Macbook ok for gaming?

[gan6660]

My sony laptop is having problems and its only 5 months old. So i fear i may have to buy a macbook. Now can a macbook 2.0 run the following games? how about a 2.4?

need for speed carbon
madden 2007, 2008, 2009 and up
call of duty 1
the sims
the sims 2
GTA: San Andreas
GTA: IV

I have more but these seem like the most graphic intensive. Will these games easily work via windows boot camp or will i need a macbook pro? Also as new games come out I will need it to handle the to. Its not like the computer is my exclusive gameing center but i do enjoy them now and then.

[Cboss]

I've only used Need for Speed Carbon and the two Sims games, but the new macbooks run those very well when I've tried them on the unibodies. I personally own a 2.2 Ghz blackbook with 4GB RAM and even that plays those three games ok. The new Macbooks with the 9400m are MUCH better at gaming.

[michael.lauden]

i played Spore (a buggy game at heart to start with) and had nothing but troubles.

on my brothers 400$ dell.. it ran great - but then again i'm sure if i used XP on the MacBook it would have ran a lot better.

[Dagless]

Oh my yes. My iMac was being repaired yesterday so I hooked up my Macbook in its place (USB keyboard, mouse, large external monitor) and played through the new L4D update with everything set to high, but video mode to medium and got it playing very smooth. The 9400M is a great little card. It flies on San Andreas too (all under XP for best performance).

Yes. It's better than okay for gaming. You won't be running Crysis on it at full settings but it's above and beyond the call of duty for Apples cheapest laptop.

[gan6660]

will it run COD 4 alright? COD 5?

[SHADO]

I've only used Need for Speed Carbon and the two Sims games, but the new macbooks run those very well when I've tried them on the unibodies. I personally own a 2.2 Ghz blackbook with 4GB RAM and even that plays those three games ok. The new Macbooks with the 9400m are MUCH better at gaming.

Now don't go overstating the capabilities of the 9400M. Yes it is an improvement over the X3100, but it is still an integrated graphics chip, which means it will never be as good as a dedicated graphics card (a la MBP). It can run any game on the market at medium settings most likely, but that's about it. If you expect to play L4D, GTA IV, and Crysis on high settings, you will be disappointed. However, it will play any game currently on the market.

[eXan]

will it run COD 4 alright? COD 5?

Not sure about 5, but 4 runs good on it.

[Jack Flash]

If you want to play games on your notebook and want something MacBook-ish size then this is for you:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834220488

MacBook isn't good for games. This ASUS bests even the MacBook Pro's performance at the price of the white MacBook and seems to be one of the few non-Apple laptops with an LED backlit screen. No tax to most states.

[n-abounds]

If you want to play games on your notebook and want something MacBook-ish size then this is for you:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834220488

MacBook isn't good for games. This ASUS bests even the MacBook Pro's performance at the price of the white MacBook and seems to be one of the few non-Apple laptops with an LED backlit screen. No tax to most states.

Nice sales pitch, dude.

[Dagless]

MacBook isn't good for games.

It's not good for games? So how can I can run L4D, Bioshock and Fallout 3 in med-high settings, or TF2 completely maxed out?

[Jack Flash]

Nice sales pitch, dude.
Sorry, I forgot we're only allowed to reccomend Apple's offerings. :rolleyes: I assure you it won't happenz again comrade!!

[Jack Flash]

It's not good for games? So how can I can run L4D, Bioshock and Fallout 3 in med-high settings, or TF2 completely maxed out?

I had an iMac with an ATI 2600 XT. I was getting 30 - 40fps in Left 4 Dead and Bioshock with no AA and medium to high settings. This was at 1280x800 resolution. Team Fortress 2 was admittedly solid at that resolution.

The 2600 XT is twice as powerful as the integrated graphics of the MacBook. I'm not convinced.

[Xapphire13]

The 2600 XT is twice as powerful as the integrated graphics of the MacBook. I'm not convinced.

This is only being pedantic but what are you basing power on? The Core speed?

2600 XT = 800 MHz
9400M = 450 MHz

Your cards core clock speed is 1.78 times faster... but there are alot more factors involved with the 'power'

[Jack Flash]

This is only being pedantic but what are you basing power on? The Core speed?

2600 XT = 800 MHz
9400M = 450 MHz

Your cards core clock speed is 1.78 times faster... but there are alot more factors involved with the 'power'

It's well understood that the 8600M and Mobility 2600 XT are nearly equal in performance. Apple bills the 8600M twice as fast as the 9400M in their own slides.

BareFeats has some benchmarks aswell;

http://www.barefeats.com/imacal.html
http://www.barefeats.com/mbpp07.html

Prey
2600: 56
9400: 29

Halo
2600: 93
9400: 50

WoW
2600: 108
9400: 21

Not a perfect comparison as the 9400M was on a faster CPU and RAM while the 2600 was on a slightly lower resolution (1280x800 vs 1440x900)

[Shivetya]

If your going to spend the money on a MacBook and need gaming then I suggest seriously considering buying a refurbish model of the MacBook Pro from Apple.

Put it this way, the 2.4 MacBook is 1599!

For $100 more you can get a refurb MBP with 9600GT (1699)

For $200 more you can get a 17" MBP with 8600M (1799)

[Jack Flash]

If your going to spend the money on a MacBook and need gaming then I suggest seriously considering buying a refurbish model of the MacBook Pro from Apple.

Put it this way, the 2.4 MacBook is 1599!

For $100 more you can get a refurb MBP with 9600GT (1699)

For $200 more you can get a 17" MBP with 8600M (1799)

Whichever way you go, OP, make sure it has a dedicated graphics chip.

[gan6660]

Whichever way you go, OP, make sure it has a dedicated graphics chip.

Does the macbook have a dedicated graphics card?

[Dagless]

Well according to the FPS overlay I'm getting;

L4D: 30-40fps (native res, video on medium, everything else on high, no AA, 8xAF)
TF2: 40-50fps (with HDR off though but everything set to high)

My iMac x1600 is overclocked to 480mhz but I have to lower everything to Low settings to get the same framerate. Clockspeed isn't much to go off... I also get such different results from changing the resolution. If I play L4D in 720p on the Macbook I can afford to put the graphics on high or add some AA and get the same FPS range.

[Illicit]

Does the macbook have a dedicated graphics card?

No. it's shared memory.

[Jack Flash]

Does the macbook have a dedicated graphics card?
Since you're talking about Grand Theft Auto IV and Call of Duty: World at War I don't recommend anything less than a 8600M GT.

[gan6660]

Does the macbook pro have a dedicated graphics card? Im not neccesarily going to be playing cod5 and gta 4 i just wanted to know the limits.

[Jack Flash]

Does the macbook pro have a dedicated graphics card? Im not neccesarily going to be playing cod5 and gta 4 i just wanted to know the limits.

Yes it does. Those games will give the MacBook Pro a workout.

[aznguyen316]

Yes it does. Those games will give the MacBook Pro a workout.

CoD5 gives my 2.0 MB a workout but it runs well with extras turned off so a pro should be pretty good with it

[imassents]

Your cards core clock speed is 1.78 times faster... but there are alot more factors involved with the 'power'Check here
http://www.notebookcheck.net/Mobile-Graphics-Cards-Benchmark-List.844.0.html

2600XT > 9400M

[aznguyen316]

yeah and the 3Dmark06 score is nearly doubled as well

In Windows I have my 9400m overclocked to 525 core speed and 1200 shader, rings up a 2300 score on 3dmark06 now oh yeah and my C2D to 2300mhz

[motoxpress]

The safe option is to get a refurbed MBP like was mentioned. I have had several MBPs and have not found a current game they didn't run well.

-mx

[gan6660]

The safe option is to get a refurbed MBP like was mentioned. I have had several MBPs and have not found a current game they didn't run well.

-mx


I'm not getting a refurb if it is best to get the macbook pro then I will wait 2 weeks more and buy that. This is probably what will happen.

[motoxpress]

I'm not getting a refurb if it is best to get the macbook pro then I will wait 2 weeks more and buy that. This is probably what will happen.

Well, then more power to you. I have a 2.53 Unibody and it's most excellent. I play many intensive games and it is silky smooth.

-mx

[Iamtherealwoody]

Im in the same boat, I have a Blackbook 2.0 C2D with maxed out RAM. Im waiting till June to get the MBP with SL and hopefully a speed bump. I can't wait! I just started playing TF2 on my really old gateway with a ATi Radeon 9600 Mobile and it plays horribly, its such a fun game compared to the other games I was playing. I cant wait for the MBP!

[Sharnox]

Hey people,I'm wanting to get C&C generals to play on my Black Macbook,2.0 Ghz Intel Core Duo 2,1 GB ram,GMA 950 64 MB.I've heard that this game can be played on this Mac,but just looking at the recommended specs says that I probably can't.I'm just wondering will it work using the GMA 950 chip without too much hassle?Says I need an ATI or Radeon card minimum...

[blackhand1001]

Hey people,I'm wanting to get C&C generals to play on my Black Macbook,2.0 Ghz Intel Core Duo 2,1 GB ram,GMA 950 64 MB.I've heard that this game can be played on this Mac,but just looking at the recommended specs says that I probably can't.I'm just wondering will it work using the GMA 950 chip without too much hassle?Says I need an ATI or Radeon card minimum...

I am gonna say it won;t run, and if it does it will be terrible and not worth it.

[SHADO]

I am gonna say it won;t run, and if it does it will be terrible and not worth it.

I play C&C 3 on my White Macbook with the X3100, so I would say it would play, but don't expect excellent graphics.