Check Metal 3 Compatibility in macOS 13

Apple’s Metal 3 API brings advanced graphics capabilities and enhanced gaming performance to macOS 13 Ventura, but not all Macs that run Ventura support these new features. This guide provides a straightforward method to check whether your Mac's graphics hardware supports Metal 3 using built-in system tools, alongside a list of compatible graphics chipsets.

How to Check Metal 3 Support via System Information

You can verify your graphics card's Metal version directly through the macOS System Information utility:

  1. Click the Apple menu () in the top-left corner of your screen while holding down the Option (⌥) key.
  2. Select System Information.
  3. In the left-hand sidebar, navigate to the Hardware section and click on Graphics/Displays.
  4. In the right pane, locate your graphics card and look for the Metal Support line.
  5. If your device supports Metal 3, the entry will explicitly display Metal 3. If it shows "Metal Family 2" or an earlier version, your hardware does not support the full Metal 3 feature set.

Hardware Requirements for Metal 3

Metal 3 requires specific graphics architectures. Compatible hardware includes:

  • Apple Silicon: All Macs powered by Apple Silicon chips (M1, M1 Pro, M1 Max, M1 Ultra, M2, and later).
  • AMD Graphics: Intel-based Macs equipped with AMD Radeon RX 5000 series (Navi) GPUs or newer, such as the Radeon Pro 5300, 5500M, 5700, and 5700 XT found in the 2019 16-inch MacBook Pro, 2020 27-inch iMac, and 2019 Mac Pro.
  • Intel Graphics: Macs featuring 10th-generation Intel Ice Lake processors with Intel Iris Plus Graphics (such as the 2020 13-inch MacBook Pro with four Thunderbolt ports).

Older discrete GPUs (such as AMD Polaris or Vega series) and older Intel integrated graphics (such as Intel UHD 630) can run macOS 13 Ventura, but they only support Metal 2.