How many FPS does Total War: PHARAOH get on the iMac M3? 1080p, 1440p and 4K performance
21FPS
1080p High
Estimate
13
1440p
7
4K
About 21 FPS at 1080p on High: Total War: PHARAOH runs natively on the iMac M3 (Apple M3, 8-core GPU, 8 GB). That is on the edge, but it is playable with lower settings.
Data reviewed October 1, 2026 · how we calculate it

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Total War: PHARAOH FPS on iMac M3 by resolution and quality
Estimate| Resolution | Low | Medium | High | Ultra |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1080p | 29FPS | 25FPS | 21FPS | 17FPS |
| 1440p | 18FPS | 16FPS | 13FPS | 11FPS |
| 4K | 9FPS | 8FPS | 7FPS | 6FPS |
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
Not reached even on Low at 1080p, nor with MetalFX.
For 30 FPS
Not reached even on Low at 1080p, nor with MetalFX.
Moving to 1440p High puts the iMac M3 at about 13 FPS. This game has no MetalFX, so resolution is the setting that matters most.
The MacGameFPS verdict
Calibrated on real Mac benchmarks, not spec sheets
Is the iMac M3 enough for Total War: PHARAOH?
It falls short: 21 FPS at 1080p High. Even Low does not hold 30 FPS.
Struggles · 1440p 13 FPS · 4K 7 FPS
iMac M3 or MacBook Air M4 for Total War: PHARAOH?
In Total War: PHARAOH at 1080p High, the iMac M3 gets 21 FPS and the MacBook Air M4 23 FPS: 10% more.
iMac M3 specs

- Chip
- Apple M3
- GPU cores
- 8 / 10
- Unified memory
- 8 / 16 / 24 GB
- Cooling
- Fan
- Geekbench Metal
- 41,753
- Tier
- Entry level · 11/100
Other Macs with the M3 chip
The Apple M3 also powers the MacBook Air M3 and the MacBook Pro M3. In Total War: PHARAOH, the MacBook Pro M3 gets 25 FPS at 1080p High, 19% more than the iMac 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. Total War: PHARAOH asks for 8 GB minimum.
| Memory | 1080p High | 1440p High |
|---|---|---|
| 8 GB | 21FPS | 13FPS |
| 16 GB | 22FPS | 14FPS |
| 24 GB | 22FPS | 14FPS |
Other Macs for Total War: PHARAOH
1080p · High

MacBook Air M3
M3 · 8/10 GPU
18FPSView analysis
MacBook Pro M3
M3 · 10 GPU
25FPSView analysis
MacBook Pro M3 Pro
M3 Pro · 14/18 GPU
36FPSView analysis
MacBook Neo
A18 Pro · 5 GPU
13FPSView analysis
MacBook Air M4
M4 · 8/10 GPU
23FPSView analysis
MacBook Pro M4
M4 · 10 GPU
32FPSView analysis
Mac mini M4
M4 · 10 GPU
33FPSView analysis
iMac M4
M4 · 8/10 GPU
27FPSView analysis
Total War: PHARAOH on every Mac →
Shopping for an all-round gaming Mac? Mac ranking by real FPS →
Other games on the iMac M3
- Death Stranding Director's Cut44FPS
- Hitman World of Assassination51FPS
- Lies of P65FPS
- Metro Exodus39FPS
- Resident Evil 433FPS
- Resident Evil Village33FPS
- Frostpunk 247FPS
- GRID Legends60FPS
- No Man's Sky47FPS
- Resident Evil 247FPS
Official Mac requirements
- Minimum
- macOS 13.4 · Apple M1 (8-core CPU, 7-core GPU) or better · 8 GB memory · 50 GB storage
Source: store.steampowered.com
FAQ
Can the 8 GB iMac M3 run Total War: PHARAOH?
Yes. With 8 GB we estimate 21 FPS at 1080p High.
Can Total War: PHARAOH hit 60 FPS on the iMac M3?
Not consistently. It does not even reach 30 FPS on Low.
What about 1440p and 4K?
On High, the iMac M3 gets about 13 FPS at 1440p and about 7 FPS at 4K in Total War: PHARAOH. These are native figures.
Do these figures include MetalFX or ray tracing?
No. The headline figure is native resolution, no MetalFX and no ray tracing. Total War: PHARAOH has no MetalFX on Mac. Ray tracing, where a game offers it, costs a lot of FPS on any Mac.
Is Total War: PHARAOH native on Apple Silicon?
Yes, it has a native Apple Silicon version ported by Feral Interactive, available on Steam. No CrossOver, Parallels or Game Porting Toolkit needed.









