MacGameFPS

How many FPS does Resident Evil 3 get on the MacBook Air M3? 1080p, 1440p and 4K performance

32FPS

1080p High

Estimate

20

1440p

10

4K

Playable

About 32 FPS at 1080p on High: Resident Evil 3 runs natively on the MacBook Air M3 (Apple M3, 8-core GPU, 8 GB). It is playable, with little headroom. For 60 FPS, use 1080p Low + MetalFX Balanced (about 68 FPS).

Data reviewed October 1, 2026 · how we calculate it

Resident Evil 3 FPS on MacBook Air M3 by resolution and quality

Estimate
ResolutionLowMediumHighUltra
1080p46FPS39FPS32FPS27FPS
1440p29FPS25FPS20FPS17FPS
4K15FPS13FPS10FPS9FPS

Estimated average in normal gameplay with the game and macOS up to date. Green: 60+ · lime: 45+ · amber: 30+ · orange: 20+ · red: under 20.

Recommended settings

For 60 FPS

1080p · Low

+ MetalFX Balanced

≈ 68 FPS

For 30 FPS

1080p · High

≈ 32 FPS

Moving to 1440p High puts the MacBook Air M3 at about 20 FPS. MetalFX renders at a lower resolution and upscales, so it is the cheapest way to play at the display’s native resolution.

Performance with MetalFX

MetalFX renders Resident Evil 3 at a lower internal resolution and reconstructs the image: you gain FPS for a little sharpness. Figures on High with 8 GB.

ResolutionNativeQualityBalancedPerformance
1080p32FPS40FPS49FPS55FPS
1440p20FPS25FPS30FPS34FPS
4K10FPS13FPS16FPS18FPS

All figures are without ray tracing. The real MetalFX gain varies by game and version.

The MacGameFPS verdict

Calibrated on real Mac benchmarks, not spec sheets

Is the MacBook Air M3 enough for Resident Evil 3?

Just about: 32 FPS at 1080p High is playable but has no headroom. Dropping to Medium or turning on MetalFX steadies it.

Playable · 1440p 20 FPS · 4K 10 FPS

MacBook Air M3 or MacBook Air M4 for Resident Evil 3?

In Resident Evil 3 at 1080p High, the MacBook Air M3 gets 32 FPS and the MacBook Air M4 40 FPS: 25% more.

Resident Evil 3 on MacBook Air M4 →MacBook Air M3 vs MacBook Air M4 →

MacBook Air M3 specs

MacBook Air M3
Chip
Apple M3
GPU cores
8 / 10
Unified memory
8 / 16 / 24 GB
Cooling
Fanless
Geekbench Metal
41,753
Tier
Entry level · 11/100

See the MacBook Air M3’s FPS in every game →

Other Macs with the M3 chip

The Apple M3 also powers the MacBook Pro M3 and the iMac M3. In Resident Evil 3, the MacBook Pro M3 gets 44 FPS at 1080p High, 38% more than the MacBook Air M3, mainly because its fan keeps clocks up under load.

MacBook Pro M3iMac M3

How much memory do you need?

On Apple Silicon the GPU shares memory with the system, so the RAM you picked when buying the Mac is also your video memory. Resident Evil 3 asks for 8 GB minimum.

Memory1080p High1440p High
8 GB32FPS20FPS
16 GB33FPS21FPS
24 GB33FPS21FPS

Other Macs for Resident Evil 3

1080p · High

Resident Evil 3 on every Mac →

Shopping for an all-round gaming Mac? Mac ranking by real FPS →

Other games on the MacBook Air M3

Every game on the MacBook Air M3 →

Official Mac requirements

Minimum
Mac with Apple silicon (M1 or later)

Source: apps.apple.com

FAQ

Can the 8 GB MacBook Air M3 run Resident Evil 3?

Yes. With 8 GB we estimate 32 FPS at 1080p High.

Can Resident Evil 3 hit 60 FPS on the MacBook Air M3?

Yes: at 1080p Low + MetalFX Balanced it runs around 68 FPS.

Does the MacBook Air M3 throttle in Resident Evil 3?

The MacBook Air M3 has no fan. In long sessions it lowers clocks to manage heat, and our figures already account for that sustained loss, around 10% in a game this demanding.

What about 1440p and 4K?

On High, the MacBook Air M3 gets about 20 FPS at 1440p and about 10 FPS at 4K in Resident Evil 3. These are native figures: MetalFX raises both noticeably.

Do these figures include MetalFX or ray tracing?

No. The headline figure is native resolution, no MetalFX and no ray tracing. The table below shows MetalFX turned on. Ray tracing, where a game offers it, costs a lot of FPS on any Mac.

Is Resident Evil 3 native on Apple Silicon?

Yes, it has a native Apple Silicon version, available on Mac App Store. No CrossOver, Parallels or Game Porting Toolkit needed.