bulletproof
Jan 30, 2007, 02:57 PM
I sold my Alienware laptop (2.53 GHz P4 - 512MB RAM - ATI Radeon 9000 Pro 64MB VRAM - 40GB HD) to buy a MacBook Pro (1.83 GHz CoreDuo - 512MB RAM - ATI x1600 128MB VRAM - 80GB HD).
So far my MacBook Pro has spanked my old Alienware Laptop. I have been able to run the following Windows games flawlessly through Boot Camp (Doom 3 is a little choppy, but it's also a pig...) With most of the games I have the graphics set off the hook (Doom 3 requires they be set to their recommended level...)
Alien vs. Predator
Alien vs. Predator 2
Counterstrike Source (HL2)
Doom 3
Half-Life 2
Return to Castle Wolfenstein
Splinter Cell
Starwars Battlefront
Starwars Battlefront II
Starwars Republic Commando
Tron 2.0
Unreal Tournament
Unreal Tournament 2003
Unreal Tournament 2004
Vampire: The Masquerade: Bloodlines
I have seen a lot of comments on the net on how gaming with a MacBook pro is less than par. This is what I have found. The issue with games running on a Mac is not the fact that it is a Mac, but what appears to be the fact that it has a dual-core processor. Several of the older games I installed (ie. The Unreal games, AVP, etc.) would crash on startup. I searched all over the net looking for a fix for gaming on a Mac. Well, I found a simple fix...remember the compatibility option in Windows XP....
If the game is not running well, or crashing completely, simply change the Windows compatibility mode to run the game as Windows 98. (Instructions on how to do this are here (http://www.microsoft.com/technet/prodtechnol/winxppro/maintain/apcompatmode.mspx).)
There are a few simple rules I would follow.
1. First, I would recommend only gaming on a system that has at least 128MB VRAM (sorry MacBook users, you may have to go Pro).
2. Install any Directx Code the game prompts you to.
3. Install any updates the game may require.
4. Reboot after you have all the games installed (many of my games would still crash until after I had rebooted).
5. Set the Windows Compatibility to Windows 98 (do this ONLY on games that will not run natively).
I did find an application while searching for a fix to gaming on a Mac that would allow you to set game to access a specific core instead of using both cores, but I found this application to be less effective than using the Windows Compatibility setting.
I hope this helps any Mac users still addicted to Windows gaming...
I believe that games will soon be more available for Mac than on PC, I think it's one of the last things that needs to fall into place before Mac can fully take the market...why else would you buy a PC???
Here is the list of the games I have not had time to load, but are on my list to try:
Beyond Divinity
Dreamfall: The Longest Journey 2
Enter the Matrix
Grand Theft Auto III
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City
Hitman: Codename 47
Hitman: Contracts
Max Payne
Medal of Honor: Allied Assault
Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones
Prince of Persia: Warrior Within
Rune
Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow
Starwars Knights of the Old Republic II
The Lord of the Rings: Battle for Middle Earth
Vampire: The Masquerade: Redemption
~Open Darwin is BSD~
So far my MacBook Pro has spanked my old Alienware Laptop. I have been able to run the following Windows games flawlessly through Boot Camp (Doom 3 is a little choppy, but it's also a pig...) With most of the games I have the graphics set off the hook (Doom 3 requires they be set to their recommended level...)
Alien vs. Predator
Alien vs. Predator 2
Counterstrike Source (HL2)
Doom 3
Half-Life 2
Return to Castle Wolfenstein
Splinter Cell
Starwars Battlefront
Starwars Battlefront II
Starwars Republic Commando
Tron 2.0
Unreal Tournament
Unreal Tournament 2003
Unreal Tournament 2004
Vampire: The Masquerade: Bloodlines
I have seen a lot of comments on the net on how gaming with a MacBook pro is less than par. This is what I have found. The issue with games running on a Mac is not the fact that it is a Mac, but what appears to be the fact that it has a dual-core processor. Several of the older games I installed (ie. The Unreal games, AVP, etc.) would crash on startup. I searched all over the net looking for a fix for gaming on a Mac. Well, I found a simple fix...remember the compatibility option in Windows XP....
If the game is not running well, or crashing completely, simply change the Windows compatibility mode to run the game as Windows 98. (Instructions on how to do this are here (http://www.microsoft.com/technet/prodtechnol/winxppro/maintain/apcompatmode.mspx).)
There are a few simple rules I would follow.
1. First, I would recommend only gaming on a system that has at least 128MB VRAM (sorry MacBook users, you may have to go Pro).
2. Install any Directx Code the game prompts you to.
3. Install any updates the game may require.
4. Reboot after you have all the games installed (many of my games would still crash until after I had rebooted).
5. Set the Windows Compatibility to Windows 98 (do this ONLY on games that will not run natively).
I did find an application while searching for a fix to gaming on a Mac that would allow you to set game to access a specific core instead of using both cores, but I found this application to be less effective than using the Windows Compatibility setting.
I hope this helps any Mac users still addicted to Windows gaming...
I believe that games will soon be more available for Mac than on PC, I think it's one of the last things that needs to fall into place before Mac can fully take the market...why else would you buy a PC???
Here is the list of the games I have not had time to load, but are on my list to try:
Beyond Divinity
Dreamfall: The Longest Journey 2
Enter the Matrix
Grand Theft Auto III
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City
Hitman: Codename 47
Hitman: Contracts
Max Payne
Medal of Honor: Allied Assault
Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones
Prince of Persia: Warrior Within
Rune
Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow
Starwars Knights of the Old Republic II
The Lord of the Rings: Battle for Middle Earth
Vampire: The Masquerade: Redemption
~Open Darwin is BSD~
