2012 Macbook Pro for Diablo III and college

[Windgrace]

Last summer I spilled a drink on my old 13" Macbook that's running 10.5.8. The keyboard is ruined, and the top case is splitting. I'm currently using an external keyboard to type on it.

I think it's time for an upgrade. I was pointed in the direction of the 15" MBP when I mentioned Diablo 3. The $ jump between 13" and 15" is pretty large, especially for one videogame. I also prefer the 13" size.

I was set on the 15" model, either current or the updated version due to the performance boost for the game...but this morning I started thinking that maybe the Intel HD4000 will provide enough of a performance boost to not require the dedicated GPU in the 15" model. In which case I can get the best of all worlds (13" comp, lower $, and a computer for both college and the game). Any thoughts on this? Any gaming benchmarks tested with this chip?

I'm pretty sure I'm going to stick with a Mac laptop, but any comparable Lenovo/Asus suggestions would also be appreciated.

 

[chris2k5]

Since this is a Mac forum I am going to recommend a Mac obviously.
So none of that Windows/PC recommendation talk here.

Anyway, the jump is not as big as you really think in terms of price. $1000 ish gets you the 13" model refurb. I see a previous generation 15" that is 2.0Ghz quadcore going for $1359 on the refurb store occasionally.

I'd keep an eye out for that one. Get 8GB and maybe an SSD in that one and it will blast Diablo 3 out of the water.

 

[Windgrace]

Since this is a Mac forum I am going to recommend a Mac obviously.
So none of that Windows/PC recommendation talk here.

Anyway, the jump is not as big as you really think in terms of price. $1000 ish gets you the 13" model refurb. I see a previous generation 15" that is 2.0Ghz quadcore going for $1359 on the refurb store occasionally.

I'd keep an eye out for that one. Get 8GB and maybe an SSD in that one and it will blast Diablo 3 out of the water.

I'm trying to avoid refurbished. We've had two bad experiences thus far with refurbished laptops from Mac. I get I still have a 50/50 chance of having a problem with a new computer, but still...

 

[throAU]

The new 13" will likely run Diablo 3 just fine with slightly reduced detail.

My early 2011 15" hires 2.2 runs it just fine with details closed to max or max (i forget).

Frame rate unknown, but it plays perfectly fine.


As far as school goes, even the 2011 15" is more than powerful enough.

 

[Windgrace]

The new 13" will likely run Diablo 3 just fine with slightly reduced detail.

My early 2011 15" hires 2.2 runs it just fine with details closed to max or max (i forget).

Frame rate unknown, but it plays perfectly fine.


As far as school goes, even the 2011 15" is more than powerful enough.

I'm running the game on my mom's 2010 15" with the Nvidia graphics card and the game runs just fine. I have everything on low but it can run Medium-High easily (it just gets a little hotter).

I know the current 15" will run it fine. I'm sure the new 15" will, as well (hopefully Mountain Lion doesn't mess with compatibility...let's face it Mac is quick to leave "old" technologies behind entirely).

I also know the 13" with Intel HD3000 will run it...albeit probably not well. But my question is...is the Intel HD4000 significantly better? I'd prefer the 13" size for portability as well as saving a couple hundred $ in the process. If the HD4000 can run the game on low-medium settings that would be great. I'm a college student and I'm not studying for anything graphic intensive...the game would be the most taxing item to consider.

 

[throAU]

The HD4000 is I think about 30% faster than the HD3000 on average?

Obviously that will depend on the game and driver maturity, etc - but if you're set on a 13" machine, I suspect that running diablo3 in slightly lower detail will be a decent trade-off.

Worst case scenario, you might consider running D3 in boot-camp, i hear Windows performance is significantly better (not surprising, given Windows drivers probably get a lot more of a working over for gaming performance, whilst Mac drivers are probably more focused on openGL rendering quality/stability, etc).

 

[Windgrace]

The HD4000 is I think about 30% faster than the HD3000 on average?

Obviously that will depend on the game and driver maturity, etc - but if you're set on a 13" machine, I suspect that running diablo3 in slightly lower detail will be a decent trade-off.

Worst case scenario, you might consider running D3 in boot-camp, i hear Windows performance is significantly better (not surprising, given Windows drivers probably get a lot more of a working over for gaming performance, whilst Mac drivers are probably more focused on openGL rendering quality/stability, etc).

Yeah, I was considering boot-camp. I've never done this on any mac before. It seems like it could be a hassle...as in I've grown accustomed to not having anti-virus software on my Macbook and installing it to run Windows would be annoying. But the recent trends seem to point to having anti-virus for OSX now, unfortunately.

I'm not set on a 13", but the concept of getting a machine in a preferred size for mobility and also saving several hundred $ is tempting. I guess I'll wait and see for now. Wait for some reviews from people running the game on the new 13" pros and see if I need to shell out the extra $ to run the game on a 15" machine. And then of course the decision to buy the current 15" mbp discounted vs the new one would begin...haha.

 

[chris2k5]

I have Mountain Lion on my MBA 11" from 2010. Diablo 3 runs fine on the lowest settings so I think a 13" MBP or 15" will do fine. Just keep in mind the portability for school too.

 

[caligomez]

Last summer I spilled a drink on my old 13" Macbook that's running 10.5.8. The keyboard is ruined, and the top case is splitting. I'm currently using an external keyboard to type on it.

Just throwing this out there, but my 2007 white Macbook had a cracked top case and was all stained from years of use. I recently got a new top case with bezel from eBay (for $50 shipping included), 4GB Crucial RAM upgrade (less than $50), and did a clean install of Lion. Not only did the computer look like new (shiny white) but was performing like new as well.

I'm just saying, cause I'm not a gamer (and can't comment on that) but spending $100 on upgrades can make your Macbook "new" again. It might not run Diablo III very well, but it can certainly get you a good resale price if you decide to sell it and buy the 13" MBP.