Are Spaces and Expose GPU intensive?

Discussion in 'MacBook Pro' started by jimmyhii, May 9, 2011.

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  1. jimmyhii, May 9, 2011

    jimmyhii macrumors member

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    Dec 31, 2010
    #1
    Hi,

    I'm about to get myself a 15"MBP and would like to know if Spaces and Expose in OS X are GPU Intensive (or more specifically, would they be laggy on the lower-end ATI6490 256MB?) These features are huge reasons that I'll be switching to OS X for and I wouldn't want to get a machine that won't perform them flawlessly.

    I probably would use maybe 4 - 6 Spaces with multiple windows in each. If it helps, I would be using software such as Photoshop, Illustrator, Lightroom, Flash most often. As I am still studying I might also use some software for school projects (Autocad, Matlab maybe).

    My main concern is - will the 256VRAM be able to buffer all the stuff from spaces? This, especially if I plug into an external monitor (2 screens simultaneously).

    Looking forward to your feedback and thanks in advance :)
     
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  2. gullySn0wCat, May 9, 2011

    gullySn0wCat macrumors 6502

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    #2
    Spaces and Expose won't give you trouble (neither are GPU-intensive), but 256mb really isn't enough to drive external monitors esp if you are using graphics intensive apps.
     
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  3. jimmyhii, May 9, 2011

    jimmyhii thread starter macrumors member

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    #3
    oh.. ): but with movies and stuff ( i do understand that gaming will hardly be possible at good settings ) will it work smoothly?

    My situation is that i'd really like to get the one with the ATI6750 card, but $400 means sacrificing a lot of other stuff. haha.
     
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  4. gullySn0wCat, May 9, 2011

    gullySn0wCat macrumors 6502

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    #4
    What config are you looking at getting? 256mb will be fine for movies (they aren't GPU intensive either) but the 1gb option is much better in the scheme of things considering how expensive the MBP is to start.
     
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  5. TenderBranson, May 9, 2011

    TenderBranson macrumors member

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    #5
    My powerbook 64 can handle spaces pretty well.
     
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  6. jimmyhii, May 9, 2011

    jimmyhii thread starter macrumors member

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    #6
    oh okay thats good :)


    yes, i'm looking at the 2.0GHz, ATI6490 model. Base 15" except with hi-res AG screen.
     
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  7. karohan, May 9, 2011

    karohan macrumors 6502

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    #7
    Expose gets noticeably choppier with dual screens with my nvidia 330m on the 2010 Macbook Pro. I don't know about the 6490m, but I can't imagine it being much smoother.

    On one screen, it's pretty smooth though.
     
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