system’s performance is mediocre, there are problems with the battery, power supply, or power adapter, or you are unable to connect your Bluetooth accessories, such as headphones, for an immersive gaming experience. 

Read this to know how running Diagnostics can solve these problems and boost gaming performance on your Mac. 

What is Apple Diagnostics?

On every modern Mac, Apple Diagnostics is a default tool. This tool is used to detect hardware errors, such as graphics problems, problems with battery, power adapter, or power supply, issues with Bluetooth and USB, and issues with CPU or logic board. 

Encountering all of these problems mentioned here can affect gaming performance on your Mac, and the experience will be less than favorable. 

Furthermore, Apple Diagnostics can help you solve the issue of your Mac running slow and prevent your Mac’s fans from making noise. The tool is completely free to use. 

How do you prepare your Mac before running Apple Diagnostics?

It is paramount to prepare your MacBook before running Apple Diagnostics. Here’s what to do:

• Check whether you have a stable, fast Internet connection. This is important because the diagnostics test will upload the results to Apple and allow you to get recommended support resources. 
• All the external hard drives must be unplugged except your display, keyboard, and mouse. 
• Please note that testing might drain the battery. Hence, use a power adapter to prevent an unexpected shutdown. 

Steps to run Apple Diagnostics on M1, M2, and M3

Since Apple discontinued the last Mac models with an Intel processor in 2023, this article focuses on the steps to run Apple Diagnostics on Mac computers using an Apple silicon chip. You can refer to Apple’s support page to know the steps for your Mac with an Intel processor. 

• On your Mac, press and hold the standby button. 
• Let go of the button once you see a list of startup options. Then, press Command + D. 
• Wait patiently while your Mac performs the diagnostics test. 
• Once the test is complete, turn off your device by pressing Shut Down. Then, switch on the Mac to tackle the problems troubling your Mac and affecting your gaming experience.

If the test detects problems, you will see the message displayed on the screen with a brief description of the issues. The message will include reference codes and additional instructions.

Write down the error codes so you can check them by going to Apple’s support page to find their troubleshooting steps. You could even contact your technician, tell them the error codes, and ask them for help. 

Other optimization tips to enhance gaming performance 

Apple Diagnostics is going to identify and help you solve hardware issues, prevent your system from overheating, and speed up performance. However, if you are still experiencing sluggish gaming performance, you can try these optimization hacks:

• Manage disk space – Remove unnecessary applications and files to free up storage space. Lack of storage space is a major reason behind the slow performance of your system and the reason why gaming resources are not loading correctly. 
• Close background programs – For blazing-fast speed during gaming on Mac, remember to close all the unnecessary background programs consuming significant system resources. This will free up the resources so your game can run faster. 
• Update macOS – If it has been a while since you updated macOS, start from there. macOS updates come with the latest bug fixes, security patches, and performance enhancements. This might improve gaming performance on your Mac. 
• Invest in a reliable Internet connection – If you are playing online games, ensure you are connected to a reliable, stable Wi-Fi network. Update your Internet plan for better bandwidth. 

Conclusion: Game on Mac like a pro! 

Apple has made hardware and software modifications to make gaming on Mac computers a reality. By running Apple Diagnostics and optimizing performance, you can transform your Mac into a gaming powerhouse.