How hard can i push my MacBook Pro Retina?

Question

So I like to game on my macbook, but at the same time I'm afraid it won't last very long if I continue with it. If I have best resolution, maximum framerate (fps) etc will this hurt my mac or slow it down?
I'm rocking a mid 2014 macbook pro retina 13 inc, with intel core i5, 2.6 ghz and 8 gigs of ram. Latest version of osx (yosemite). And I have intel iris 1536MB graphics card.
So if I push my Mac too hard will it "survive" or whatever? I thought these computers were meant for this stuff, but I don't know, that's why i'm asking.
Will battery life also drain after a while?
I have tried best graphics and it handles it very well, but I have no idea if it's a smart thing to do. Will it destroy my mac?
Any help would be much appreciated!
Thanks,
Magnus

Answer 1

Macs are specifically designed for maximum performance, and are impossible to damage through normal use as long as you observe its published environmental specifications. That includes gaming or whatever else you need it to do. If it should reach a thermal limit that cannot be altered, it will throttle its performance to remain within its operational specifications. If that fails to keep it cool, it will simply shut down to protect itself.
Avoid any clever third party hacks such as those intended to manipulate the exhaust fan speed. Doing that will only draw in more environmental contaminants than would normally occur, and could conceivably render its warranty void.
No battery works as well as a brand new one. They are all wear items that will require eventual replacement. Usually, by that time your Mac will be so old you'll want to replace it anyway.
It's obviously an unscientific observation, but I find that the less people obsess about their Macs, the longer they tend to last. Expect your Mac to serve you well until 2020, at least. By that time who knows what we'll be doing with them.