Macbook for Average Gamer: Iris Pro or Nvidia GeForce GT 750?

[Xgm541]

My rMBP is a *piece of junk* at running games, completely worthless. But that is because laptops never were, and never will be gaming machines.

If you are like me, you're saying "I have an interest in games, but I'm not a hardcore gamer, so graphics don't matter." If that is the case, it is better to buy a PS4 and a normal Macbook. Or a cheap alienware PC desktop, and a Macbook Air. Or buy a used car, and an Xbox One. Or buy a desktop. A base, refurb Mac Pro is amazing. rMBP is truly the worst of both worlds: $3k for a gaming machine slower than an Xbox 360.

The cooling system is atrocious for gaming, or video editing for that matter. It doesn't result in an even decrease in fps, it creates a jarring stuttering to the fps which ruins the enjoyment of any game. Retina iMacs have cooling problems too, but at least the performance would be far better.

I bought a 15" rMBP in 2012, with 16gb ram and 1gb nvidia card, mostly for video editing but I assumed I could use it for gaming too. So you decide to game on this machine: first you need a laptop stand to cool it down and for basic ergonomic reasons (not tilting your head down 45 degrees every gaming session). Then you need an external keyboard because the laptop is on a stand. So now it is basically a desktop, with stuttering FPS and a fan that couldn't be closer to your face. If the laptop is now a desktop, why not just buy a desktop?

Retina is very nice when browsing the web, and that is it. Nothing uses retina effectively, and if anything games will be slower because you'll never play them at native resolution.

Recently I have discovered that my 2007 Mac Pro runs Skyrim significantly better than my 2012 rMBP. Not only that, but I can't even hear the fan, so I enjoy the experience much better even if it had the same performance. This Mac Pro can't even upgrade past OS Lion, and the rMBP "outperformed" it in every Geekbench benchmark before I bought it. A base Mac Pro from 8 years ago with 4gb of RAM outperforms this rMBP. That is not something you want to think about after spending $3k on a computer. Anyone who has the slightest interest in gaming should never buy a rMBP, unless your life involves constant traveling, in which case I'd rather game on my iPhone anyway.

This is a big load of crap. The rMBP runs games fine. You won't be running them at max resolution, but you can run them well. I've had the 2012 rmbp and was able to play BF4 in Bootcamp, WoW and Diablo 3, and the Witcher 3 under OSX. I have the 2015 2.5/16/1TB version with the m370x and I can run GTAV in Bootcamp on low/medium settings at constant above 60 fps.

Your 2007 mac pro, unless you upgraded the graphics card from the default options, is NOT better at gaming than the rMBP.

 

[Atisha]

This is a big load of crap. The rMBP runs games fine. You won't be running them at max resolution, but you can run them well. I've had the 2012 rmbp and was able to play BF4 in Bootcamp, WoW and Diablo 3, and the Witcher 3 under OSX. I have the 2015 2.5/16/1TB version with the m370x and I can run GTAV in Bootcamp on low/medium settings at constant above 60 fps.

Your 2007 mac pro, unless you upgraded the graphics card from the default options, is NOT better at gaming than the rMBP.

My 2007 Mac Pro has a 1gb ATI card I upgraded at some point (by the way, note that they CAN be upgraded). If you have a brand new rMBP I don't doubt what you're saying. However, I still strongly advise the OP to buy a desktop for gaming.

My 2012 rMBP ran WoW and Civilization V pretty well at first, "pretty well" meaning I didn't know it would run 4x as better on a desktop of the same price, and then performance dropped after a year. And the time between the performance drop and now, all the trouble shooting, downloading third party fan applications, replacing the logic board to no avail, and getting bad anecdotal advice about uninstalling Flash -- ultimately it was because a laptop can't run games. Apple makes the best laptops in the world, but as consumers we need realistic expectations. If someone is interested in WoW, go on the WoW site and search the Mac Tech forums for "Macbook retina," and read the pages of performance complaints. The proof is right there.

The architecture is garbage when you compare it to a Mac Pro. Everything is designed to conserve space and save battery life. That is the complete opposite of what one needs in a gaming machine: it should have good cooling, room for expansion, and a fan that isn't 2 feet from your face. Why would anyone want to game on a 15 inch screen? Why would that seem like a good idea to anyone? When people here got a N64 or PS as a kid, did they ask Santa for a jet engine sound to come out of the TV when they played? People thinking about buying a rMBP for gaming have no idea about these problems until they buy it, and then it's too late. The fan is so loud that people will comment on it on Skype if you game.

 

[Orr]

The Iris Pro is more than capable for Blizzard titles and anything not super demanding. I play SC2 (in OSX) and never have any lag or issues in 4s team games. With medium graphics and 1920x1200 resolution. Which for integrated graphics is astounding from just a few years ago.

 

[boringtomi]

Ouch! Don't buy games on the app store for mac OS X. Most of the games there, if not all, are available on Steam or gog.com and you can play them either on mac OS X or Bootcamp. However if you buy the game on the app store you cannot play the game on bootcamp, and most games perform much better under windows rather than OS X. Games on gog.com are drm free, so you can be offline to play them.

The Witcher 2 is definitely playable with good frame rates on Windows. The Witcher 3 on the other hand is playable but at the cost of making so much sacrifice on the graphic settings, after trying for some hours I've realized that I can't play the game like that. I just don't like it, I have to make too many concessions.

When I get home I will post a pic with the settings I use to play The Witcher 2 so that it may help you.

Aww... so you're saying it won't play The Witcher 3 (enjoyably)?

As for the Witcher 2, I got the Steam version, too, and tried on bootcamp (windows 7). I tried that Geforce experience thing, and I found that it suggested many of the settings lower than what the game suggested on the Mac. So since I've been playing it for a while, I actually ended up kinda copying the settings I found there, while keeping the better ones on my Mac, and so far it seems to play reasonably well... I'll do more experiments...

How "bad" The Witcher 3 would be, really?

 

[Samuelsan2001]

Aww... so you're saying it won't play The Witcher 3 (enjoyably)?

As for the Witcher 2, I got the Steam version, too, and tried on bootcamp (windows 7). I tried that Geforce experience thing, and I found that it suggested many of the settings lower than what the game suggested on the Mac. So since I've been playing it for a while, I actually ended up kinda copying the settings I found there, while keeping the better ones on my Mac, and so far it seems to play reasonably well... I'll do more experiments...

How "bad" The Witcher 3 would be, really?

As far as I can tell nothing short of the most powerful gaming laptops can play the witcher 3 comfortably in the portables space....

 

[Xgm541]

My 2007 Mac Pro has a 1gb ATI card I upgraded at some point (by the way, note that they CAN be upgraded). If you have a brand new rMBP I don't doubt what you're saying. However, I still strongly advise the OP to buy a desktop for gaming.

My 2012 rMBP ran WoW and Civilization V pretty well at first, "pretty well" meaning I didn't know it would run 4x as better on a desktop of the same price, and then performance dropped after a year. And the time between the performance drop and now, all the trouble shooting, downloading third party fan applications, replacing the logic board to no avail, and getting bad anecdotal advice about uninstalling Flash -- ultimately it was because a laptop can't run games. Apple makes the best laptops in the world, but as consumers we need realistic expectations. If someone is interested in WoW, go on the WoW site and search the Mac Tech forums for "Macbook retina," and read the pages of performance complaints. The proof is right there.

The architecture is garbage when you compare it to a Mac Pro. Everything is designed to conserve space and save battery life. That is the complete opposite of what one needs in a gaming machine: it should have good cooling, room for expansion, and a fan that isn't 2 feet from your face. Why would anyone want to game on a 15 inch screen? Why would that seem like a good idea to anyone? When people here got a N64 or PS as a kid, did they ask Santa for a jet engine sound to come out of the TV when they played? People thinking about buying a rMBP for gaming have no idea about these problems until they buy it, and then it's too late. The fan is so loud that people will comment on it on Skype if you game.

Saying things like "a laptop can't run games" is exactly what the point of my reply was. Yes, a laptop CAN run games. I game on my 2015 rmbp every day. I gamed on my 2012 as well. I did not experience the slowdown that you did either. I am not disputing that a desktop is a lot better for gaming

 

[Atisha]

Saying things like "a laptop can't run games" is exactly what the point of my reply was. Yes, a laptop CAN run games. I game on my 2015 rmbp every day. I gamed on my 2012 as well. I did not experience the slowdown that you did either. I am not disputing that a desktop is a lot better for gaming

Okay that is fine, and I believe you. But think about this too. You replaced your 2012 rMBP with a 2015 rMBP. I'm looking to replace my 2012 rMBP as well. I think the 2012 rMBPs started shipping in August 2012. So it has been less than 3 years and (casual) gamers are seeking replacements for a $3k machine, most likely with another $3k machine if they're buying Apple, and if that new computer is a rMBP then it follows that it will be replaced in less than 3 years.

I didn't seek to replace my 2007 base Mac Pro until it was 5 years old, and 5 years IMO should be the life cycle of a decent computer. Really though this Mac Pro is still good after 8 years.

I don't see how spending $3k every 3 years to run games at average, or below average performance is a good deal. rMBPs are the best laptops in the world right now. I'll just be waiting for a Mac Pro refresh, and people can make their own decisions.

 

[inhalexhale1]

If you plan on playing games then buy the dGPU. Unless you're going to spend a bit and go the eGPU route.

 

[Samuelsan2001]

Okay that is fine, and I believe you. But think about this too. You replaced your 2012 rMBP with a 2015 rMBP. I'm looking to replace my 2012 rMBP as well. I think the 2012 rMBPs started shipping in August 2012. So it has been less than 3 years and (casual) gamers are seeking replacements for a $3k machine, most likely with another $3k machine if they're buying Apple, and if that new computer is a rMBP then it follows that it will be replaced in less than 3 years.

I didn't seek to replace my 2007 base Mac Pro until it was 5 years old, and 5 years IMO should be the life cycle of a decent computer. Really though this Mac Pro is still good after 8 years.

I don't see how spending $3k every 3 years to run games at average, or below average performance is a good deal. rMBPs are the best laptops in the world right now. I'll just be waiting for a Mac Pro refresh, and people can make their own decisions.

It's not a good deal but that is what you have to do to continue playing the newest games at the best settings on any laptop. Laptops are not ideal gaming machines, none of them, you always have to make power and thermals compromises for a laptop that wil degrade the gaming experience on them. If you don't you end up with something as big and heavy as a desktop with a 30 minute battery life, at which point you might as well have bought a desktop that outperformed it for half the price.

The rMBP is slim, light, cool, and has a fantastic battery life, consequently it is only a middling gaming machine and in 3 years time it'll struggle to run AAA titles in high settings.

Basically the technology isn't there yet for you to have it all. Whinging and moaning on about it doesn't change that, if your laptop priorities are different to apples then by something else.

 

[ApoorvPrem]

I think you should go windows route - Try the Razerblade 14.

 

[Muscle]

Being an ex-avid wow player you can most definitely play on either configuration. but of course the dedicated gpu is going to give you better performance.

However also being an ex-mbp wow player I can tell you that with the amount of play time you put into wow, you will eventually kill your rmbp's battery pretty quick.

I used to play on a mid-2010 15" mbp, 4-6 hours a day excluding weekends. After about 3 months of playing the battery couldn't last 3 hours without charging (on normal non-wow usage). Also the heat was an issue as well.

 

[boabmatic]

I just picked up a 2014 15inch rMbp 2.8Ghz , 16Gb mem , 1TB SSD , GT750 2Gb graphics. wasn't really looking for a gaming machine just that I wanted the 1TB model and most of these had the dGPU option installed.

Mainly into racing games and use my PS3 for GT6 so thought I'd try out Project Cars on the rMbp via bootcamp.
Thought it would have handled it a bit better .. only about 30-40 fps on medium/low settings at 1920x1080 (native resolution of my external 24inch monitor) but what I've read this game is pretty heavy on GPU.
It is playable but doesnt look as good as it should.

Ended up installing Richard Burns Rally and Sinbim Race/GTR series games on it, even tho they are old games they still play great even if the graphics are a bit dated.
Dont think there has been a better rally game made since Richard Burns came out in 2004 and with the RSRBR 2015 Mod there is new updated content.

 

[cookiesnfooty]

I just picked up a 2014 15inch rMbp 2.8Ghz , 16Gb mem , 1TB SSD , GT750 2Gb graphics. wasn't really looking for a gaming machine just that I wanted the 1TB model and most of these had the dGPU option installed.

Mainly into racing games and use my PS3 for GT6 so thought I'd try out Project Cars on the rMbp via bootcamp.
Thought it would have handled it a bit better .. only about 30-40 fps on medium/low settings at 1920x1080 (native resolution of my external 24inch monitor) but what I've read this game is pretty heavy on GPU.
It is playable but doesnt look as good as it should.

Ended up installing Richard Burns Rally and Sinbim Race/GTR series games on it, even tho they are old games they still play great even if the graphics are a bit dated.
Dont think there has been a better rally game made since Richard Burns came out in 2004 and with the RSRBR 2015 Mod there is new updated content.

Rally Sport Challenge 2, Xbox Original, an awesome game and I am so upset they didn't continue the franchise, simply amazing game.

 

[boabmatic]

I was running win 7 on my bootcamp but while I was looking at how to increase fps rate I noticed that a lot of folk were saying you get better performance with win 8.1 and more again with Win10 beta.

So decided to give Win10 beta a try as I had very little installed on the bootcamp partition so didn't have much to loose.

And they were right as I'm getting much better gaming performance with Win10 compared to Win7.
I can run Project Cars at better settings with slightly better fps.

Also Win10 is really nice , will give OSX a run for its money once its fully released.

 

[Edgar Spayce]

I am wanting to buy a macbook for normal computer use + gaming. I will not be creating any digital arts video or photography.

The games I play mostly are WoW and average steam games (Like the walking dead series)

The question I have is, is the Iris Pro good enough? I WOULD like to play the new Witcher 3 and dragon age, but I am perfectly fine with playing with low to medium settings as long as it's lag free. For me, No lag>The best graphics.

I am asking because I have no previous experience with iris graphics. Thanks.

(Also side note, was wondering how well the iris pro without the nvidia card but with a processor upgrade would fare?)

How many time do we have to say it: Macs are not for gaming, quit that stupid idea.
The Iris Pro or any Intel HD are hugely underpowered, the equivalent of Year old integrated GPUs, the 750 is fine to do a few things but not recent games like The Witcher 3.

 

[acastic]

How many time do we have to say it: Macs are not for gaming, quit that stupid idea.
The Iris Pro or any Intel HD are hugely underpowered, the equivalent of Year old integrated GPUs, the 750 is fine to do a few things but not recent games like The Witcher 3.

There are a couple videos on YouTube showing the 2015 13" MacBook Pro playing The Witcher 3. Now granted it doesn't play it very well, but I imagine the 750m on the 15" will play it just fine.