Are Macs any good for gaming?

I love macs and have wanted a Mac laptop for a long time, one problem... I LOVE TO GAME! So just wondering if Macs are any good for gaming... at all? i would prefer the 15.4in macbook pro but whatever you guys are the leaders here, so what do you think? Thanks.

 

If you like your laptops toasty, then the MBP would be perfect It gets warm even when you're not really gaming. Besides the heat issues, as long as it doesn't overheat, it should work well I think.

*steps aside for actual owners to answer*

 

If youre getting a laptop, the mbp is good for gaming.
The macbook isnt really because it doesnt have a great graphics card.

The simple answer is yes, but other people might come in and saw otherwise, or say get another laptop.
I can play all the new games, some not on high at native res, but either way you can play all the games out today and probably for a couple more years.

Looking at the asus you have, it has 512mb of graphics memory while the mbp only have 128 or 256. So it will probably not be as good as your asus but it can still game.

 

It would be probably on par with your Asus. Vram is important, but not that important, especially after 256MB, especially on the 8600GT.

 

depends on the games and the length of time you play the game .....
i am a fanatic CSS player so my answer would be a definate no

 

According to Apple, the Mini is for Casual Gamers, the MacBook for Gamers on the Go, the iMac is for Intermediate Gamers, the Mac Pro is for The Ultimate Gamer, and the MacBook Pro is for Road Warriors. And I guess that's Apple's brilliant classifications for OS X gaming. Well, OS X games suck! To game on a Mac you need to install Windows via Boot Camp. I'm not really being helpful, sorry. It's like everyone else said though. There are other, better, options available for mobile gaming. But if you want a Mac and to use OS X and to game, the MacBook Pro is a pretty good mobile choice.

Check out the benchmark threads:

MBP Overclocking Benchmarks

MBP Benchmarks

 

The best answer these days.....move to a console. PC games, save for WOW are just going to down the tubes. Gaming especially MP gaming on Xbox Live is second to none.

 

CSS runs really well on a mbp, it uses the hl2 engine which is how many years old now? Most computers nowadays can run source.

 

I'm using my MBP to play games. I run oblivion at the highest setting at 1280x800 with no problems.

 

You should use Bootcamp to game on Windows. If you go to a store you would see that there's only like a shelf dedicated to mac games, but aisles and aisles for Windows games. Mac games are crappy. Remember when EA released games for Mac this summer... I think? People had a lot of trouble with it.

 

Get Windows installed via Boot Camp and it's a pretty damn good gaming machine. Can pretty much run any game on high, save for Crysis.

 

i get lower frame rates and some of my mani-admin plugs get all weird.....
not that i play alot of Shooters on laptops anyways.
for the average CSS it is no worries.
i think alot of it has to do with custom config files but that is just me .

 

Yeah, the MBP certainly has the power to game, but to get a better gaming experience as well as a wider selection of games, I'd say game in Windows using Boot Camp if you get a MBP.

 

If you go to game stop there is a shelf for all computer games and the rest of the place is pur console games. Bestbuy and Circuit City seem to have more games until you walk over there and realize that those 4 rows are all computer software to include they ever shrinking PC game market.

 

lower than what? desktop 8800gts?

sounds like a software issue. maybe you f00bared your windows or css install.

css runs on the mbp (in windows) perfectly above 60 fps.

 

I use my MBP extensively for gaming - works fabulously.

As others have said, you'll need to use Boot Camp and Windows to run most games that you'll want to play, so be prepared for that. It's quite easy to switch over to Windows to game, though, and it runs very well on the MBP. Do realize, though, that you'll be splitting your hard drive, and since games take up a lot of room, make sure you have enough space to store those games. Also, I recommend getting updated video drives from www.laptopvideo2go.com in order to get the most out of your graphics card. There's a noticeable difference in benchmark scores between the stock Boot Camp drivers and the latest ones on that site.

 

Games in OS X generally run a lot slower than they do in Windows. This is usually due to very bad porting.

You'll need to run your games in Windows.

And honestly, your system in your sig is much better than the MacBook Pros. Despite what some say, video RAM is VERY important. Even Doom 3 can bring a 256MB card to its knees thanks to the textures. So stick to what you have. I have a MacBook. Mac OS X isn't even really that good once the honeymoon wears off You'll be "switching back" in no time, just like I did.

 

Not so much that as Apple's piss-poor OpenGL implementation.

Good for you. Does that mean you'll stop coming in this forum now?

 

I've seen benchmarks showing the 17 inch mbp giving higher frame rates on average than the 15' model with the same 256 DDR3 card. Though it wasn't a huge increase, it would probably give you an easier time with more demanding games like crysis.

 

That's just because the card is clocked slightly lower in 15" model(if you ask me, that looks like a marketing move more than anything else), but you would play overclocked most of the time, so who cares

 

Of course if i got a mac i would install windows i would never use a gaming computer until dx10 without windows. So some peple say its fine and some peoplke say my Asus is much better. So which do you think i should stick with, the mac, or my Asus. And reminder, the comp will also be used for all around stuff like movies, web browsing, and stuff like that. Thanks so much for the suggestions.

 

Honestly, if I had the laptop you currently had, I would not be buying a new one. Keep the one you have for 6-12 months, and see what is around then to upgrade to.

 

I think its hard to say. Comes down to if you really want OS X...if you're only going to be in Windows all the time, just stick with your ASUS G1S. If you want OS X while still having the ability to go to Windows for gaming and such, the MBP is the choice.

 

Well, if you get the Mac you're going to end up spending a lot more than what your Asus cost you. You're going to see a huge drop in performance with the GPU in the MBP as well.

Not to mention the Macs get H O T. People deny it, but its true. If you're playing games on it and then want to take it and use it as a laptop, you are literally going to have to let it cool for awhile first.

You're really better off with your Asus.

You're also going to take a hit with the resolution on your screen too. You have a 1650x1080 screen and the MBP is only 1440x900, unless you go up to the 17" model.

 

Macs seriously do not get that hot. Hot is 70C or above, at which your computer could end up freezing(like mine). I know from experience and from many other people's comments that macs usually don't get hotter than about 60C, so heat will not be an issue. Also, the temperatures are measured by devices that are right next to the chips, keep in mind that if the temperature reading is "hot", it will most likely only feel warm to you, due to you touching a different surface and something far away from the heat source.

My point: dont worry about the heat, but I recommend you wait, you have an awesome machine, I have a Thinkpad T60 myself, am an extensive gamer, and am willing to wait 6 months to a year for bigger improvements to the MBP before I buy it. I think that is the best and smartest way to go about it, since you have a very good computer for now.

 

Mscs do get really hot. The area above the keyboard sometimes gets to the point where you cant keep your finger on it for too long, but having to let it cool down... bullsh**. If the internal components get too hot the fans speed up to 6000rpm to cool them down. You never have to actually stop using it because it's too hot. Just put it on a table.

 

Well from a hardware standpoint yes.
But, OSX doesn't implement OpenGL good so, no.
You can run windows & game though.

 

I currently own an alienware area 51 m5500. I have half life 2 and halo. Both those games are on the 360. So to be honest stick with console gaming if you wanna play games. PC gaming isnt really doing so well. Crysis and ut3 only sold 100,000 copies last month which sucks compared to games like mario galaxy or even halo 3. buy a 360 and get a macbook.

 

You do know that the internal components of the Macs get well above 60c, right? Under load, it is not uncommon for the Core 2 Duos in Macs to go up to 85c and stay there, even with the fan at full blast.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kv38uGj0PhY Look at the end. 40c external case? That is HOT no matter how you look at it.

Macs are simply too hot to comfortably use as a laptop even in "light use" situations.

I know this because I'm typing on my MacBook right now.

 

MBPs are definitely not "too hot to use comfortably even in light use situations". I use mine all the time surfing the web/listening to music/watching videos/typing a paper on my lap without problems. They do, however, get ridiculously hot under load. But most likely if you're using your computer for anything that will stress the processor that much it will be on a surface and not on your lap.

 

If you have ridiculously sensitive skin, then you may want to try out the MacBooks in store before buying to test heat.

Even at full load, I can still use it comfortably on my lap.

 

Ok, I really didnt make a decision but.... I got the 15.4 in MBP for Christmas and i am truly loving it. I dont know what anyones talking about cause it doesnt heat at all when im watching a movie and doing a report for my job. And the quality of the notebook is beautiful. I havent played a game on it yet since i have just gotten it today and am setting it up as i write this. The glossy screen looks incredible and everything seems ok. What people are saying about my Asus being better for games is no doubt true, but i was also looking for a comp for all around use, movies, games, web browsing, music editing, web design. And i must say this thing is doing well in my book. Thanks for all your help and even if i didnt get this for christmas i would have gotten it anyway. Merry Christmas everybody.

 

It doesnt get hot watching movies or anything like that. Pop a game in and you'll see that baby heat up. Was playing CoD4 today and turned it off and flipped it over and the bottom was really hot. Not hot enough to burn you or anything, but still very hot. Great christmas present though

 

I just played a few games this morning like, COD 4, BioShock, and Halo 3. No problems at all, i played them all on max settings and all games ran smoothly except BioShock. It got a bit slow. The graphics were beautiful, could have been better but still very good. I have been messing around with a few of the programs like garageband and ichat and i love it all. One complain i have and probably the biggest is the setup was a pain in the butt. I had to install all of the stuff so i could switch to windows and just lots of stuff in general. In total the setup probably took about 3 hours to complete. But... like i have said before its all worth it.

 

So you're saying it was a pain to install Windows on your Mac?

Installing Windows does take somewhat longer than installing OS X. However, installing Windows on a Mac is still relatively painless.

<noparse>Apple</noparse> Support - Mac OS X Leopard
<noparse>Apple</noparse> Support - Boot Camp

 

It was a paint to install everything, leapord, parallex, apple care, .mac, just all that software that you basically need to make your mac a mac. But im done now and the thing rocks.

 

honestly, I wouldn't sit on a g1s and a macbook pro at the same time.

they are essentially the same computer. say what they may but the performance difference between the two will be marginal at most.

sell the g1s now so you can buy a new laptop in a year?