Intel Iris Graphics Question

It can be used for gaming, it's just not as good at it as the 750M.

 

For the umpteenth time...yes

 

http://bit.ly/1qUHhWg

 

I have rMBP with Iris Pro and it works well

 

The 15" Macbook Pro base model with Intel Iris Pro graphics works well if you're a casual gamer like me. I really only play iRacing and I am getting consistent 50-60 FPS on 1080p max settings, but then again I believe this racing simulator is optimized for intel graphics.

It is also a good choice for longevity as there have been problems with discrete graphics cards + Apple laptops in the past. I myself lost 2 macintoshes to bad discrete cards (admittedly after 5-6 years of use) so that was the deciding factor for me.

 

My normal answer would be yes. For most games the Iris Pro and the 650m/750m will perform within a setting or two, making the experience (if not raw framerates) a wash.

For Company of Heroes 2 the answer shifts, as this is one of the most demanding graphics engines I can think of (or most poorly optimized). In this case, like with anything that has a highly developed graphics engine the Nvidia cards can pull away due to the focus of their architectures. Look into the respective framerates of the game on each system, and ask yourself if you find that acceptable. Remember that for an RTS an 'average' framerate isn't as useful as the minimum, as large fight scenes are when you need performance the most, and the capacity of the card to deliver in those situations should at least be considered.

Hope this helps.

 

When the need arises, OS X will automatically activate the GT 750M to increase performance (for instance when gaming or using Final Cut Pro X).

In Windows, the Iris Pro is disabled by the EFI, so it only has access to the GT 750M. You can just download the regular drivers from NVIDIA.

The GT 750M can help in rendering.