Casual gamer and the top 13" MacBook pro? (plus a few other quck q's)

[Astro8973]

I currently have a 2007 white MacBook. I am in the market for a new MacBook within the next several months for college. I am a casual gamer. I do not intend to be playing intense games on it. I have a ps3 and 360 for those. What I'm asking is, how well does the 13 inch MacBook pro (2.53 GHz, 4gb ram, 500 HDD) handle games like the Sims 3 or simple RTS games? Also, would there be a considerable performance difference in playing games in Windows 7 as opposed to OSX? And last but not least, should I hold out until the MacBook line recieves the core i5/i7's? How big of a difference will it make compared to the current processors? Thank you!

 

[psingh01]

What's a simple RTS game? Starcraft (12-13 years old?) I'm sure it can handle that. Something more recent? I think you'd be better off with a dedicated gpu either way.

Playing in Windows makes a difference because most likely you're playing the game in the environment it was designed for. Most Mac games are ports of Windows games and they're usually not even ported by the same company. They hire someone else to do it.

The i5/i7 processors are faster (I think around 25%). Faster is better, but ultimately the GPU is more important. You'll get a bigger performance boost from a dedicated gpu over an integrated one than you would from the different CPU lines.

 

[reallynotnick]

The i5/i7 processors are faster (I think around 25%). Faster is better, but ultimately the GPU is more important. You'll get a bigger performance boost from a dedicated gpu over an integrated one than you would from the different CPU lines.

I would kind of expect the new 13in to come with a new GPU, the 9400m is getting a little long in the tooth. I would really suggest just waiting for the new MBP to see what they have to offer and if it is nothing fantastic pick up the old one on clearance.

 

[vant]

Hold out. My prediction is Feb23 for the new MBPs.

 

[neoark]

Hold out. My prediction is Feb23 for the new MBPs.

I doubt they will release it now. Mac books are their backup plan for successful quarter if ipad fail. Q1 apple is already doing well so my guess is we won't see an update till march end. Q2 will ipad/mac book pro Q3 will be iphone refresh. Q4 will be ipod refresh.

 

[vant]

I doubt they will release it now. Mac books are their backup plan for successful quarter if ipad fail. Q1 apple is already doing well so my guess is we won't see an update till march end. Q2 will ipad/mac book pro Q3 will be iphone refresh. Q4 will be ipod refresh.

Apple doesn't withhold refreshes based on sales figures.

 

[Cali3350]

The 9400m is really not powerful enough for gaming. Playing Dawn of War 2 on the thing is a huge pain, and even at the absolute lowest possible settings it still chugs like no ones business. The Sims 3 will play, but not what id consider acceptable.

If you plan to game at all - even just a little - id highly recommend either waiting for the refresh (no clue when its happening) or looking elsewhere. The Macbook's just dont cut it currently.

 

[opera57]

It depends on what settings you are willing to play with really. I have a 2.13ghz Macbook Air with the same 9400 graphics chip and I can play Battlefield 2/Battlefield 2142 and the Sims 3 with no problems on medium-ish settings. Depends on how often you want to use it for games really, and whether you want the laptop now or are willing to wait for the next release for a more powerful gpu.

 

[aznguyen316]

Since you have a few months of wait time still possible then just hold out. i-series processors are nice and anything newer *should* be better than the 9400m in terms of GPU.

 

[spyker3292]

Apple doesn't withhold refreshes based on sales figures.

They do what they want.