Gaming on a macbook pro

[jimmason]

Hi guys
I am sure it has been asked before, but what games would play reasonably well on my macbook,
it is a mid 2014 retina macbook, with i5 chip, 8gig of ram and iris graphics.
many thanks

 

[saturnotaku]

Depends on what types/genres of games you like. Most things aren't going to run great because you don't have a discreet GPU, though.

 

[Flow39]

It really depends. You can run tons of older games (like 2011 and older) just fine, but once you step into the 2012 and newer era, your computer will have problems running most of the newer graphics intensive games.

 

[Dargoth]

You do have the option of getting an external GPU setup via Thunderbolt 2, provided you have a copy of Windows. You'd have to get one of those external PCIe slots, combined with one of those PCIe riser cables + external power supply (since I have yet to find one which provides enough power for a good GPU) and an external monitor. The setup isn't pretty, but it'll run circles around anything that your laptop comes with. It's also a lot cheaper than buying a second computer.

 

[saturnotaku]

You do have the option of getting an external GPU setup via Thunderbolt 2, provided you have a copy of Windows. You'd have to get one of those external PCIe slots, combined with one of those PCIe riser cables + external power supply (since I have yet to find one which provides enough power for a good GPU) and an external monitor. The setup isn't pretty, but it'll run circles around anything that your laptop comes with. It's also a lot cheaper than buying a second computer.

External GPUs can be difficult to set up (especially if you don't have an external monitor), expensive, and most of all, they kill portability. It's a highly impractical option for all but the most dedicated power user.

 

[Huntn]

You do have the option of getting an external GPU setup via Thunderbolt 2, provided you have a copy of Windows. You'd have to get one of those external PCIe slots, combined with one of those PCIe riser cables + external power supply (since I have yet to find one which provides enough power for a good GPU) and an external monitor. The setup isn't pretty, but it'll run circles around anything that your laptop comes with. It's also a lot cheaper than buying a second computer.

External GPUs can be difficult to set up (especially if you don't have an external monitor), expensive, and most of all, they kill portability. It's a highly impractical option for all but the most dedicated power user.

If I understand the situation, doing a bootcamp install on a Mac laptop, to keep it simple just partition ( in my case 500Gb hard drive ) in half, half to Windows and then plan on eventually buying one or two external portable TB drives, for any extra space you need for Windows or MacOS.

 

[saturnotaku]

If I understand the situation, doing a bootcamp install on a Mac laptop, to keep it simple just partition ( in my case 500Gb hard drive ) in half, half to Windows and then plan on eventually buying one or two external portable TB drives, for any extra space you need for Windows or MacOS.

That's neither what the original poster was asking nor in any way relevant to the posts you quoted.

If you're asking for yourself, start a new thread.

 

[Huntn]

That's neither what the original poster was asking nor in any way relevant to the posts you quoted.

If you're asking for yourself, start a new thread.

What is your problem? Reread the title, it's about gaming on a MBP. Dargoth mentions setting up an external GPU using windows. This is my input. If I'm mistaken, you can tell me nicely why my input does not apply or you can start a new topic about why you can't resist being rude.

 

[Dargoth]

If I understand the situation, doing a bootcamp install on a Mac laptop, to keep it simple just partition ( in my case 500Gb hard drive ) in half, half to Windows and then plan on eventually buying one or two external portable TB drives, for any extra space you need for Windows or MacOS.

Actually, you can install Windows on an external drive (if it's Thunderbolt at least. I believe the SATA to PCIe part of the Thunderbolt setup is what tricks Windows into allowing it). It's how I do things. Makes life much simpler since I don't need to have Windows with me at all times anyway (well, also considering the fact that I don't really have enough room on my internal SSD for two OSes).

 

[Dargoth]

External GPUs can be difficult to set up (especially if you don't have an external monitor), expensive, and most of all, they kill portability. It's a highly impractical option for all but the most dedicated power user.

How do they kill portability? You don't need to have it connected when you don't use it you know... Even if you have to shutdown the computer before disconnecting the GPU, it still seems like an acceptable compromise for someone who needs the performance. Yes, you obviously need an external monitor. Only eGPU setups designed to be eGPU setups stand a chance of actually offering an eGPU to internal monitor connection.

Still, most of those components should last you MUCH longer than the GPU itself. This means that, in the long run, the only component that you should have to upgrade is the GPU. The rest of the components are basically one-time costs (at least until they too become out of date, which shouldn't happen until you upgrade your laptop).

 

[antonis]

If I understand the situation, doing a bootcamp install on a Mac laptop, to keep it simple just partition ( in my case 500Gb hard drive ) in half, half to Windows and then plan on eventually buying one or two external portable TB drives, for any extra space you need for Windows or MacOS.

IMO splitting the valuable internal ssd disk for bootcamp is not a good option anymore, especially if you are going to use a TB external disk. You can use this guide to install windows on the external disk (as long as it is USB3 or TB). You'll be amazed by the speed of an external SSD over TB port.

 

[Huntn]

IMO splitting the valuable internal ssd disk for bootcamp is not a good option anymore, especially if you are going to use a TB external disk. You can use this guide to install windows on the external disk (as long as it is USB3 or TB). You'll be amazed by the speed of an external SSD over TB port.

I was not thinking about the SSD aspect of this setup, which is certainly a consideration especially if Mac laptops come with smaller SSDs. My 2011 MBP has a 700Gb hard drive. The new top of the line MBPs only 512Gb of flash storage.

 

[saturnotaku]

Actually, you can install Windows on an external drive.

That only works on Macs with Intel's 4th-generation and later CPUs because Apple abandoned the hybrid EFI/master boot record setup that was used for Boot Camp on all previous models.

How do they kill portability?

...

Yes, you obviously need an external monitor. Only eGPU setups designed to be eGPU setups stand a chance of actually offering an eGPU to internal monitor connection.

😕

 

[Dargoth]

That only works on Macs with Intel's 4th-generation and later CPUs because Apple abandoned the hybrid EFI/master boot record setup that was used for Boot Camp on all previous models.



...



😕

I love how you quoted me, only to attempt to refute my points with childish dots and smilies. Either submit your argument, or don't say anything. Your point about this only working on Macs with Intel's 4th-generation or later is false. I have been using this setup with no issues on a 2011 MacBook Air in full BIOS emulation mode, before upgrading to my latest computer.

 

[twinturbo777]

GameAgent (https://www.gameagent.com/) is a useful website for checking whether your computer can run certain games. It is designed specifically for Mac users looking for compatible games. It has a really straightforward system that compares your Mac's specs to the requirements of different games and tells you whether it will run, might run, or won't run. If your computer doesn't fulfill all of the system requirements for a game, it tells you exactly where it falls short (CPU, graphics card, etc.). It even tells you where to purchase the games and which websites are having sales.

 

[Huntn]

GameAgent (https://www.gameagent.com/) is a useful website for checking whether your computer can run certain games. It is designed specifically for Mac users looking for compatible games. It has a really straightforward system that compares your Mac's specs to the requirements of different games and tells you whether it will run, might run, or won't run. If your computer doesn't fulfill all of the system requirements for a game, it tells you exactly where it falls short (CPU, graphics card, etc.). It even tells you where to purchase the games and which websites are having sales.

I think a tool like this is helpful while keeping in mind there are cases I seem to remember maybe for something like Spore where my wife's MacBook played Spore adequately although technically it did not meets the developer's stated minimum requirements.

 

[pscl]

ill frequently play League of Legends on OSX... runs very well with a very good client. Diablo 3, Starcraft, WOW, Heroes of the Storm, Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 run very well too! On win8.1 bootcamp ill played Diablo 3, ARMA3, ARMA2-DayZEpoch, DayZ-Standalone, CS:GO and GTA5 on mid / low settings. All Games are playable though ARMA3 and DayZ didnt look very good (maybe due to poor optimization and very demanding engine). I tryed Battlefield 4 but it really looks and runs like crap.

i got a late 2013 rMBP 15", 750m 2GB with dual 24" (16:10) dell setup (but gaming just on one Monitor). the +200€ extra for the gpu was DEFINETLY worth it, i hardly recommend this upgrade on a macbook that is that expensive even without the upgrade.

i think the rMBP with deticated geforce gfx-card is very viable for gaming. i really like my macbook.