OS Neutral Mac Hardware For Gaming

My Mac Pro 2008 is still a decent gaming machine too.

Played: Orange Box, Far Cry 3, Crysis 1, Warhead, and 2, Portal 2, Starcraft II, Civ IV, Skyrim (+ mods), Bioshock 1, 2 and Infinitie.

Only because it can run Windows and use a PC GPU.

Thank you for posting this, Huntn! I often want to gush a little bit about my late 2013 13" RMBP as well ... Though certainly not a gaming rig proper (I've got a PC for that), it offers plenty of power for wonderful distractions while I'm on the go and should actually be working. Also makes for fun family gatherings when I hook it up to the big screen and pair with PS3 controllers or Wiimotes!

I play the following at surprising settings in Windows 8.1, between 720p and 1080p--

Tomb Raider (2013 & Underworld)
Castlevania: Lords of Shadow (1 & 2)
Batman: Arkham Asylum
Batman: Arkham City
NBA2K12

I also LOVE firing up Dolphin (Game Cube/Wii emulator) and playing Mario Kart Wii, Zelda Twilight Princess, and NBA JAM at 720p.

On the OS X side, OpenEmu has got me covered from NES to N64. I also still use the old MAME OS X to play NBA Maximum Hangtime and Super Street Fighter II ... perhaps I date myself with my game tastes?

Will check out TuneUp Utilities as well--thanks for the tip!

I'd never call my system a powerhouse in the graphics department but ya know, it does well for what it is.

Macs aren't gaming machines by any means but you can certainly play games pretty well on many models.

Just finished up Half Life 2 at 1440p. Been playing Grid 2 on the High preset at 720p with 4x MSAA with no issues. It's fine.

Huntn said:

I anticipate I'll be looking for another Mac laptop in the future to take its place. I assume this would have to be the top of the line MBP for the dedicated graphics?

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I think we all already know that the key ingredient here is that the graphics card be very good. Sadly, that usually is available only on the most expensive Mac/MBP models. =/

Wardenski said:

My Mac Pro 2008 is still a decent gaming machine too.

Played: Orange Box, Far Cry 3, Crysis 1, Warhead, and 2, Portal 2, Starcraft II, Civ IV, Skyrim (+ mods), Bioshock 1, 2 and Infinitie.

Only because it can run Windows and use a PC GPU.

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Same here with my GTX 650Ti Boost, but I usually play games in OS X. Though it wasn't bad with the stock ATI 2600XT. These days, any decent PC with a dedicated GPU or good integrated graphics will do, including most Macs.

AlecZ said:

These days, any decent PC with a dedicated GPU or good integrated graphics will do, including most Macs.

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It all depends on what you're playing and your expectations. If you're playing older games, integrated or low-end discreet GPUs are fine. If Battlefield 4 is your style, then you'll want the most horsepower you can get, and no Mac, save for GPU-upgraded iMacs and Mac Pros, can provide it.

My 2011 MBP has served me well, but it's starting to get a bit long in the tooth. I'm hoping a decent tax refund and sale of this system will net me enough cash to get a refurb rMBP with the 750M.