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Macbook Pro 13" 320M Gaming Performance

I was playing portal yesterday (It's free on steam right now, go get it) and constantly got 30 fps, except when looking into a portal, when I got 20 fps.

The setting were all default, can't remember the resolution, but it was the default.
 
I've been playing COD4 on my 320M recently. It runs 30-40fps on medium settings. Good enough for me:)
 
Games I have installed so far:
on OS X:
Starcraft 2 beta
Portal
on Windows 7
Left 4 Dead 2
Far Cry 2
Borderlands

In all cases I run at native resolution (1280x800) and in all cases the games play acceptably (for me). By that I mean I can run these games at medium to high settings with options like bloom or HDR turned on and the frames generally stay around 30, sometimes slowing down when the scene is more complicated (big fights, for example.)

Generally, for games like Borderlands or Far Cry 2 this is only a moderate issue as you tend to encounter small groups. Left 4 Dead 2 throws dozens of zombies at a time your way so you see more action in a title like that - luckily that code is more efficient and performs a lot better by default.

In OS X, the Battle.net loader is slow to start and the opening animation always stutters. Once the game actually launches, things are responsive again. But I really suck at that game, so meh. Faster frame rates won't save me there.

Portal is actually a great benchmark tool since it is free. Also, the scene tends to be uncomplicated much of the time. I haven't made it to the end scene where robot parts are flying around and such, but some of the rooms with multiple turrets/cameras/cubes/etc. rendered without any lag whatsoever. (my definition of lag is frames dropping noticeably below 30) The portal animations haven't caused any noticeable slowdowns for me, but then I have the 2.66 ghz model of the 13". Maybe that makes a difference, I dunno.

If I get time tonight I'll enable the console so I can record some actual FPS data. But for non-metrics based feedback, that's about what I can report.
 
I've played Portal and Bioshock. I run Portal at the native resolution and it runs decent actually except for when you are looking into portals. Medium/High graphics settings.

Bioshock runs one under native. I run it on low settings and it is very smooth. Slight hiccups when undergoing some intense action but nothing horrible.

I don't really know how to check the FPS. Can somebody tell me how to do it? First time computer gamer here.

Thanks.
 
Simmity said:
You might want to install the windows 7 drivers which can be found on the osx install disc. After installing everything should be working properly. (except for the headphones jack, but there is a workaround for that)
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Good one, Simmity, that's what I got wrong. For some reason, I installed the drivers off my Snow Leopard family pack disc instead of using the MBP's install disc.

I'll go re-install bootcamp drivers, thanks for your help! :)
 
johnnymg said:
Native rez on the 13" MBP is 1440x900.
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OMG!! Mine's 1280 * 800!! I'm returning it nao~

But really, 1440 * 900 would be nice on a 13" laptop. Hehe.

Native resolution for the 15" MBP (assuming stock models) is 1440 * 900, though.
 
CoD 4 and Portal on a 2010 13" base.
Both Mac versions, with native resolution and medium settings.
Totally playable, I rarely encounter lag. I haven't checked the FPS yet.
PS. If you haven't already check out Portal. It's a great game.
PPS. Does anyone have experience with Civilization IV? Both performance on 13", but also gameplay. It looks interesting.
 
trucapace said:
My MBP 13" - 2.66 arrives tomorrow. Checking out how WoW performs is on my list of to dos.
I am running WoW on a 2008 2.8ghz 4gb iMac right now and it is very nice (relatively high settings). I plan on starting with the settings on the iMac as an initial comparision. I will let you know how it goes.
Click to expand...

inhalexhale said:
How did it go?
Click to expand...

Well, I have been really busy lately but finally got around to checking out WoW. Installed the game, which took forever... The game looks great and runs very smooth. I haven't been on any raids or runs with it (no mouse at the moment), but I did run around Dalaran and Ironforge and had no lag. I would have to say it runs just as good as my late 2008 iMac 24", if not better.

I also tried out Portal, and it's flawless. This is a really nice machine :D

One other thing, I installed Parallels and Windows 7. Truly remarkable how clean this runs in coherence mode. I can do a cold boot into OS-X, run Parallels and boot Windows 7 in less than 1.5 minutes! The only Windows app I have installed right now is Adobe Photoshop elements. It runs like its a native OS X app!

As you can tell I am very happy with my purchase. Thanks :apple:!
 
Eldia said:
I am curious if anyone with the new 13" have tried playing World of Warcraft. I am curious what the performance is like in Dalaran, and in 10/25 raid settings, using native resolution. Also, is this on OSX, or on Win7.

I want to know whether the game is playable with the 13" with low settings... essentially I am deciding between this, or the Alienware M11x for some lightgaming on a portable laptop when I am not home (traveling, at friends place, etc).

I understand that the MBP is never intended for gaming, but I really like the overall design of the MBP...

Thanks!
Click to expand...

i`m curious too, please we need a review for World of Warcraft on 320M MacBook!
 
Hi,

Someone play Pro Evolution Soccer 2010 in the MBP13 2010?

How does it works? Can it run it in maximum settings?
 
World of Warcraft - Ultra Settings 1200x800

Haven't done extensive testing but seems very smooth in towns. Dalaran, Stormwind, Ironforge are all smooth.

This is on OSX with no overclocking.
 
the 320m can run most games well, from what ive read and seen via youtube.com videos. at the end of the day i can't believe sucha small laptop can even play games that well!
 
is the 320m better than the 9400m? These chips and cards are all so hard for me to keep track of. I don't remember what was in the 13 inch macbook pro model before the 2010 refresh and I may be confusing it with the 9400m if that wasn't it..

Anyway, I did find this video which shows a bit of Portal on the 2010 13in macbook pro.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wUVn19Mauvo

Lots of cussing, so nsfw, and the dudes in the video keep saying stuff like "First time you can game on the mac!" which is completely wrong.. Very rage inducing..

In fact, just go ahead and mute the video when you watch it. I promise you won't miss anything.
 
I think Apple claims that the 320m is twice as fast as the 9400m. When compared to last generation's dedicated solution (upper end 15" and 17" mbps) the 320m is a bit slower than the 9600m gt.
 
mikeo007 said:
I think Apple claims that the 320m is twice as fast as the 9400m. When compared to last generation's dedicated solution (upper end 15" and 17" mbps) the 320m is a bit slower than the 9600m gt.
Click to expand...

oh well do you actually have data? the reason i ask is well..i mean apple's claims arent usually too accurate. they are a company after all.
 
melvinchien said:
oh well do you actually have data? the reason i ask is well..i mean apple's claims arent usually too accurate. they are a company after all.
Click to expand...

I believe in some tests they did it was 1.8 times faster. But that was from apple and everything I find quotes that so..

At the very least we know it's significantly better than the older one.

I'm getting a 13 inch 2010 tonight and will begin working on testing games, including oblivion, fallout 3, whitcher, the void, source stuff..

Gonna be awesome.
 
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