Last edited on 17 August 2016 - 04:11 PM by totopapa

Who this is for…
This guide is directed towards Mac OS X users (specifically for El Capitan since the final method changed slightly since Yosemite and below) who experience low fps or want a smoother experience.

My specs: Baseline 13 Inch Macbook Air Early 2015
1.6 GHz Intel Core i5
4 GB 1600 MHz DDR3
Intel HD Graphics 6000 1536 MB

Introduction
The hard truth is that real FPS gains (not just turning on one setting via Optifine) come at a cost. Obviously, the first step to FPS boosting is Optifine. (If you need help with that, then this tutorial is probably not for you…) But massive fps gains are gains that boost you to a point where fps drops are practically unnoticeable because your average FPS is high enough. For example, without the below mentioned methods, I normally hovered around 100-120 fps under ideal conditions (no lag machines and not too many entities). However, (many of you can probably relate) the game felt really choppy and not at all smooth. After using the methods below, the game feels smooth and operates well under both ideal and non-ideal game conditions. Even in Koths with 60+ people and particles flying everywhere, I still manage 60+ fps with an occasional drop into the 50s. The important part, however, is that the game feels smooth. Side note, this is with max video settings and 8 chunk render distance (bump it to 2 and i average 250-300 fps).

Before
https://imgur.com/a/HatSk

After
https://imgur.com/a/0aM1D

You may notice that the quality of the "Before" is much higher than the quality of "After." Now, you may be thinking, "Why not just change the resolution mode in the video settings for full screen?" or "Why not just play in windowed mode?". My answer: fullscreen mode on Mac's is asking for trouble, and below a certain resolution, it simply does not work. Second, why would anyone want to decrease the size of their window when already playing on (most likely) a laptop with an already small screen… The smoothest and only reliable fullscreen mode is the green button on the top left corner of the window to enter Apple's built-in full screen mode. So, the only way to change our minecraft resolution at this point is to change the resolution of our mac. It seems simple enough, but the resolutions we can change to are limited. (For Windows fullscreen mode is reliable and changing to custom resolutions is simple (I think)).

1
https://imgur.com/a/H530o
^^under System Preferences –> Displays (these are all the resolutions supported (alt - leftclick shows them all) Now, if you find one with the correct aspect ratio thats low enough to grant you fps that you are comfortable with, then you have found your solution. If the resolutions are not low enough, you want a custom resolution, or you have a retina and this is not an option, proceed to the next step.

2
I found a long time app called Retina Display Menu (RDM) that displays many more resolution options and provides a changeable list for Retina's. Here is the link: http://avi.alkalay.net/software/RDM/ (Either link works)

https://imgur.com/a/Z1zMa
This tool is a good tool to have regardless of whether you already found your minecraft resolution or not so that you can easily switch back and forth for minecraft and normal computer use. As you can see, many more options are displayed. For most Mac's, 800x500 is a great option. If you still aren't happy with your available options, proceed to the next step.


OPTIONAL
Disclaimer: System files will be edited using the final optional step of this guide, which will require Admin access. I encourage you to follow the guide carefully and to ask an Admin of your computer for permission if you do not possess Admin rights. Following and reading this guide thoroughly is essential so that you do not mess up your computer. If you are unsure with basic computer knowledge for are uncomfortable with taking a risk, do not proceed. As long as you follow every step, nothing bad will happen…


3
Let's say you are a content creator on a 16:10 (most Mac laptops) Mac but you need a 16:9 resolution so you can make youtube videos within the standard aspect ratio. However, the lowest option, 1280x720, does not cut it FPS wise. For me, I prefer 16:9 minecraft even if that means i have black bars on the top and bottom (cinematic feel anyway) because my aim feels smoother (preference) and the aspect ratio looks nicer (a little wider). Since minecraft defaults with an 854x480 window, I figured that a 854x480 resolution would be like playing in the small window (which annoyed the crap out of me) but blown up on my screen. Note: I have not tried smaller but smaller should work…). Now it gets complicated, so follow closely (I did a lot of research and testing to figure this out properly).

To create a custom resolution, you must temporarily disable El Capitan's System Integrity Protection (SIP). READ THE ENTIRE INSTRUCTION FIRST
a. Shut down your computer
b. Turn on your computer while holding Command-R
c. You should enter Recovery mode.
d. Press English and Continue
e. Navigate to the top menu bar and click on Utilities then Terminal
f. In terminal type the following (write this on your phone or piece of paper first) csrutil disable and press enter.
g. Now restart your computer normally. Your SIP is now disabled

CREATING A RESOLUTION
a. open Terminal and paste the following: ioreg -lw0 | grep IODisplayPrefsKey
b. You should get something like this outputted: | | | | | | "IODisplayPrefsKey" = "IOService:/AppleACPIPlatformExpert/PCI0@0/AppleACPIPCI/IGPU@2/AppleIntelFramebuffer@0/display0/AppleBacklightDisplay-610-9cf0]
c. write down or copy the last two parts somewhere (for me it is 610-9cf0
d. Open a finder window and press Command-Shift-G and paste /System/Library/Displays/Contents/Resources/Overrides into the path.
e. All the folders should be named DisplayVendorID-(something). Navigate to the folder with a number corresponding to your first number (DisplayVendorID-610 for me)
f. Now, locate the file called DisplayProductID-(your second string) in my case DisplayProductID-9cf0
g. Copy and paste this on to your desktop twice
h. I copied it twice, once to modify and once as a backup (THIS IS A MUST JUST IN CASE SOMETHING GOES AWRY)
i. To edit this file, we need to download http://download.cnet.com/PlistEdit-Pro/3000-2247_4-47890.html <–this is a trial, but it works perfectly fine (DO NOT PAY FOR IT!!!)
j. Open one of the copied files on you desktop with Plist Edit Pro by right clicking the file, and selecting open with, other, and then plist edit pro.
k. scroll to the bottom of the plist and click on the drop down of "scale resolutions."
l. click on "scale-resolutions" and click "New Child" on the top left toolbar of Plist Edit Pro
m. Where it says "string" in the middle column, click it and select data. Now, navigate to a decimal to hex converter: http://www.binaryhexconverter.com/decimal-to-hex-converter
n. The first number is your width. So if we want 854 pixels wide, we enter 00000356 https://imgur.com/a/UNdxJ
o. Repeat with the second number for your height. I want 480 pixels tall. https://imgur.com/HRWkv3W
p. now paste the follow for the last two numbers: 00000001 00200000 (You need the last number when working with very small resolutions otherwise they do not work, for higher resolutions, you do not need the very last number 00200000).
q. Now save your file and copy it back into the folder you copied it from.
r. click Authenticate, type in your admin password, and click "replace."
s. Now, if you restart your computer, you *should* see the new resolution in your Retina Display Menu options!

To ReEnable SIP
a. Shut down your computer
b. Turn on your computer while holding Command-R
c. You should enter Recovery mode.
d. Press English and Continue
e. Navigate to the top menu bar and click on Utilities then Terminal
f. In terminal type the following (write this on your phone or piece of paper first) csrutil enable and press enter.
g. Now restart your computer normally. Your SIP is now enabled

Remember, for the majority of users, this last step is unnecessary, it mainly geared to people who want a specific aspect ratio not completely supported by their computer's display.

Many of you may be reluctant because your quality decreases so much, but at least try low resolution. People always talk about the change from a normal 60hz display and a 144hz 1ms delay display. For me, it was that kind of change in terms of the smoothness and quality of the game.

Thanks for reading my guide, I hope it helps a few of you, and feel free to ask any questions below. (But PLEASE, PLEASE read thoroughly if you have questions about the final (optional) step.)

Posted on 17 August 2016 - 04:07 PM

@RealBlobRobber

Last edited on 17 August 2016 - 04:13 PM by Jahmyr

also the pictures don't work xD
edit: nvm I see imgur links now

Posted on 17 August 2016 - 04:18 PM

My mac is from 08 and uses 10.6.8 which I think is snow leopard (not sure), so I'm assuming the bottom part won't work? I've already changed my resolution but I'll try out RDM. Thanks :D this'll help a lot of people.

Posted on 17 August 2016 - 04:35 PM

the bottom part is easier since you do not need to disable SIP. The only other difference is that your Display Overrides will be in /System/Library/Displays/Overrides/

Posted on 17 August 2016 - 06:51 PM

ye but can I do it with snow leopard (really old)

Posted on 17 August 2016 - 06:59 PM

Yes, I believe you can.

All you have to do is enter the terminal command to find your display ID and navigate to /System/Library/Displays/Overrides/ to find it. Then edit the plist (copy on to desktop first, same as in OP), restart and you should be good to go. Just don't worry about the SIP step since SIP doesn't exist in Snow Leopard. The SIP simply denies admin access over certain system files.