Buying advice - discrete graphics

[willob]

I'm looking to buy the 15-inch MacBook Pro as a replacement for my desktop PC that I no longer have room for, and a now ageing 13-inch MacBook Pro mid 2010.

I will use it for internet and photo editing mostly but also want to be able to play the occasional game, something that I can't do on my current MacBook. Specifically I want to be able to play Elite Dangerous.

I don't need to play with all the settings on high, but I do want reasonable performance. The questions is, do I need to pay for discrete graphics to get this?

To be honest £1,599 is a stretch for me so I'm hoping to avoid the £2,000 model. Equally I don't want to buy the base model and be disappointed with the performance. Of course I could get a PC laptop for much less, but that wouldn't be a Mac!

 

[dusk007]

It is definitely better for gaming.
But if you are not dead set on Mac an Asus UX501 gets you better performance than the top end 15" for less money. Not many will make this suggestion here on this forum but it is the truth. The 15" just does not compare to windows alternatives on price/performance. The smaller macs are less overpriced compared to their respective windows alternatives.

 

[Ovedius]

This forum thread has reports from people with 13" Macbook Pros running it comfortably on low settings:
http://steamcommunity.com/app/359320/discussions/0/617335934140719540/

Personally I'd go for the GPU.
Then you also get a very sensible storage space bump as well.
-if you're planning on using Windows on you Mac, the extra space is nearly a must have.

Though if you're willing to use Windows on your "recreational" computer you should consider a PC with a GPU instead; you'll get more gaming-horsepower for your money.

 

[maflynn]

I will use it for internet and photo editing mostly but also want to be able to play the occasional game, something that I can't do on my current MacBook. Specifically I want to be able to play Elite Dangerous.

Depending on the app, the dGPU can is a benefit. Take Lightroom cc/6, its more optimized for the GPU so if you have a dGPU your workflow will certainly benefit from the dGPU.

I don't play games, but from what I've read and my past experience of playing games, the dGPU will definitely be a plus in that category. I guess is boils down to what's important to you and how often do you play those games.

If it were me, and I was buying a new laptop, I'd probably opt for the iGPU model this time around for a variety of reasons I don't need to get into. Just my $.02