2.0ghz vs 2.3ghz vs wait (15 inch PR0)

[997.2]

Hello!

I am a college student who has used a white macbook (mid 2010) since 2010. it's getting old and Janky. I am looking at buying a new computer. The 15" looks great to me - I'd love more screen space. I game quite a bit - killing floor, prison architect, and counter strike to name a few games. Would the integrated graphics make a big impact on my FPS and gaming experience? I feel that the extra 600 is justified by the doubling of hard drive space and RAM, and if the graphics card makes a difference. I am really looking forward to hearing what you all think about the benefits of that extra $600. I have watched videos on youtube and tried to search for information but I would really appreciate some personal opinions - maybe some of you have been in my shoes before.

Sorry if I left anything out. This computer will be used for college coursework, browsing, media consumption, occasional video editing, and will be used for probably 4-5 years before replacement. Thanks everyone.

 

[MarvinHC]

Hello!

I am a college student who has used a white macbook (mid 2010) since 2010. it's getting old and Janky. I am looking at buying a new computer. The 15" looks great to me - I'd love more screen space. I game quite a bit - killing floor, prison architect, and counter strike to name a few games. Would the integrated graphics make a big impact on my FPS and gaming experience? I feel that the extra 600 is justified by the doubling of hard drive space and RAM, and if the graphics card makes a difference. I am really looking forward to hearing what you all think about the benefits of that extra $600. I have watched videos on youtube and tried to search for information but I would really appreciate some personal opinions - maybe some of you have been in my shoes before.

Sorry if I left anything out. This computer will be used for college coursework, browsing, media consumption, occasional video editing, and will be used for probably 4-5 years before replacement. Thanks everyone.

Have you tried putting an SSD in the old one? (can) work wonders.

 

[yjchua95]

Hello!

I am a college student who has used a white macbook (mid 2010) since 2010. it's getting old and Janky. I am looking at buying a new computer. The 15" looks great to me - I'd love more screen space. I game quite a bit - killing floor, prison architect, and counter strike to name a few games. Would the integrated graphics make a big impact on my FPS and gaming experience? I feel that the extra 600 is justified by the doubling of hard drive space and RAM, and if the graphics card makes a difference. I am really looking forward to hearing what you all think about the benefits of that extra $600. I have watched videos on youtube and tried to search for information but I would really appreciate some personal opinions - maybe some of you have been in my shoes before.

Sorry if I left anything out. This computer will be used for college coursework, browsing, media consumption, occasional video editing, and will be used for probably 4-5 years before replacement. Thanks everyone.

The 750M GPU makes a huge difference when gaming. On my 15" rMBP (2.6/16/1TB/750M), I can play Battlefield 4 at 1680x1050, mix of high and ultra, FXAA and 16xAF, and I get an average of 47-50 fps, with the lowest being 35 fps and easily shooting past 60 fps in quite a number of situations. You can't get this gaming performance on an Iris Pro with BF4 at this settings.

Besides, if you configure the Iris-only and Iris+750M models to 2.3/16/512, both are priced identically, so the 750M is a free add-on.

 

[alphaod]

I think for most things you will be very happy with the base 15" model; however for gaming you'll want the GT 750M.

Personally I have a dedicated gaming laptop, so I prefer the integrated graphics which runs cooler and has better battery life.

 

[yjchua95]

Personally I have a dedicated gaming laptop, so I prefer the integrated graphics which runs cooler and has better battery life.

I disagree. Having the Iris-only model actually makes things run hotter, as more tasks are put into the processor itself, rather than being delegated to the processor and a separate GPU.

A post in this thread (https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1731178/) shows that the Iris-only model runs hotter than the Iris+750M model under heavy tasks.

The 750M model will also have an equal battery life with the Iris-only model because the user can just use gfxcardstatus to disable the 750M and force it into Iris-only.

 

[leman]

I game quite a bit - killing floor, prison architect, and counter strike to name a few games. Would the integrated graphics make a big impact on my FPS and gaming experience?

Not for those kind of games. If you are not playing modern demanding 3D games, then even Iris Pro will be an overkill for you.