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Gaming with a macbook pro
- Thread starter michial
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wirelessmacuser
macrumors 68000
I have a new 15" i7 / 8GB SSD equipped MBP. It's great for everything except gaming. If you've ever used a PC for gaming, you're gonna be very disappointed. Thermal management has never been very good and gaming only exacerbates the problem.
MBP is not built to be a gaming computer. if you want gaming, build a 1200 ish desktop and it shall serve you very well.
I went for a 1200 hackintosh build and am planning to get a 11" MBA for mobility. That's the best of both world for me.
I game on my MBP and it's awesome. With the settings almost on flat out I get great FPS all the time.
I don't have a fancy SSD drive either. I don't have an issue with heat or anything like that and I use the trackpad for everything. Took a bit of getting use to, but fine now even for Left 4 Dead 2. I mostly play World of Warcraft though.
I don't have a fancy SSD drive either. I don't have an issue with heat or anything like that and I use the trackpad for everything. Took a bit of getting use to, but fine now even for Left 4 Dead 2. I mostly play World of Warcraft though.
Neolithium
macrumors 6502a
I'd say it depends on what gaming you want to do. I play WoW & Starcraft, will be grabbing Diablo 3 when it's released, they all run very well on my 15" MBP. Call of Duty wasn't as good as the ultra high settings on my old desktop that I built, however it was still very playable in my view.
I did end up grabbing a mouse though to use for gaming purposes, I love the trackpad, just not for gaming.
I did end up grabbing a mouse though to use for gaming purposes, I love the trackpad, just not for gaming.
trackpad? haaaa. No. I use an external mouse. Trackpad = fail for games. Especially first person shooters
Depends on what types of games you play.
You don't need an ATI 5970 to play Starcraft II or WoW, a MBP handles that fine. ( There exist no game that can unleash the power of a ATI 5970. An old GTX 295 still runs every game on max )
ammmm i do play a lot on my mac.
Sc2
COD 2 MW
COD Black Ops
Expecting diablo 3
I use a goliath mousepad (the giant)
DeathAdder Mouse from razer
SteelSeries Syberia v2 White
Thermaltake cooler (the huuuge one)
I love my mac for playing it has great specs, its true i could be better with a 460m or blablablabablablabla but those are all crying babies that doesn't understant what means to the get best working notebook and able to play with it the lastest games with a good resolution.
Sc2
COD 2 MW
COD Black Ops
Expecting diablo 3
I use a goliath mousepad (the giant)
DeathAdder Mouse from razer
SteelSeries Syberia v2 White
Thermaltake cooler (the huuuge one)
I love my mac for playing it has great specs, its true i could be better with a 460m or blablablabablablabla but those are all crying babies that doesn't understant what means to the get best working notebook and able to play with it the lastest games with a good resolution.
How well do you play WoW? I mean, at what video settings? I'm planning to buy a MBP at the refresh next year, so whatever settings you can run now, the new will probably do it a bit better.
Have anyone tried gaming with a Magic Mouse? I will probably get one with the new MBP.
Neolithium
macrumors 6502a
I use my old Asus ROG gaming mouse, havent tried the magic mouse. I run it on high settings at native res (1440x900) and it's nice and smooth. GPU got a bit warm, so I followed one of the other tricks just setting the max FPS to 30, there's no noticable difference but it keeps the card WAY cooler. Major cities move nice and smooth as well, it's a better experience than I expected
mrsir2009
macrumors 604
Lol my MBP can run games just as well (if not better) than one of my friends crapy 15" Windows laptop. Those things get so hot that its impossible to use them on your lap. Its just out of the question. He says he always uses his on a table in his room. I suggested you could use it in the lounge, and he said "you can't do that...". The battery life also sucks **** so you have to have it always plugged in, or you'll only get 20 minutes of battery out of it.
Oh, did I mention the wireless on them doesn't work?
Oh, did I mention the wireless on them doesn't work?
how many hours of juice are you guys getting when you game on your mbp?
I'll most likely have the mbp running on the charger but was just curious.
I'll most likely have the mbp running on the charger but was just curious.
Don't do that, it will kill your battery..
the more current you drain faster = more permanent damage to the battery.
I play SC2 (mostly) on my MBP and it honestly didn't cut it until 10.6.5, and now its decent.
I use a Logitech G9 mouse, G15 keyboard (when using external mon.) and Razor Destructor mousepad
I actually tried a Magic mouse, and trying it gaming was the "last straw" that caused me to return it. I found the right click to be unreliable. adjustable dpi is the best way to go, logitech, razor even Saitek (like R.A.T.9).
Auzburner
macrumors 65816
Uhh it doesn't. 😛 MBP's as do most other laptops get ripped apart by gaming when running on batteries.
I have a 13" MBP and the touchpad is useful for Plants v Zombies and Portal, and that's about it. Any FPS requires a mouse, the 5+ button ones are even better because you can map your weapon specific commands to the side buttons of the mouse which is convenient.
mrsir2009
macrumors 604
I can play half life 2 very well on my 13" late 2009 MBP with 4GB of RAM. The graphics are good, there is no lag, and as the trackpad is very large it is great for looking around 😀 The computer gets a bit hot and the fans come on if your playing for more than 30 minutes, but thats understandable on a 13" laptop where all the components are crammed in together 😉