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Former Gamer going MacPro w/ Questions

D

decoy1686

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Oct 15, 2009
3
0
Ok so I used to be a big PC gamer. Not so much anymore because now I'm an adult and I have to start doing more work and less gaming on my machines. I still have a dedicated PC machine for my gaming.

So now I'm thinking of getting a Macbook Pro 13 (I don't like the bigger screens) with the 4gb memory and a solid state drive. I'l probably dual boot it with Windows at some point. This will mostly be a work machine. (Coding, web dev, some image or video editing, but mostly the code thing.)

My first question is, there are 2 games coming out in the next year I know I'll want to play on all my machines, this mac included. Starcraft 2 and Star Wars: Old Republic. I know this is all going to be speculation, but in your opinion, do you think the machine I described above will be able to play these games? Probably not at super amazing ultra HD fantastic forever leetzor settings. The graphics cards just aren't THAT good. But just at normal, enjoy a nice afternoon of gaming settings. Any opinions?

My second question is, what time of the year do the new generations usually come out? Anything on the horizon that I should wait for? Maybe updated graphics card, etc?
 
For SC2 I think the 9400M will run it at mediocre settings. The 9600M GT is probably suited better for both and it's obviously more expensive.

The second question I can only say from my experience is that it varies.
 
If you're planning on playing games then you need to bypass the 13" MBP because it uses an integrated GPU, and move up to the 15" MBP with the dual GPU.
 
Wow, thanks for the quick responses guys. This is a pretty good forum.

Anyway I saw the dual GPU models. The reason I'm avoiding them is the price point. I really only NEED the 13, which I can get for 1376 total. If I jump for the extra graphics I would need to shell out between 2076 and 2376, and I'm not sure it's worth the extra grand. I guess I'm just hoping they don't overload these games and I can have my cake and eat it too.
 
I see self denial all over this. "Not so much anymore because now I'm an adult and I have to start doing more work and less gaming on my machines" And you are saying you want to play games coming next year. I see high disappointment in your future.
 
decoy1686 said:
Wow, thanks for the quick responses guys. This is a pretty good forum.

Anyway I saw the dual GPU models. The reason I'm avoiding them is the price point. I really only NEED the 13, which I can get for 1376 total. If I jump for the extra graphics I would need to shell out between 2076 and 2376, and I'm not sure it's worth the extra grand. I guess I'm just hoping they don't overload these games and I can have my cake and eat it too.
Click to expand...

If you want to play games, I have to say, you probably shouldn't be buying a macbook. To be totally honest, I thought the same thing myself. I own a 13 mbp, and after trying a little bit, I realize that I NEVER game on it. Simply because it's waaay inferior to my old desktop even for games. I do use it everyday for work though, which it's great at, along with web browsing. Decent battery life also. I do dual boot win 7 rtm, but honestly it's like once a week or 2 at work that I do.

If you want to game, you might as well pick up one of the 999$ core i7 dells with the Radeon 4570 with 512mb. It will do windows great, and play games. Spec wise it blows all macbooks out of the water. If you want a small and light, check out the sony SR series for about the same price, but discrete video.

I'd buy a macbook to run Mac OS on it. They look nice and sexy, and are fairly reliable. If you want to game, and will primarily work in windows, it's probably not worth it.

Not to disuade you, but just giving the honest truth. I like my MBP, but I know the limitations quite well.
 
decoy1686 said:
Anyway I saw the dual GPU models. The reason I'm avoiding them is the price point. I really only NEED the 13, which I can get for 1376 total. If I jump for the extra graphics I would need to shell out between 2076 and 2376, and I'm not sure it's worth the extra grand. I guess I'm just hoping they don't overload these games and I can have my cake and eat it too.
Click to expand...
You have to realize that gaming and other 3D graphics intense software is what really pushes and drives computers to be faster. Most people don't need top of the line computers to surf the internet and do word processing. ;) The word cheap and gaming don't really go well together. Sure you can get a cheaper computer that's tolerable for gaming but you will always find a cheaper computer with lower specs for people who aren't into gaming.

The 9400M integrated graphics is decent for some games but if you have been a gamer in the past then you will most likely be disappointed. You'll probably have to turn down the graphics on the games and go to a lower resolution, etc so I don't know if that's something you can live with because for some games that really takes the joy out of them.

If you really want to play games then you can find a used or refurbished laptop with the discrete GPU. Last year's 15" model is going about the same price as the current 13" MBPs depending on where you look. Also a laptop gaming computer is just an expensive thing in general because you can usually get a desktop for less and it will allow you to upgrade to a better graphics card once it's out. You really are trying to have your cake and eat it too by trying to get a lower end laptop for gaming. The 13" MBP will be great for just everything else but I don't think you will be happy with it for gaming.
 
why people buy laptops for gaming is beyond me.

I'd say with that SSD you should be MORE than satisfied with the performance. Even this 5400 rpm drive in mine isn't half bad. I can only imagine how much better it would be with an SSD.

I think I'm going to get an SSD as soon as the intel ones are going for the MSRP instead of the ridiculous premiums they're being sold for right now. I'll likely take out my superdrive at that point and put the 5400 rpm in its place for extra storage. Disc drives should be done away with before too long.
 
decoy1686 said:
Anyway I saw the dual GPU models. The reason I'm avoiding them is the price point. I really only NEED the 13, which I can get for 1376 total. If I jump for the extra graphics I would need to shell out between 2076 and 2376, and I'm not sure it's worth the extra grand. I guess I'm just hoping they don't overload these games and I can have my cake and eat it too.
Click to expand...

The Apple online store sells refurbished (I suspect that they're actually clearance) 15" 2.4ghz MBPs (with 2 GPUs) for $1299 at the moment. I purchased a couple (former PC user with a long-time Mac using wife), upgraded the RAM from 2 to 4 gigs (for less than $100 per machine) and run Crysis in windows at full resolution with medium settings and no AA at 25ish FPS. I run CoD Modern Warfare at 25ish FPS in OSX at max resolution with no AA and highish settings. I'm pretty happy so far.

I do, however, fear that the next generation of games may not run nearly as acceptably well.
 
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