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Is The 13" MBA Good enough for me?

F

FireSlade675

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jul 30, 2013
3
0
California
:confused:
So I've owned a 13 inch macbook unibody from 2007, and I am thinking of having an upgrade sometime soon. I am a programmer mainly, but sometime I like to play some light games such as lego star wars III and Lego Batman 2.*

I was wondering if the 13" intel i7 8gb ram could play these two games at an ample framerate on high-medium graphics settings. (I'd like 40+ fps) Please help me. My budget is $1,600, and I'm cutting it pretty close with this MBA. I've been looking at the lenovo y500 but I really like mac a lot better than windows.

I've been torn between choosing both and this is the info that I really need, so I would greatly appreciate a response. Please help me out here.

btw, This is my first forum post ever(in my life).
Please forgive the massive noobiness.

*Side note, I was wondering if it could handle Cod black ops mac version by aspyr with a good framerate as well. I don't need this game, but I was looking at buying it and am curious. You don't need to answer this one, but If you can , please do.
 
FireSlade675 said:
:confused:
So I've owned a 13 inch macbook unibody from 2007, and I am thinking of having an upgrade sometime soon. I am a programmer mainly, but sometime I like to play some light games such as lego star wars III and Lego Batman 2.*

I was wondering if the 13" intel i7 8gb ram could play these two games at an ample framerate on high-medium graphics settings. (I'd like 40+ fps) Please help me. My budget is $1,600, and I'm cutting it pretty close with this MBA. I've been looking at the lenovo y500 but I really like mac a lot better than windows.

I've been torn between choosing both and this is the info that I really need, so I would greatly appreciate a response. Please help me out here.

btw, This is my first forum post ever(in my life).
Please forgive the massive noobiness.

*Side note, I was wondering if it could handle Cod black ops mac version by aspyr with a good framerate as well. I don't need this game, but I was looking at buying it and am curious. You don't need to answer this one, but If you can , please do.
Click to expand...

http://store.apple.com/us/product/F...-23ghz-quad-core-intel-i7-with-retina-display

That is within your budget and will be great for gaming. Do not get the retina 13 inch, it will be worse for gaming because of the integrated gpu and high resolution. The 15 inch RMBP is a much better value, as it is quad core, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD, 2880X1800 and best of all a dedicated gpu (NVIDIA GT650M 1GB dedicated). Your other option is to get a older Macbook, like a 15 inch 2011 model with a AMD 6750/6770 gpu, but for gaming your better off with the newer NVIDIA. Oh and Apple refurbs are great, 1 year warranty, new casing, new screen sometimes, and no scratches at all. You basically save $500 off the retail price at no harm to you.
 
Cool! Thanks!

First of all, thanks for replying to my thread.

Also, thanks for the very informative answer. I think that I will be getting a refurbished macbook pro 15 inch for my gaming. I really appreciate your help.

I do admit, I am doubtful about the intel HD 5000 and this definitely helped me clear it up. Again, thanks for helping me out of my dilemma!

-Slade
 
Going i7 wont help with the gaming in the Macbook, due to its non-dedicated graphic card being so slow, so save the money on that upgrade.
 
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