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lightning33

macrumors member
Original poster
Oct 27, 2012
34
0
I just looked at the minimum system requirements for about 3 x games (Rome Total War, Civ 4/5, and Splinter Cell Conviction). All of them said that integrated graphics processors are NOT supported. So how does anyone with a MBA or rMBP 13" play anything?
 

MichalM.Mac

macrumors regular
Mar 26, 2006
114
12
H4000 should handle RTW and CIV 4 just fine.

Civ 5.. if you turn down graphic settings it should be playable. SC:Conviction is poor cider port. I imagine it would be unplayable on Intel GPU.
 

Aspyr-Blair

macrumors 6502
Aug 20, 2012
319
35
Austin Tx
You would be surprised at how many games you can play well with an HD4000. Borderlands 2 is a recent release that actually plays quite well if you keep the settings at default.

To eliminate the guesswork, head over to GameAgent.com. The MacMatch feature will tell you what games will run on your machine, and you can even set up deal alerts and GameAgent will find the best deals for you on the net.
 

lightning33

macrumors member
Original poster
Oct 27, 2012
34
0
Looking at the min system reqs, they specifically say no support for integrated graphics. How would anyone know what actually works (other than the site someone mentioned)?
 

doh123

macrumors 65816
Dec 28, 2009
1,304
2
"Not supported" != "Doesn't work"

There are many reasons a company will list things as not supported... which basically means, you are on your own, it may or may not work.
 

lightning33

macrumors member
Original poster
Oct 27, 2012
34
0
That's kind of my point. The games I listed say that integrated graphics are NOT supported. The above posters say they work fine. How am I to know what games are good to go or not?
 

Aspyr-Blair

macrumors 6502
Aug 20, 2012
319
35
Austin Tx
That's kind of my point. The games I listed say that integrated graphics are NOT supported. The above posters say they work fine. How am I to know what games are good to go or not?

It really just depends on the game. For example, both Civ IV and V "support" the HD3000/4000. "Supported" meaning we stand behind the playability of the experience, and will go to great lengths through our support channel to take care of you should you have an issue.

To Doh123's point, there are many unsupported cards or chipsets that will play a given game, its just that we as gamers dont feel comfortable vouching for that experience, and therefor we leave it off the supported list.
 

Huntn

macrumors Core
May 5, 2008
23,486
26,602
The Misty Mountains
I just looked at the minimum system requirements for about 3 x games (Rome Total War, Civ 4/5, and Splinter Cell Conviction). All of them said that integrated graphics processors are NOT supported. So how does anyone with a MBA or rMBP 13" play anything?

My wife plays tons of casual games on her 2011 MacBook, many of them via Boot Camp.
 

edddeduck

macrumors 68020
Mar 26, 2004
2,061
13
I just looked at the minimum system requirements for about 3 x games (Rome Total War, Civ 4/5, and Splinter Cell Conviction). All of them said that integrated graphics processors are NOT supported. So how does anyone with a MBA or rMBP 13" play anything?

Looking at the min system reqs, they specifically say no support for integrated graphics. How would anyone know what actually works (other than the site someone mentioned)?

For Rome that's incorrect, if you are sure you saw this could you provide a screenshot?

In fact almost EVERY Feral game including more complex ones like Empire Total War supports the HD3000 and HD4000 (and now the HD5000).

We have all the specs on our website here is the one for Rome (note that it does have any cards that are not supported).

http://www.feralinteractive.com/en/mac-games/rometw/requirements/

That's kind of my point. The games I listed say that integrated graphics are NOT supported. The above posters say they work fine. How am I to know what games are good to go or not?

As for the comments on why unsupported cards can sometimes play the games Aspyr-Blair said it best.

There are many unsupported cards or chipsets that will play a given game, its just that we as gamers dont feel comfortable vouching for that experience, and therefor we leave it off the supported list.

If we can't guarantee great experience for the entire game (not just the opening level) then we don't say it's supported. That way you know if you meet the min spec then you don't need to worry if it will be playable or not.

Edwin

Edwin
 
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LeandrodaFL

macrumors 6502a
Apr 6, 2011
973
1
You can play old games. Or not that intenseive games. I recently played Bioshock (2006), Limbo and Spore with great graphics performance.
 

painejake

macrumors newbie
Aug 11, 2010
24
0
Birmingham, UK
My MBA rips through a lot of things I really didn't think it would.

Hell even my 2009 white MacBook plays black and white 2 with decent FPS :D
 

rampancy

macrumors 6502a
Jul 22, 2002
663
896
How do I play anything on a MacBook?...quite well, actually. Awesomenauts plays very well on my 2006 MacBook with a GMA 950. Older games like System Shock 2, Planescape: Torment, Deus Ex, Ghost Recon, Baldur's Gate 2, Neverwinter Nights and FreeSpace 2 play perfectly on my Mac (all with some tweaking of course), either through Wineskin/CrossOver or F/OSS ports (in the case of Freespace 2).

In fact, between the advancement of WINE, cheap sales at places like GamersGate/GOG, and bundles like Indie Royale and Humble Indie Bundle, I actually have too many games to play...

What more people need to realize is that games that are AAA-big-budget-OMGWTF-graphics != exclusively good gaming experiences. I think some of what we saw at the XBox One E3 event is good enough proof of this.
 

arnabdas

macrumors newbie
Feb 23, 2013
19
0
If you are even remotely aware of gaming, you'll realise that MacBooks are NOT meant for that purpose. With Playstation and Xbox releasing next gen consoles, and nvidia releasing next gen graphics cards, it would be foolhardy to even attempt to play recent games on MacBooks. Save your keyboard, buy a console.
 

Dirtyharry50

macrumors 68000
May 17, 2012
1,769
183
How do I play anything on a MacBook?...quite well, actually. Awesomenauts plays very well on my 2006 MacBook with a GMA 950. Older games like System Shock 2, Planescape: Torment, Deus Ex, Ghost Recon, Baldur's Gate 2, Neverwinter Nights and FreeSpace 2 play perfectly on my Mac (all with some tweaking of course), either through Wineskin/CrossOver or F/OSS ports (in the case of Freespace 2).

In fact, between the advancement of WINE, cheap sales at places like GamersGate/GOG, and bundles like Indie Royale and Humble Indie Bundle, I actually have too many games to play...

What more people need to realize is that games that are AAA-big-budget-OMGWTF-graphics != exclusively good gaming experiences. I think some of what we saw at the XBox One E3 event is good enough proof of this.

Amen and very well said. Many people seem to think that if you don't have some mythical Windows box that is actually much better than most Windows gamers have (see Steam hardware survey) then your system is no good for gaming, etc. That as you just pointed out is baloney.
 

tgi

macrumors 65816
Aug 29, 2012
1,331
330
When playing games on OS X, is it a must to use Windows / Boot Camp? I understand it provides better performance, but can you get by without it? Does any games run games natively on OS X without installing Windows?
 
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