Gaming MacBook Pro

[Serban]

if you have the money , can you wait to see what will happen to the macbook pro ? maybe for the same money you will get some 15% overall performance and the battery life

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im in the same situation like you ..waiting from June for the refresh of macbook/imac

 

[UBS28]

The overclocking more than makes up for it. At 1440x900, the game looks good and the retina will perform a little better than the classic. 1920x1200 is great too.

You can manually overclock the 650m on the cMBP? I would be suprised if it can't, because I can overclock my 330m a lot on my 15" 2010 MBP which is also made by NVIDIA.

 

[B...]

You can manually overclock the 650m on the cMBP? I would be suprised if it can't, because I can overclock my 330m a lot on my 15" 2010 MBP which is also made by NVIDIA.

You can on Windows but we're talking factory overclock. The rMBP has a better performing GPU out of the box than a cMBP.

 

[saturnotaku]

Because it has a physical resolution of 2880x1800. So 1440x900 has perfect 2:1 scaling (every 4 physical pixels will act like 1 and display the same color).

Only in OS X. Windows 7 and 8 (which is what you would be using for anything more than moderate gaming) will look wonky if you're using scaling. Supposedly Windows 8.1 will rectify this.

 

[Intelligent]

Because it has a physical resolution of 2880x1800. So 1440x900 has perfect 2:1 scaling (every 4 physical pixels will act like 1 and display the same color). At 1920x1200, the scaling is uneven which causes some bluriness, but the physical panel has so many pixels that you can't see the bluriness and it looks like regular full HD.

Damn, you guys are awesome

 

[B...]

Only in OS X. Windows 7 and 8 (which is what you would be using for anything more than moderate gaming) will look wonky if you're using scaling. Supposedly Windows 8.1 will rectify this.

Right, but Windows 8.1 should be exclusively used once it comes out sometime this fall (if you already use Windows 8). Scaling in Bootcamp with games should be similar to OSX by the GM (ideally).

 

[Asuriyan]

Only in OS X. Windows 7 and 8 (which is what you would be using for anything more than moderate gaming) will look wonky if you're using scaling. Supposedly Windows 8.1 will rectify this.

Not talking about scaling, just using non-native resolutions, which generally look fine due to the high pixel density.

 

[RoboWarriorSr]

This.

If you're a casual gamer though MBP should be fine. On high requirement games (BF3, Skyrim) you'll be getting relatively crappy frames, like 30-45 (not really playable in my opinion). But on all other games you'll probably get 50+ . It would be nice to have better, but it's forgivable. If you're an avid gamer, you obviously wouldn't even consider a mac. Or you made a desktop gpu able to run through thunderbolt, via 4-5 different connection points - of course. I'm still hoping the Retina gets faster discrete graphics this refresh. If not, I plan to buy it anyway, but will try to calmly accept the fact that I won't be happy about the graphics, lol.

You're quite wrong, Battlefield 3 is playable at 1920*1200 at medium-high settings while playable at retina at low settings (graphics low texture high in other words). Frame rate is around 50 FPS on both (there's a thread somewhere here that confirms this). Skyrim is the same deal. The problem is not the current games but future games from the likes of Battlefield 4 assuming the engine is considerably better than Battlefield 3, you're probably only be able to play it at 1680*1050 at low settings (probably lower). Realize that this is a 650m overclocked to 660m (better in some cases) so performance is really good in the form factor Apple put it in. Also I do hope that Apple doesn't use the Iris Pro as a replacement for the discrete graphic card or i'll be going to buying a refurbished 2012 Retina MacBook Pro.

 

[Miller93]

Look at the 15" rMBP base for $1,599. You cannot beat that deal. Also people will tell you "Macs aren't for gaming" "Get a PC" etc.

Get whatever you want. Keep in mind you'll want to look into installing Windows via Bootcamp if you want the best performance.

15" rMBP for $1599?

 

[tgi]

15" rMBP for $1599?

Sorry, forgot to mention refurbished.

http://store.apple.com/us/product/FC975LL/A/refurbished-macbook-pro-23ghz-quad-core-intel-i7-with-retina-display?afid=p231%7Ccamref%3AikJ9&cid=AOS-US-AFF-PHG

 

[Serban]

you should wait for the refresh of the mac line up (except for the macbook air)
is so close, i think 1 month separate from the event

 

[RoboWarriorSr]

you should wait for the refresh of the mac line up (except for the macbook air)
is so close, i think 1 month separate from the event

This may be the last discrete MacBook Pro for a while so it wouldn't be beneficial to wait especially if you're looking to play games. The next one supposedly uses a Intel integrated graphic chip, Iris Pro. Kinda like what they did to the 2009 models. Best bet is to buy refurbished so one doesn't regret your decision.

 

[Vanilla35]

This may be the last discrete MacBook Pro for a while so it wouldn't be beneficial to wait especially if you're looking to play games. The next one supposedly uses a Intel integrated graphic chip, Iris Pro. Kinda like what they did to the 2009 models. Best bet is to buy refurbished so one doesn't regret your decision.

Unfortunately I may see myself doing this come Christmas time, pending they strip out the dGPU that is

 

[Serban]

There will be refurbished retina MBP with dGPU even after the release of the new refresh..so best is to wait. In my stores i still found macbook air with ivy bridge with 100$ discount

 

[RoboWarriorSr]

There will be refurbished retina MBP with dGPU even after the release of the new refresh..so best is to wait. In my stores i still found macbook air with ivy bridge with 100$ discount

Do the refurbished models drop in price more if a newer model appears? Like if the new 2013 is announced, will the 2012 model be discounted lower (refurbished) [and no I don't consider the January update to rMBP as the "2013" update since it is basically the same as the 2012 with different clock speeds].

 

[mentaluproar]

Do the refurbished models drop in price more if a newer model appears? Like if the new 2013 is announced, will the 2012 model be discounted lower (refurbished) [and no I don't consider the January update to rMBP as the "2013" update since it is basically the same as the 2012 with different clock speeds].

I'm wondering this too. Would there be an advantage to waiting for the refresh if I was planning to buy refurb anyway?

 

[Serban]

Yes, i told you in my stores i found macbook air last generation (ivy bridge) with almost 200$ less. For example: macbook air 11" 64 Gb SSD cost 799$

Yes the main problem will be that you will find only the factory configurations. I mean you will can't BTO anymore.

 

[Intelligent]

OP here i got the best rmbp and its awesome, it does cost a lot yes, but ill be using it for a few years. I great fps on games like Skyrim, Guild wars 2, Call of duty, Minecraft and its great,


lol

 

[sofianito]

OP here i got the best rmbp and its awesome, it does cost a lot yes, but ill be using it for a few years. I great fps on games like Skyrim, Guild wars 2, Call of duty, Minecraft and its great,


lol

It is your money, but what a waste of money... a PC desktop would have done a better job and costed the third of the price of your rMBP...

 

[Asuriyan]

It is your money, but what a waste of money... a PC desktop would have done a better job and costed the third of the price of your rMBP...

A pickup truck can haul more than my wife's Miata, too.

They're both transportation. Why would anyone bother spending money on personal preference when they both do the same job?

Well, for starters, if I want to ride under the stars in my Tundra I have to sit in the back... and it's pretty hard to drive while doing that. Different strokes, buddy.

 

[vpro]

Jump right into a refurb 17"MBP beast!

For gaming, best go to utooob and check out some of the videos with the 17"MBP for games, most of the video comparisons herald the 17"MBP as the best MacBookPro for gaming over all. You'll just get poor frame rates and lag jitters with the retinaMacBooks if you push resolution...

Check the vids out online with regards to this topic you'll find them very informative and entertaining from people who actually do nothing but play games in their parents basements making videos all day long.

Good luck.