Apple M1 vs M2 vs M4 – Minecraft 1.21.5 Performance Showdown
As a longtime Mac user and Minecraft content creator, I’ve been playing and testing Minecraft performance on Apple Silicon since the M1 first dropped. With the release of the new M4 chip, I decided to pit the entry-level M1, M2, and M4 Macs against each other in a series of performance tests using Minecraft Java Edition 1.21.5.
⚙️ Test Environment & Setup #
All tests were run on:
- Minecraft Java Edition 1.21.5
- Screen resolution: 2560x1600
- Settings: All video settings maxed out
- RAM Allocation: Increased to 4GB
- Render Distance: 32 chunks (except on M1)
- Optimization Mod: Sodium (tested for added performance)
Tested in three environments:
- Single Player
- Multiplayer Server (Igniter SMP)
- Hypixel Minigame Server
🧪 Single Player Results #
Brand new single player world tested in 1.21.5. Loading new chunks and entities.
| Chip | Avg FPS | 1% Lows | 1% Highs |
|---|---|---|---|
| M1 Vanilla | 80 | 60 | 120 |
| M1 Sodium | 90 | 70 | 125 |
| M2 Vanilla | 120 | 90 | 150 |
| M2 Sodium | 140 | 115 | 220 |
| M4 Vanilla | 170 | 100 | 230 |
| M4 Sodium | 180 | 130 | 300 |
🔍 Note: M1 couldn’t handle 32-chunk render distance well. Recommended setting: 14 chunks for smoother gameplay.
🌐 Server Testing (Igniter SMP) #
The SMP server featured a render distance limited to 7 chunks but enhanced using client-side mods like Bobby.
| Chip | Avg FPS | 1% Lows | 1% Highs |
|---|---|---|---|
| M1 Vanilla | 110 | 90 | 130 |
| M1 Sodium | 130 | 110 | 150 |
| M2 Vanilla | 120 | 90 | 135 |
| M2 Sodium | 180 | 120 | 300 |
| M4 Vanilla | 150 | 115 | 240 |
| M4 Sodium | 200 | 140 | 320 |
👍 Multiplayer offered better FPS than single player thanks to server-side chunk management and optimization mods.
🎮 Hypixel Minigame Server #
This chaotic and resource-intensive server offered the most unpredictable results.
| Chip | Avg FPS | 1% Lows | 1% Highs |
|---|---|---|---|
| M1 | 80 | 60 | 100 |
| M2 | 125 | 90 | 160 |
| M4 | 135 | 90 | 175 |
📉 Sodium made no difference here—likely due to the server’s tightly controlled environment.
💡 Final Thoughts #
- All Apple Silicon chips tested (M1, M2, M4) are fully capable of running Minecraft.
- Sodium provides a 10% FPS boost, especially on M2 and M4.
- Multiplayer gameplay with mods like Bobby delivers the best experience.
- M4’s performance is notably impressive for a base chip—worth upgrading to if you’re on M1.
- Avoid shaders on M1—M2 and M4 handle them better depending on GPU core count.
🧱 TL;DR: M4 is a huge step up. If Minecraft is your jam, it’s a worthy upgrade from M1 or even M2.
If you enjoyed this breakdown and want more Mac + Minecraft content, consider subscribing and checking out my builds on Ignitor SMP and Auto-TerraFirmacraft. More tests are coming as new Macs and Minecraft versions roll out!
Thanks for reading, and happy mining! ⛏️