Best products from r/macgaming

We found 36 comments on r/macgaming discussing the most recommended products. We ran sentiment analysis on each of these comments to determine how redditors feel about different products. We found 121 products and ranked them based on the amount of positive reactions they received. Here are the top 20.

Top comments mentioning products on r/macgaming:

u/theChapinator · 9 pointsr/macgaming

For Dota you really should be set with just what's in your macbook. I know you can definitely run all of the borderlands games on that hardware as well, but an eGPU will certainly let you max it out and get higher performance. I am currently running a 980 off of my MacBook Air and it's delightful.

At this stage of eGPUs with macs there are a couple things to keep in mind. First, there is no out-of-the-box solution yet that isn't a ripoff. Most will require a little bit of tinkering, especially the cheaper solutions. This is not at all to discourage you, as there are a lot of great guides and some great communities, but just as a warning. Secondly, you won't be able to get the performance you're looking for on the internal display, you'll need to run it through an external monitor.

For your $300-400 budget, I would advise you to get the AKiTiO Thunder2 Thunderbolt to PCIe expansion chassis. It's $189 and is probably exactly what you need. It requires a very small modification to be able to power a desktop GPU, and if you get a card that has low enough power consumption you can run it all through a special Dell power brick (DA-2)with very minimal modification. The whole solution is actually relatively portable if you chose this option. So that puts you at ~$200-250 for the setup, then all you need is a graphics card.

I am quite partial to Nvidia, but they can run slightly more expensive, but they have other bonuses. Nevertheless, do your own research on what kind of card you want, from what you said anything from the 7xx and 9xx series would work for you, but honestly so could a couple 6xx series cards. As I said I'm not too knowledgeable on AMD so do some research when picking out your card on both fronts, just make sure it's power consumption will work with the set-up.

I am a huge eGPU advocate and if anything wasn't clear feel free to PM me or whatever and I'm more than happy to discuss it. If you're not keen on that, TechInferno has what is arguably the best eGPU community and knowledge/support base around. Definitely check them out regardless as they have a ton of guides and people probably in your same situation that will give you an idea of what you're looking at time/money/difficulty wise.

Cheers!

Edit - added links

u/BangkokPadang · 1 pointr/macgaming

This is absolutely the best way I've found to play most Indie Games like Shovel Knight, Super Meat Boy, VVVVV, etc. I also use this method when emulating NES/Gameboy/SNES/GBA/etc.

I love it. I have 8 SNES controllers stored in zip-lock bags so I'll always have a good gamepad.

This is the best SNES->USB Adapter I've ever used. I tried a couple, and have used one for Wii as well. Every other one I tried but this one had problems. Most only recognized 2 or 3 button presses at a time, and one in particular (the one for wii) seemed to not only have terrible lag, but seemed to miss button presses all the time. It felt like it was maybe only checking for inputs maybe 30 times a second, and if you pushed the button in between when it was "checking" for button presses, it missed it.

This adapter is the Mayflash brand SNES -> USB adapter, and has 2 inputs in one device, so it is perfect even for local multiplayer gaming. I bought mine on Amazon.com for @ $8.00 US, and they seem to sell for @ $12.00 US now. It would honestly be worth $30 or $40 US.

It can be purchased from here.

I use a mac. I dual boot into windows for a few games, but due to the wonderful market GOG and the Humble Bundle have cultivated, most indie games come out for mac. So, I spend 90% of my time in OSX, and do almost 100% of my gaming in OSX as well. (Until the Oculus Rift comes out, anyway ;-p )

If you, too, use a Mac for most of your gaming, then let me introduce you to the greatest thing for setting up awesome, fluid, game controls OSX has to offer. Controller Mate.

Controller Mate allows you to map any USB Device/Keyboard/Midi Device, etc. to any function, in any program, based on any condition. If the function isn't built in, then you can build it using timers, input counters, axis measurements, etc.

For this application I simply remap each input to the corresponding keyboard key, such as up, down, left, and right arrows as well as the A,B,X,Y,L, and R buttons. I map Start to Enter, and Select to Tab.This makes most games show me the correct buttons instead of generic USB terms such as "button 1" or "button 2."

These mappings are also set to only apply when a particular list of programs is running. This allows me to have multiple keyboard mappings for multiple games, and never have to manually switch between them.

I cannot recommend this program enough. It is a must for any mac gamer, and blows any other keyboard remapping programs out of the water.

It is available fromOrdered Bytes' Website for @ $25.00 US. I got my copy on sale a few years ago for $15.00 US, but it is honestly worth double what they charge for it. I have it controlling not only my games but a bunch of software on my system. It is indispensable.

u/hitmewithmuzak · 5 pointsr/macgaming

I ordered one of these usb PS3 controllers from Amazon a few weeks ago.
Only cost me $7; I was incredibly sceptical that it would work but I plugged it in, installed this driver and then configured the keys with controllermate ($15 purchase, or free if you know where to look, I'd try it free first and you'll probably end up buying it, I did, it's a great piece of software) and now I can play pretty much any game with a controller, L4D2, Team Fortress, Halo, etc.

The Controllermate software even allows you to have different configurations depending on which app you're using, so you don't have to change any keybindings in-game for when you want to go back to keyboard. The controller works for emulators, and I've used it for Super Meat Boy to great success.

The only gripe I have is that the L2-R2 buttons aren't buttons, they're triggers, which took some getting used to, but for $7 inclusing shipping I can't complain at all. Plus, the cable is removable and standard USB, so even if it breaks you can replace it with whatever length of cable you want, hell maybe you could even cannibalize a wireless USB mouse and get it working wirelessly.

As far as I remember, the Mac only supports wireless Xbox 360 controllers with one very specific USB dongle that costs around $30-$40, and there isn't any support for using PS3 controllers over bluetooth, although the last part might have changed since I researched.

u/piebloxxer · 1 pointr/macgaming

I will say that I'd recommend either upgrading the storage in your computer or buying an external hard drive if you want to boot camp your mac, though, as you're going to quickly run out of disk space if you do.

I got a 2TB Seagate one that works pretty well for relatively cheap here, but you might want one with its own power supply as it might access data marginally faster.

If you want some game recommendations that will run on mac, I'm /u/piebloxxer on steam if you want to look through my library. All of the games that I've logged time in ~1/2 an hour or more will play at least adequately!

Also, I'd highly recommend Overwatch if you haven't played it before. I can run it on Medium settings with around a stable 40 FPS on my MacBook and really enjoy it!

u/darkness · 2 pointsr/macgaming

I used to have a Saitek X52 Pro, but I didn't get to use it very much because it broke. I was thus unimpressed with the build quality of this stick, especially given its price. (Also, good luck using that MFD under OS X.)

More recently I wanted to play Freespace 2 on OS X, so I got a Thrustmaster T.Flight HOTAS X. It has fewer buttons and lights than the X52 Pro, but it's good enough for me, and it's a third of the price of another X52 Pro. I'd say it has better build quality than the X52 Pro as well. This stick/throttle works just fine with FS2Open on OS X 10.8.

You may also want some pedals. I've been dealing with the stick's twist axis for rudder so far.

Of course, if you want to get real serious, like $500-$600 serious, you could get a Thrustmaster HOTAS Warthog.

u/treestompz · 2 pointsr/macgaming

I'm super excited to report that the type-c to displayport cable I ordered works flawlessly! I can drive 144hz on either OSX or Win10. I installed Win10 via Bootcamp and play CS:GO there. To my surprise I am able to play just as competitively as I do on my gaming rig. I can get 300fps while playing on 1024x768 on low settings. (This is how I choose to play regardless of my graphics power.) 1920x1080 runs great, too.

u/MinisterforFun · 1 pointr/macgaming

https://www.amazon.com/Razer-Chroma-Aluminum-External-Enclosure/dp/B07Q78VMPW

And

https://www.amazon.com/Sapphire-Backplate-Special-Graphic-11265-21-20G/dp/B07RW5L77M

Is what I have for mine. I’ve got the same com as you but with 16GB RAM. I can play the Tomb Raider games.

For the graphics card, there’s an RX590 now so might wanna look into that.


https://www.gamingscan.com/gpu-hierarchy/

r/eGPU

However there are smaller chassis available too.

https://www.amazon.com/Sonnet-eGFX-Breakaway-650W-GPU-650W-TB3/dp/B079RMJDN4

This one appears to be smaller overall vs the Core X.

https://www.amazon.com/GIGABYTE-Gaming-Graphic-Card-GV-RX580IXEB-8GD/dp/B07CCK527Y

This one is super small. Very portable but my friend, and others, have been experiencing technical issues with the hardware. Also hard to upgrade as you have to look for mini cards.

Contrary to what other have recommended, I wouldn’t recommend the Blackmagic ones you see on the Apple Store website as you can’t change the cards in those.

u/raygan · 2 pointsr/macgaming

I'm seeing a lot of recommendations for the DualShock 3, but I could never get it to work right with one of my Macs. If you are interested in an option designed specifically for computers, you may want to check this out.

The Logitech F510

I can't actually personally recommend it yet, I am about to order one. It gets great reviews though. It can either work as a standard USB HID controller or emulate an Xbox 360 controller, which is great for the many games that support that controller natively.

u/DrFrix · 4 pointsr/macgaming

Well, you will want to upgrade to el capitan - here's a link to get started:
http://forums.macrumors.com/threads/2006-2007-mac-pro-1-1-2-1-and-os-x-el-capitan.1890435/

As for dumping in money, the first thing you'll want is a better graphics card. I'm not sure if it's really worth the money to get a really good one for such an old rig. If it were mine, I had the cash, and I really liked it for aesthetics or nostalgia, perhaps this:
http://www.amazon.com/Sapphire-Edition-PCI-Express-Graphics-11196-15-40G/dp/B00BW0XDU6/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top?ie=UTF8

Before doing anything, I'd upgrade the OS and play with it doing editing, gaming etc. and see where there are issues that bother you, if there are any. After that, see whether or not it's worth it to you to spend any cash on it.

Best of luck!

u/kevinsrednal · 1 pointr/macgaming

35GB Should be enough for you to bootcamp and install steam on, you won't have room for much else though if you decide that you like using Windows for other applications (and increasing a partition size is a huge pain in the ass).

Is CS:GO actually causing your MacBook to overheat (loss in performance or malfunctions) or is the exterior warm / fans kicking on high? Macbooks actually use the frame to help vent heat from the interior components, and that is why it seems like it gets warm to the touch easily.

Either way, I do tend to notice less heat issues running games in bootcamp just because they are better optimized, and also Windows has more features for manual fan control to help with heating issues. (OSX has a couple options but Windows has more that are more robust). If you are still having issues with heat, I'd also highly recommend getting something like this: https://www.amazon.com/Targus-Chill-Laptop-Black-AWE55US/dp/B002NU5O9C

u/mr_completely · 1 pointr/macgaming

I'd love an external drive to store and run steam games on - I also have a top spec 15" rMBP - what is the best option? A thunderbolt drive? I suppose transfer speed is the priority for this type of use (ie active use - storing the steam library on the drive and playing off it)?

I was thinking something like this Buffalo MiniStation Thunderbolt 1TB USB 3.0 Portable Hard Drive by Buffalo http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0095PO9QC/ref=cm_sw_r_udp_awd_rWxUtb0KJ7D85 ?

u/hifibry · 2 pointsr/macgaming

You'd be able to game very well and with an upgradeable GPU solution if you paired your Mac with an external GPU. It'd be about $299 for the enclosure and then I'd get a 1050 Ti on sale here for $169. Your i7 quad will handle modern games very well, you have a lot of decent-speed RAM, and the best factor: your computer isn't going to be a massive ugly box or tower. You'll have the small form factor holy grail.

In short: you already have some great hardware, give it the eGPU to make it a great and highly portable gaming solution. About as portable as my DAN Case A4-SFX build.

Edit: I wanna openly disagree with people arguing to just buy a PC and those upvoting them. What is the point of this sub if this happens?

u/ceol_ · 1 pointr/macgaming

I use the Razer Naga 2014. The mechanical side buttons feel really nice to use. Razer's "Synapse" software works decently well with Mac, as you can bind any button to a multitude of functions. The only issue I've run into is that the OS-level mouse tracking seems to reset to 0 on reboot. Not a huge issue. I would definitely purchase this mouse again if mine were to ever go up (had it for about 11 months now with no issues.)

The Logitech G600 has decent reviews, although I didn't go with it because a) the side buttons are squishy, and b) the software only works in Windows, so if you want to rebind keys to something else, you're out of luck.

A cheaper option is the Redragon Perdition, which is a newer "MMO mouse." I couldn't verify, but I don't believe this one has any Mac software either. However, the buttons are still just numeric keys, so if you don't need anything crazy, it should be fine. You can also store the button profiles on the device, so if you have a Windows install, you can apply it there then use it in OS X.

There's also the UtechSmart Venus. Not bad reviews; fairly new; cheap. Like the two previous mice, I don't believe it has any Mac software, but the extra buttons will still function.

u/Moxuz · 1 pointr/macgaming

Great points, thanks! I found one on amazon Canada for $650 but that’s the same cost to me as a $400 Razer core and a $200 RX 570 so it’s a tough choice. Think at the Canadian price point it might not be worth it vs the competition lol

Edit: looks like it’s about $450USD

https://www.amazon.ca/GIGABYTE-Gaming-Graphic-Card-GV-RX580IXEB-8GD/dp/B07CCK527Y

u/wowbagger · 2 pointsr/macgaming

If the upgrade is over 450 bucks get the base model and get a cheap eGPU with a Radeon RX 580 (desktop graphic card) that’ll be way better.

420 bucks:

https://www.amazon.com/GIGABYTE-Gaming-Graphic-Card-GV-RX580IXEB-8GD/dp/B07CCK527Y

If you want a future proof setup you’d rather invest in a better eGPU case like the Razer Core X for 300 bucks, because that can power your Mac (up to 100W output) and very high end graphic cards up to 350W, though. Then if some day the cheap Radeon isn’t good enough just replace it with a high end desktop graphic card.

u/Eightarmedpet · 1 pointr/macgaming

Your biggest issue is your UltraFine, as it's USB C only. The only cards that have USB C output (not TB3) are the RTX cards, which Apple currently refuses to support (blocked the drivers).

​

The simplest way to game in macOS will be to buy the Blackmagic eGPU but the 580 is reaching the end of its lifespan.

​

Another option, which I am not sure if it'll work is a most people are doing it the other way round to you is buying this cable to connect your UltraFine to a normal GPU https://www.amazon.co.uk/Moshi-USB-C-DisplayPort-Cable-1-5m/dp/B077S9DZGK

​

What I would go for in your situation is gaming in Windows (which I do with the same laptop) as you will be able to buy an RTX card which has USB C output and also handles excelerating games on displays not attached to Gpu's far better than macOS (I have the 5K model and that's how I use it - terrible performance in macOS but fine in W10).

​

Now after writing all that I've noticed you are talking about the new 4K which I'm not sure if they are USB C like the older smaller ones or TB3 like the 5K, if the later then its Blackmagic only.

u/Dydegu · 1 pointr/macgaming

I use this one and love it for WoW:

Logitech G602 Lag-Free Wireless Gaming Mouse - 11 Programmable Buttons, Up to 2500 DPI https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00E4MQODC/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_l7tjDbS5D612R

u/macreuson · 1 pointr/macgaming

I was barely able to run it using Bootcamp on my 2015 13 inch Macbook Pro, 2.7 GHz Intel Core i5. It was playable around 30fps on the lowest settings. I wouldn't recommend it for normal playing but it's ok in a pinch.

I installed Windows using Bootcamp on an external SSD. You can buy this and a cheap SSD, works great.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00T2ODFCU/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o07_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

u/zugman · 1 pointr/macgaming

I think you'll be fine with Radeon Pro 580 for most games and long as you're not trying to drive the display at it's native resolution and not at the highest settings. Remember that you can always look at adding an eGPU in the future:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MeOqTzGcgPI

Honestly, you might consider getting the iMac configuration with the Radeon Pro 570 and using the saved money to get this box.

https://www.amazon.com/Sonnet-Breakaway-Thunderbolt-Expansion-GPU-350W-TB3Z/dp/B072L9QTZT/

Or this:
https://www.amazon.com/Akitio-Node-Thunderbolt3-Windows-Compatible/dp/B06XKKSNTS/

u/sony2kPL · 0 pointsr/macgaming

I'd suggest to go eGPU route if you want to stay mobile.

Akitio Thunder 2, Additional Power supply, and GTX 980 (or a cheaper one!) would cost you around ~$600. You can always swap vidya card, and with adapters, it will work even with next gen MacBooks.
The 'video card ready' BizonBox will net you ~$600 for the case alone.

Myself, since I don't move that much around, I recently got 2008 MacPro. Slapped SSD and GTX680 on it and now I can play GTAV @60. Good times.

u/boostedgts · 13 pointsr/macgaming

A few days ago I posted about running Borderlands 3 on my iMac (2017 5k 27” iMac with a 4.2 i7, 32GB DDR4 and a Radeon Pro 580 8GB), because I was amped it became available. When I started playing, I had to throttle the settings to the absolute lowest to make it smooth. I wanted to know, leveraging an eGPU, how I could get my iMac peforming better for gaming.

Most replies I received were people being assholes. Throwing in their “desktop gaming and iMacs don’t go together”. I get it, unfortunately I use it for work and wanted to get back into desktop gaming with what I had.

Luckily someone stepped up and guided me in the right direction. I jumped on Amazon, bought the Razor Core X and the Radeon RX 5700 XT and everything arrived today. Outside of the thunderbolt 3 cable being incredibly short, I’m proud to say I’m officially running Borderlands 3 at high settings with a smooth 30-35 FPS even in fast-paced action scenes.

He doesn’t want to be mentioned, but thank you for he guidance. To anyone else, I don’t know much about hardware/computers, but this setup cost me roughly $800. Worth it for a game? It’s not. But hopefully we get more gaming support moving forward.

Edit: Here are the links to the items on Amazon.

Card: PowerColor Red Devil Radeon RX 5700 XT 8GB GDDR6 Graphics Card https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07WP6TYQ3/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_BQOZDbS2B0NJG

Razor Core X: Razer Core X Aluminum External GPU Enclosure (eGPU): Compatible w/Windows & Mac Thunderbolt 3 Laptops - NVIDIA/AMD PCIe Support - 650W PSU https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07CQG2K5K/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_rROZDbVKA0NST

Edit 2: Here’s the keyword/mouse switch I use.

A couple people have asked me how I only have one keyboard and mouse setup for 2 iMacs. I prefer wired connections, because I’ve found the Bluetooth keyboard to lose sync at the most inopportune times. So I bought this switch and wired the button under my desk so I can just quick-click it right in front of me to swap between iMacs and it remains hidden. It has roughly a 1-2 second delay as soon as you click it until the mouse and keyboard become usable on the opposite iMac.

IOGEAR 2 Computer 4-Port USB 2.0 Peripheral Sharing Switch, GUS402 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00BD8I2OY/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_LXOZDbN4YRSX9

u/Hellnium · 2 pointsr/macgaming

I'm using a Akitio Node - Thunderbolt3 eGPU which you can get from Amazon here. I'm messing with the High Sierra beta so I ordered an AMD RX 580 to use with it. I'll have the same setup that the 9to5 Mac folks have when it arrives, so I'm pretty sure it will work.

u/Brie_M · 2 pointsr/macgaming

I would buy this: https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00LTAUTHE/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1465830352&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=akitio+egpu

Also scroll down when you open the link and find the "frequently bought together" and buy all 3 it should cost $264. It's the Akitio EGPU. Also the actual graphics card you will want to get the gtx 1080/1070, or 980 Ti.

The total should be under $1000