Macbook Pro 2011 - i7 2720QM - Gaming Review

Review Macbook Pro 15" 2011(Intel Core i7 2720QM 2,2Ghz)

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Introduction


It was the 29 April 2011 that i come to an Applestore to get my new Macbook Pro 15". I'm working in quantum chemistry, using that to do calculus and solve some equation. During my free time i like to play few games and this Mac impressed me ! This is my configuration :

# Processor : Intel Core i7-2720 quadcore 2,2 à 3,3 GHz
# RAM : 4 Go 1333MHz DDR3 SDRAM
# Hard Drive : 750 Go at 5400 tr/min
# Graphics : Intel HD Graphics 3000, and AMD Radeon HD 6750M with 1 Go of GDDR5
# Screen : 15'' Glare 1440 x 900

I don't need anti-glare screen since i'm not working outside with my mac.

Let start with some picture of the lovely aluminium cover:








Mac OS X


One of the best thing that you get with a Mac is typically OS X. One of the aspect of this OS is the great potential of personnalisation. This is my setup



For better view go there : TuXChemistry on deviantART

One thing amazing under Mac OS X 10.6.7 i'm getting 6 hours of battery life during going on the internet (through ethernet) and watching some movies (XVID) with VLC.

Gaming performance under Windows 7 SP1


Fresh windows installation, using 11.4 Ati Catalyst Driver with some overclock : 800/900 and undervolting.

Windows 7 Benchmark




3D Mark 2011




Crysis 2 - Advanced Settings(Very High)


Amazing gameplay, always above 30 FPS













Temperature of CPU and GPU during gaming




Resident Evil 5 - Fixed and Variable Benchmark - High Quality - Blur ON






Bulletstorm - High Quality - Except medium shadows

Steady 30 FPS during all Gameplay.














Temperature after 20 minutes of gameplay




Mass Effect 2 - Max Settings


60 FPS Steady during all gameplay ! Amazing !







Conclusion


A beautiful laptop with some power to game on it during free time!

+
- Battery (6h30 DVD)
- Performance
- Workmanship
- Silent
- Temperature
- ...


-

-Price !!!!

 

Great thread

Any experience with Rift?

 

Holy smokes there's no way that thing is able to be kept @ 62 C :O

 

Hep,

Thanks, the real GPU Temperature is GPU-Z's temperature + 10°C , Checked with HWinfo32

 

How much the system (laptop) cost?

 

How did you change the menu bar and dock color/design?

 

changing the menubar is a pain, and I don't like it because you run into problems with programs that run up there showing up black and almost impossible to read. Some icons you can change to white, but some you cannot.

Modifying the Dock is easy though. There are png files inside /System/Library/CoreServices/Dock.app/Contents/Resources that dictate how the dock looks. Just changing out those files, and restarting the Dock, will change the looks.

To find some themes people have put together for you, where you just take the PNGs and swap out the ones in your own Dock.app, just Google for dock themes and leopard dock themes.

 

I'm impressed at how much cooler your system runs than mine.

then again, the 17" has some differences that probably account for some of the gap. fans don't spin as fast, for example. and it's pushing 1920x1200 as opposed to 1440x900.

Fantastic results regardless.

 

It was a suprise for me too, i will checked this on Crysis 2 this day, 1 hour of gameplay and screenshot of the temperature graphic!

For the question about customization ask me on DeviantArt

Thanks!

 

Wow, your temps are amazing.

I also have a 15" MBP, same model as yours, but with an Incase hardshell case.

After 1-2 hours of Mass Effect 2 @ max settings, CPUID HW monitor max temps reads 91C on CPU, and 83C on GPU. Are you using any fan control programs, or have you done any thermal paste mods?

 

So i guess overclocking and undervolting does the job because i am getting way less fps. Bulletstorm for example only gives me 24-28fps at medium and u get 30 at high — how? >< High gives me about 17-21fps

 

Update to 1.1 it will fix low FPS

 

man! I forgot you were undervolting. I'll try that tonight to see if I get GPU temps any more similar to yours. I don't necessarily expect so since my fans spin 200rpm slower at max, but it'll be interesting to look at.

 

Idk man... if the i7 is going at 70C that seems a bit high for my liking..

My i7 never goes above 60C, and that's in the laptop in my sig.

 

Best way to get an overclocked GPU with low temperature , this is why my GPU won't go over 78°C during long periode of gameplay

On crysis 2 :

 

Couple of things.

First.... remember that you have the 1440x900 screen (instead of the 1680x1050) so your fps will be higher and temps lower compared.

Second.... how did you go about undervolting your gpu?
I can OC my gpu (using msiafterburner) but the voltage option is not enabled.

D.

 

it's just fine. the're rated at 105C and can get into the 90s for as long as you like without missing a beat.

Macs are fine at these temperatures.

 

@tux. Do you notice this reducing or eliminating battery drain while playing for long periods of time on power?

 

@Tux are you using Bootcamp for your Windows partition?

 

@Konceptz yep(about 1% for an hour of gaming not more) notice that but doing a charge/decharge cycle resolve the problem

@netpune yes bootcamp partition

 

Also, what applications are you using to control the fan speed and overclock/undervolt? Thank you.

 

Still 5400RPM? I thought those were left in the stone age...


--

 

Very nice performance, only thing bad as you pointed out was price.

 

@Neptune: Ati tray tool

@rampgen : Don't need more vibrations, will replace it with SSD in July

@IKAS_V Thank you! Price is always the bad part!

 

Brilliant thread. This pretty much solved my dilemma of bouncing back and forth between buying the 13 inch or 15in Macbook pro.

 

Do you always set the fan at maximum speed (6.2K) in smcFan then boot into Windows for gaming (referring to "Min" value for fans)? It wont hurt the fan to always running at maximum speed right?

Thanks in advance. Nice gaming review

 

I always play with 6200 RPM Fan Speed , don't really the impact on the fans but never had problem since now

 

No need to do that.... just install lubbo's fan control and you can set the fan speed from within windows (variable, max, etc...)

D.

 

Nice job on the benchmarks btw... but pretty much proves that its within 10% (give or take) of the C2D/9800mGS from almost 3 years ago.

This isn't to say its a bad GPU... its just clearly not what the MBP is focused in. The 6750 is clearly a mid-grade/mainstream mobile GPU for general use and not a performance/enthusiast model.

Just once I'd like to see Apple aim for the fence for performance (GPU) in one of their MBP models.

 

^ Same here, I just don't think it will ever happen, all metal frame would get bloody hot if you stuck a 485m in there. Can still dream though!

 

I agree. Apple's edge in the market is form-ractor + power + battery life. giving up any one of those in favor of more of another eliminates what makes their hardware stand out.

In other words, if you want more battery life, you have to lower the quality of the GPU and CPU. If you're going to accept that, you mine as well get a TimelineX or something. If you want more CPU power, Apple would have to make the machines thicker, sacrificing their form-factor advantage.

 

Lubbo's says it only works for the NV cards. Does anyone know if this has been tested with the new ATI cards?

 

I am using the latest version of lubbos (1.0) and it works great with my 2011 15" mbp.

I set it to 1gpu 2 fan and it works great (since the integrated video does not work in bootcamp... only the discreet ATI)

D.

 

I disagree on the "edge" arguement as quite frankly the only real edge the MBP retains IMHO is the ability to run MacOS legally.

I agree that a laptop with greater GPU would not have as long of battery life, but not everyone needs 5+ hours of battery life and frankly most get by just fine with 2-3.

You can't tell me that a slightly-less-thin 17" MBP with 2-3 hours of battery and an enthusiast GPU wouldn't have a market.

I have at least 4 users in our web design department who would purchase immediately.

 

Oh? Find me a competing laptop that offers the same quality of size, screen quality, touchpad quality, CPU & GPU power, and > 6 hours of battery life without having to swap batteries.

Until then, I'm going to disagree that "running MacOS legally" is the only advantage.

Apple has targeted a specific market. One that wants power, but who's first priority isn't gaming. They have fashioned a laptop to those ends. If your needs are not satisfied within the scope of the audience they've targeted (people who want power + mobility), look elsewhere.

I think that would sell to a very small market indeed. It would be a market who's central purpose is to buy for the GPU. What would the enthusiast GPU be for, exactly? Running the extremely finite number of Steam games? Really? No, it'd be to play them in Windows. The logical person will say to themselves, "well...if my primary purpose is to play games, then why don't I buy a system built on Windows?" You'd be a moron to buy a Mac to run Windows on primarially because all the benefits that you're paying for in the Mac are lost. You're better off buying an Elitebook, Sager, or Precision. You'll get much more gaming bang for your buck. That's why we discourage those who are looking to do that so much here.

With respect, it sounds like you have 4 morons in your web design department who need to be told why it's such a stupid idea.

Let's be real for a moment: There is nothing that a person working in a "web design department" needs an "enthusiast GPU" to accomplish. If they're working on 3D stuff, they want a Quadro or Fire Pro. They'll find them in Elitebooks and Precisions. If they're working in Creative Suite, the GPU in current MBP's is more than enough.

Be honest: It's not about work; you're talking about playing games with a maximum number of features ticked and resolutions. And that's fine, but that's not the focus behind what Apple is interested in doing with their hardware, nor will it be. That's not the focus of the audience that buys Macs...and if you're honest with yourself, you know just as well as I do as a fellow gamer that gamers are not an audience that is interested in buying Macs. They want the most power for the least possible amount of money, as it has always been. That won't be found in a $3,300 17" MBP with 6970M that's offering 2 hours of battery life. Not when the Sager down the street offers the same power and size for $2,300. Not when Asus offers similar power and poor battery life for $1800. If your focus is games, there are a variety of less expensive options. The potential market just isn't enough.

It's the combination of speed, power, size, touchpad, display, and battery life that sets them apart. Every one of those points combine to create a product that we appreciate. I tell you truly, if Macs didn't offer the kind of battery life they afford, I would have never bought one. Having power and size wasn't enough. If it was, I would have bought an Elitebook last summer.

That said, we're having a pretty good time playing games on the GPU we have. Macs seem to be selling pretty good in spite of their "mainstream GPU" status. But if it's not enough, there are plenty of options out there...one of which you sig suggests you're enjoying right now.

 

Thanks for the recommendation. Works like charm

 

nvm 10 char

 

Do the metal spacers between the WASD, arrow keys, space key or anywhere else ever get too hot to touch while gaming? I've heard people say it becomes impossible to keep your fingers there after 20 minutes due to the aluminum/thin form factor.

 

never... its always fine for me.

 

not around the wasd but right above the F2/F3 on that aluminum is probably the hottest place on the top. It gets really hot there, even with my laptop cooler.

 

Except for the fact that 2-3 hours suddenly turn into 1.5 when you start to load your system. Thats why having 6 is important — so when you are lets say a video designer who need to fix something on the fly your system rather lasts for 2-3 hours then 1-1.5.

 

Uh, my laptop is almost 3 years old... with a fairly power-hungry GPU and no hybrid. The battery lasts over 2 hours (even given its age) with reasonable but not excessive power management. The most powerful GPU available is being placed in 15" notebooks and is getting 4.5+ hours using optimus on only a 6-cell battery. I think its fair to say you are making an unrealistic comparison.


ajreynol...
All that for my simply suggesting another configuration more focused on a different type of user? We both know your response was not reasonable.

I suggest you google... there are smaller, faster, and longer battery life (*in windows) available. Note we cannot compare MacOS battery life due to Apple not allowing it legally.

The #1 reason anyone buys a mac is to run MacOS. Anything else I could not recommend the MBP or any Apple notebook at this time due to price/performance ratio. (even non-gaming)

So my mac users are stupid because they want to run macOS AND game?
Come now... is it possible there might exist "a few" people who want to run macOS as thats what they are comfy with AND game? Let's face, it... its more than a few, and you are not being either fair or realistic. There are whole communities of mac gamers for just blizzard games. (who develop native mac games)

Mac users are obviously willing to pay the premium to have macOS. They will pay the premium to have an enthusiast GPU as well.

 

All tests done at 1440x900 in Sanctum and zoomed out and moving camera around to refresh graphics on screen

This is with all settings maxed out and 0x AA:

@ 800/900 Overclock: 23-25 fps
@ Stock: 17-19 fps


This is with all settings maxed out and Super-Sampling AA:

@ 800/900 Overclock: 13-15 fps
@ Stock: 9-12 fps


This is with all settings at ultra and 0x AA:

@ 800/900 Overclock: 28-31 fps
@ Stock: 22-26 fps

This is with all settings at ultra and Super-Sampling AA:

@ 800/900 Overclock: 15-19 fps
@ Stock: 13-15 fps


It's very surprising, to me at least, this game is so playable at ridiculously high settings with Super Sampling enabled.

 

Great thread man, as I am using my wifes Mac Book Pro right now i keep getting more and more into it...I have an ASUS G53JW-A1 and im pretty sure im going to end up selling it and making the move to an i7 macbook..threads like this help clear the air about the whole 'macs cant game' stigmata that i grew up on