I'm so disappointed... :( (games do not work well)

[masterofbuckets]

It's not supported under the Windows version either 😉 The Sims 2 was exactly the same and it supported it. Crap under OS X, great under Windows

So its proof that OS X drivers are crap for that 'card'. Its not always the game's fault as generally assumed. 😱

 

[reberto]

So its proof that OS X drivers are crap for that 'card'. Its not always the game's fault as generally assumed. 😱

I'm not blaming the card, I'm not blaming the drivers, I'm not even blaming the game. I'm blaming the OS. Every game I have tried runs better under Windows than OS X on a Mac. WoW runs so much better under Windows on a Macbook Pro than it does under OS X

 

[CylonGlitch]

I'm not blaming the card, I'm not blaming the drivers, I'm not even blaming the game. I'm blaming the OS. Every game I have tried runs better under Windows than OS X on a Mac. WoW runs so much better under Windows on a Macbook Pro than it does under OS X

There is a bit of truth to this. OSX has a strong protected memory scheme, and isolates the hardware from the software. Windows, when switching into DirectX mode, it releases much of the control of the system to the application. Thus it is not really possible for them to be exactly equal... except DirectX applications can crash the entire computer a lot easier then OSX games.

There are pros and cons of both designs, it all depends on what you're willing to deal with. Apple has obviously chosen a more conservative design, but that also makes it a bit slower. I'm at the point in my life where I rather have stability and security instead of performance... but there was a time where I would have chosen performance.

 

[Huntn]

No doubt the way games are made today, they run better on Windows, but WoW is the one Mac game I've enjoyed playing on my MBP (see sig). It runs fine. Might it be less of a slide show in Windows, when I go to Dalaran? That is distinctly possible, but every where else it seems to be playable and that is all I ask. 😉

 

[trose]

As others have clearly stated. You should not attempt to play 3D games using anything other than a top of the line macpro and massive GPU if you expect to see anything 'near' playable if at all.

Oy...


So terribly false. I have a 2008 iMac that plays *most* games wonderfully, at native res of 1680x1050. Starcraft 2 Beta, Half Life Episode 2, Bioshock, etc. etc. I'm no "n00b" when it comes to gaming and performance, either, I've built numerous high end machines and I am extremely picky... I won't play a game if it's consistently falling below 60fps.

A little bit of tweaking settings and managing your computer well is all it takes. I keep a clean boot camp partition with XP Pro and no junk programs.

 

[trose]

And yes, as others have stated, games run better in Windows.
It's combination of things, but the biggest advantage is DirectX.

I love OpenGL, but sadly it's just not as fast, and more importantly, most game developers don't know how to use it as well as they know how to use DirectX.

 

[CylonGlitch]

I love OpenGL, but sadly it's just not as fast, and more importantly, most game developers don't know how to use it as well as they know how to use DirectX.

This part isn't really true, most developers can use OpenGL if they wish, but DirectX has an advantage of not only being a bit faster (because of the issue I listed above -- not because it is actually that much better) but it also offer portability to XBox which OpenGL doesn't. Thus if they want to port there game to a console, it makes sense to use DirectX from the beginning.

 

[trose]

This part isn't really true, most developers can use OpenGL if they wish, but DirectX has an advantage of not only being a bit faster (because of the issue I listed above -- not because it is actually that much better) but it also offer portability to XBox which OpenGL doesn't. Thus if they want to port there game to a console, it makes sense to use DirectX from the beginning.

True, they *can* use OpenGL, but many devs are not as proficient in OpenGL.
Using these libraries is like any other skill... it takes a lot of practice to become proficient. Sadly, many game devs, especially newer ones, have little experience with OpenGL. They may be able to implement it, but they don't know all the tweaks and optimizations like they do with DirectX.


Some devs do know OpenGL very well, like Id Software and Blizzard. That's why their end results tend to be nearly as fast as the DirectX versions.


But yes, you make a valid point about DirectX and consoles. It just makes more sense for devs to know DirectX.

Hopefully systems like the iPhone will help keep OpenGL for 3D gaming relevant knowledge.

 

[JackAxe]

The last comments reminded me of this blog that popped up the other month;
http://blog.wolfire.com/2010/01/Why-you-should-use-OpenGL-and-not-DirectX

 

[MRU]

Oy...


So terribly false. I have a 2008 iMac that plays *most* games wonderfully, at native res of 1680x1050. Starcraft 2 Beta, Half Life Episode 2, Bioshock, etc. etc. I'm no "n00b" when it comes to gaming and performance, either, I've built numerous high end machines and I am extremely picky... I won't play a game if it's consistently falling below 60fps.

A little bit of tweaking settings and managing your computer well is all it takes. I keep a clean boot camp partition with XP Pro and no junk programs.

Do you actually read or simply misconstrude posts so that they fit your response ?

The point about a high end mac pro & decent GPU was in regards to playing via a virtual machine.

I suggest you read more carefully in future 😉

 

[Gata]

If you really intended to game on your MBP, you should have gotten the mid to high-end 15 incher with the 9600m GT- the 9400m is an integrated GPU and is therefore not ideal for gaming. The higher processor clocks should help, too.

 

[Quad 2.5 G5 =)]

You really shouldve done research before you bought the computer. Bootcamp will help you, but even still, the MBP is not a gaming machine, gaming is not good on laptops in general, ive known a lot of people who have ruined their GPUs playing games on a laptop with a mobile graphic card, those cards arent meant to take that kind of abuse.

Oh please. I could run Flight Simulator X on my Black MacBook (Santa Rosa)
2.2 GHz, 2 GB RAM, and the pitiful Intel GMA X3100. Yes, it was..10 FPS, maybe topping 20-30 at times, and on the minimum settings. It wasn't good, but it did work. Is it actually possible to ruin said card (GMA X3100), if you run games on it? I have a MBP, with the defective nVidia 8600M GT, and I run it hard, but I never cycle the GPU, as the heat cycling will ruin it, or so I heard.
I would imagine the MBP is a far more capable machine than any MacBook, but only if the MBP in question is equipped with a discrete graphics solution (X1900/8600M GT/9600M GT). Is it actually possible to "burn out" a graphics card that is integrated?