Macbook Pro 13 Help

Hi! I am thinking about purchasing this laptop for school next year and I have a bit of questions :

-Will its Integrated Graphics be able to run some games (Like Portal 2, Call of Duty) ?

-How is its battery life while running Win 7 in Boot Camp?

-And I guess the i5 2.3GHz is good enough for programming right?


Thanks

 

Answer: Yes on Portal 2, no on Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (the most recent COD to be released for OSX, and arguably the best COD ever).

Portal 2 system requirements for Mac, courtesy of steampowered.com:

Mac System Requirements
OS: MAC OS X 10.6.7 or higher
Processor: Intel Core Duo Processor (2GHz or better)
Memory: 2GB
Hard Disk Space: At least 7.6 GB of Space
Video: ATI Radeon 2400 or higher / NVIDIA 8600M or higher / Intel HD Graphics 3000

COD4 system requirements for Mac, courtesy of Aspyr:

Minimum System Requirements:
Operating System: Mac OS X 10.5.4 (Leopard)
CPU Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo
CPU Speed: 2.0 GHz
Memory: 1 GB RAM
Hard Disk Space: 8.0 GB + 1 GB Swap File
Video Card (ATI): Radeon X1600
Video Card (NVidia): GeForce FX 7300
Video Memory (VRam): 128 MB
Media Required: DVD-ROM
Peripherals: Macintosh mouse and keyboard

 

1. It can run Portal and Call Of Duty 4, I don't know about the newer titles though. Of course, that is under Mac OS X and not Windows as the drivers for the HD 3000 seem better under OS X. I know the post above me disagrees on running COD 4 but it can push playable framrates with the right settings.

2. Battery life is cut simply because Apple implements poor drivers. I normally get about 4 hours when in Windows while I continually push 6.5-8 hours with OS X (depending on what I am doing).

3. It depends on what you are programming. MATLAB? Sure, that is enough to do most computations in real time. iOS programming? Not a problem. Simply OS X programming? It will be fine. Advanced 3D model game programming? No.

 

Thanks for the replies Currently I'm between purchasing this and the Vaio S ( Advantages of Vaio: Better Graphics, Advantages of Macbook : Much nicer). Any idea if the Macbook can run Assasins Creed 2 (or maybe Brotherhood [I know this may be too much xD])

 

For the record, I just pulled the system requirements from Aspyr (who made the Apple port). I don't have first-hand experience to say whether or not it's actually possible to run the game if you're below minimum system requirements. It sometimes is, and it sounds like Korn Child has some first-hand experience here.

Personally, I struggle with frame rates in COD4 in OSX even with my machine (see sig). I just don't think the port was a very good one, since my machine can handle much Bad Company 2, a muuuuuuch newer game, in Windows XP with higher frame rates than it can do COD4 in OSX. Either that, or there's something wrong with my settings in COD4. But I do experience annoying frame-rate drops when things get hectic.

 

Minimum requirements include a discrete GPU. So same thing as COD4: you're below minimum specs, but it may or may not be possible in real life.

Assassin's Creed 2 Deluxe Edition for Mac | Macgamestore.com

 

thats because your gpu sucks. It sucked when it was launched, it sucks now.

My last notebook had a 4670m GDDR3, and I can say that at high settings the game would lag, thus voiding me to play it at that settings (dynamic shooters as BF, you cant have lag spikes).

For COD4, was a different matter, not that the code for the COD was good since the first ones (basically skins on top of the UT3 engine). COD5, 6, 7 could only be run on high settings, if not death was certain. Not maxed as I did with COD4

And I imagine that your screen is higher res than mine.

BTW I dont think its a necessity to have a 60+fps to play those games (although it helps, you shoot faster, you run faster, you jump higher), I consider playable at 30fps

I dont have much experience with other fps, since that is not the kind of game that I usually play, nor with AC

 

But my machine can play Starcraft 2 and Mass Effect 2 smoothly, albeit at low settings. If COD's performance on my machine was all the GPU's fault and not a bad port, don't you think those games--which are much newer than COD4--should run worse than COD4 instead of better?

I'm not sure the exact FPS I'm seeing when I'm complaining of low FPS during firefights in COD4, but I think it's much, much lower than 30 fps. In the big outdoor battles, I think it's probably dips as low as 10-15 FPS.

 

I'm not sur on the 7300, but I have an older machine with a X1600, and the Intel HD 3000 is faster than the X1600, and has run everything I've thrown at it compatibility wise, unlike older Intel GMA which had major compatibility issues.

 

See the gpu sucks. I could play at high to max settings on mass effect (never played the second, albeit I have it)

Starcraft campaing I play it on high settings, on multiplayer I play on medium

COD games run horrible in any hardware you throw at it, they are specially bandwidth dependent.

When you go to 30fps you dont look back, its pretty smooth. I cant stand anything lower than that, even on strategy games (which is my favorite genre)

Now taking the sucking out of the equation, the gpu you have aint a good one, it was underpowered compared to the AMD line, and the gt 330m was an underclocked version too. The only good gpu I saw on a MBP is the current 6750m, which is a great mid range gpu.

 

CAn anyone please give me some suggestions on wether I should get the Macbook Pro, Vaio S or maybe even the new Macbook Air 11" ? I will be mainly using it for school so the lighter and smaller the better but I would like to play some games(no need for high detail, I have my home PC for that xD). I will also do some photo. The three laptops are priced almost the same..(The only problem with the MBA for me is the small SSD)

Macbook Pro:

2.3GHz Intel Core i5
4GB 1333MHz
5000GB 5400 rpm
Intel HD Graphics 3000
Built-in battery (7 hours)

Macbook Air:

1.6GHz dual-core Intel Core i5
4GB memory
128GB flash storage
Intel HD Graphics 3000

Vaio S:

Intel® Core™ i5-2410M
4GB DDR3 Memory
500GB 5400rpm
AMD Radeon™ HD 6470M

Also when comparing the Macbooks, which one is faster for everyday tasks; Macbook Air (due to SSD) or the Macbook Pro (due to CPU)?

Thanks

 

With the games, the Vaio SA has the obvious advantage, as it's the only one of the three with a discrete GPU. The 13" MBP and the MBA will struggle to play modern games even with the lowest detail settings because they don't have a separate GPU.

 

Thanks for the reply So my choice is definitely between the Vaio S and one of the Macbooks....any idea which Macbook (Air 11" or Pro 13")would be the best choice?

 

I don't have first-hand experience with the Air, or solid-state drives in general. So I couldn't give you an informed opinion on the MBP vs MBA debate.

I think both the MBP and the MBA are going to be a lot more refined than the Vaio in terms of their overall aesthetic, solidity, and build quality, but the Vaio's going to be a looooot better for gaming (the difference between playing new games on low settings and not playing new games at all), while still having a decent level of refinement.

 

the mba would feel snappier doing common stuff, opening programs and etc... however when you face a more cpu strained scenario, the mba is going to be slower.

The new LV cpus from are quite good so, I would grab the mba 11 or 13... then you can hook that up with an egpu thunderbolt equipped so that you can game heavily on it.

 

I wouldn't buy an MBA assuming you can just use an external GPU via Thunderbolt unless such products were already on the market and working well in practice. Sure, it makes sense that that SHOULD work, but there are no Thunderbolt eGPUs yet as far as I can tell, it's all a little to speculative in my opinion to buy a computer planning to game via a device that isn't available yet.

 

I actually did that, though I was out of options, since my gpu died in my last notebook. too bad I liked the gpu on that thing, that was actually the only thing I liked about that pc.

However its going to be out. There are 2 companies working on it, one is due to release this summer (winter for me)

and unless he goes for the vaio SA there isnt much that he can do in terms of gaming

 

Gotcha. I hadn't found anything when I googled it, but I probably spent all of two minutes on the search.

Yeah, 13-inchers with decent GPUs are really hard to find nowadays. I really don't know of a single option besides the Vaio SA and the Vaio Z, and the latter is really expensive, so the Vaio SA is my go-to suggestion when someone wants a 13-incher that can run modern games.

 

well there is the upcoming lg p330, scheduled release is september, it will come either with the gt 555m or the gt 540m, yes 2 models.

and indeed the SA is a great pc, but the build quality of either the mba and the mbp is better. Although in Brazil sony is doing a nasty bit, selling the SC as the SB, I saw the SA, and albeit quite good, it was much more expansive than the mbp that I got, and it didnt pack the thunderbolt port that I wanted, nor the expresscard slot necessary for egpu. Off course the price difference between the 2 in the US is much less than here, the mbp 13 can be found at 999, and the SA can be found at 1200ish, however with one you get a higher res screen and good gaming, with the other you get a good screen with enough gaming (at least for me, as of this moment)

Thus I went into a gamble, to get the mbp to get the thunderbolt port that I wanted. The point is I wanted a high speed I/O port, and USB 3 aint that.

 

So basically, if I can't get the SA I might just as well go for the Macbook?

About the eGPU, it would be great however wouldnt the 1.6GHz cpu suffer for gaming?

 

Not necessarily. If you could live with an 11.6", 1366x768 screen, you could get an Alienware M11x.

http://www.notebookreview.com/defau...=alienware+m11x+ultraportable+gaming+notebook

The M11xR3 (the new generation) starts at $999 (the $699 version is the previous generation), exactly the same as the MBP and MBA. For the CPU, it packs an i5 2537M 1.4GHz (2.3GHz w/Turbo Boost, 3MB Cache). For the GPU, it packs a perfectly-respectable GeForce® GT540M.

On the portability front, while certainly no competitor to the MacBook Air or even the MacBook Pro, it's still very mobile. It weighs 4.4 lbs and can go 8 hours on battery (not while gaming, of course...but the switchable GPU dramatically extends battery life while under light load, just like the switchable GPU in the 15" and 17" MBPs). It's thicker than any of the three offerings you listed, but it's still small enough to tote around easily, and it packs some serious gaming potential. Notebookreview.com's review averaged 34 FPS in Modern Warfare 2, 41 FPS in Mass Effect 2, etc.

 

Thanks for the reply however I am unable to get the m11x in my area and I would prefer to purchase from a physical store rather than online so basically I am tied to the three models I mentioned

Just to make sure...these games should run on the 11" MBA right:

Team Fortress 2
Portal 2
Leaft 4 Dead 2
Counter Strike : Source

Any idea if League of Legends (Mac Version) can run?

 

Okay, no more freebies; I've already googled the system requirements of three games for you Your turn now...

http://www.google.com

Regardless, I really think that if you're planning on doing even some gaming, an 11" MacBook Air is the wrong choice. If you want to run some games, M11x > SA > MBP 13" > MBA 11".

 

Ok thanks From what I found the 3 games should run on the MBA. I will only use it for some light gaming so I think that it should satisfy my needs

Just one last question : On the Apple Store website it is possible to configure the Macbook. However is it possible to do when picking up from store (If I get a Macbook Pro is it possible to get the base model however with 500GB storage from their physical store?)
Thanks

 

no only configurable on the online store, you can get the read to ship models on physical stores

and supposedly all this games should run on the mba, since they are not that resource intensive, beware though that source games are always quite cpu dependent,

 

Why not call your local store and ask? Apple stores tend to have such good customer service that even if they don't typically stock them, I bet they could order one in for you.