Late 2011 macbook pro 13 gaming

I5-2435M
intel HD 3000
4 GB ram
500 gb HDD 5400 rpm
1280 x 800 display

how well would this setup run:
Counter Strike Source
Starcraft 2
World of Warcraft
Swtor

and at what settings probably?
thanks

Also will bootcamp work with a Windows Vista Enterprise key?

 

World of Warcraft ran plenty good on my old 2010 c2d MBP 13, even with max settings. I haven't tried any of the other ones... I am interested in finding out too. I wonder if upgrading to the i7 will help significantly

 

Do a Youtube search for Macbook Pro 13 2011 gaming. There are some videos available via this thread as well. Benchmarks comparing the 2011 and 2010 13" models are available here.

 

Will the upgrade from i5 to i7 make much of a difference? I am talking mainly about stuff like WOW, Diablo 2 & 3 etc...

 

minimal, 5-10% in framerates, especially WOW and SC2

 

The GPU (or lack thereof in the case of the 13-inch MBP) is the limiting factor. The extra clock speed from the i7 helps but not nearly enough to justify the steep price premium.

 

low-medium settings, these will run okay, but not great for the cost... you could get a much cheaper laptop that would run games much better.

bootcamp requires windows 7 ( Boot Camp: Some computers require Microsoft Windows 7)

i7 will not make any meaningful difference.

 

oh well i have the desktop in my sig for my actual gaming, this is for school but i just wanna know if these would run

 

also would my windows 7 key that came with my desktop work for bootcamp or would i need a completely new key?

 

your key is probably only good for one machine at a time, but that question is better asked in the windows forum.

 

If you mean the one that came with the Alienware Aurora... then most likely not. I suppose that will be an OEM version provided by Dell.

 

I will be buying me a new one come February ( the one in my sig goes to my mom who doesn't want a new one lucky me!!! ) ! The price difference between the i5 and i7 version of the 13" is NZ$ 400, after the education discount. I will be mainly using it for my thesis, movies, music and the regular stuff, and playing WOW and Diablo 2/3... What do you guys suggest? Pitch in the extra 400 bucks and forget my weekend drinks for a month or two , or should I save me the money and spend it elsewhere, like an after-purchase RAM upgrade may be?

 

One key per computer. Since you're at school, though, you should be able to get a new one pretty cheaply.

 

which do you prefer to have:

not a meaningful difference
$400

^^^ up to you. better if you decide than we do.

 

Point taken! Yes, I would prefer to have my $400 intact, and use it for more useful expenses. I was just looking to get expert opinion on the matter. I did quite a bit of reading on the net about this, and there were so many people advocating both sides militantly, that I got a bit confused ! But now I am thinking I would be better off using the $400 on other things, than throw it away on something that won't make any "meaningful difference"!

 

If you're looking for a real speedup, get yourself a SSD and 8gb of ram. I just got myself the hard drive and it kicks ! All office apps start instantly! Unfortunately, it's only 60gb big as I wanted to save some money. I'll wait for the prices to come down and get a 240gb next year.

 

Thanks! I have been thinking about the SSD myself. I will most likely get 120 gig myself, from a third party vendor! Apple charges insane amounts for the upgrade! And may be get the 8 gigs of RAM next month. How much did that 60 gig cost you, and what's the make?

 

definitely prioritize the SSD (massive speed boost) over more memory (no speed boost)