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Macbook pro 2017 for gaming?

ginofresh

ginofresh

macrumors regular
Original poster
Feb 20, 2017
155
56
yes i know that i have made a lot of post about this and i know mac are not made for gaming but i never had a mac and been wanting one and getting ready to make my purchase as i just got me a barclay card! so i am thinking about the 2017 macbook pro with these spec

  • 2.9GHz quad-core Intel Core i7 processor, Turbo Boost up to 3.9GHz
  • 16GB 2133MHz LPDDR3 memory
  • 512GB SSD storage
  • Radeon Pro 560 with 4GB memory
now i do plan on having bootcamp on it just for overwatch or some other highend games but will i been okay to play high end games? and is this better then the 2016 model?
 
This model is better than the 2016 model as some of the benchmarks that came out like a couple hours ago show 5% at best gains on the GPU but about 20% increase in CPU performance so thats a plus. The GPU is merely a rebadged 460 card but should still be plenty for most games. The most interesting thing though is the eGPU support natively. With that support officially from apple, gaming on a mac is a legit thing now. Granted I would still bootcamp into windows and play your games there for obvious reasons, but at least you get to harness the power of the eGPU for high end gaming on your laptop.
 
ginofresh said:
yes i know that i have made a lot of post about this and i know mac are not made for gaming but i never had a mac and been wanting one and getting ready to make my purchase as i just got me a barclay card! so i am thinking about the 2017 macbook pro with these spec

  • 2.9GHz quad-core Intel Core i7 processor, Turbo Boost up to 3.9GHz
  • 16GB 2133MHz LPDDR3 memory
  • 512GB SSD storage
  • Radeon Pro 560 with 4GB memory
now i do plan on having bootcamp on it just for overwatch or some other highend games but will i been okay to play high end games? and is this better then the 2016 model?
Click to expand...

I don't game much, but from everything I have heard a windows computer will be better at most games. I like Windows machines because I use CUDA features only available on NVIDIA GPUs to speed my work.
 
The 460/560 will run any contemporary game, albeit not on highest settings. I certainly wouldn't recommend it for competitive first person shooters ( although I do play PUBG on it and doing okish). It will run overwatch like a charm.
 
With official support for eGPU, there's no need to buy top of the line discrete graphics card. Get the base model, spend money on SSD upgrade and an eGPU. I'm getting 48 FPS on this RX 580 + Sonnet Breakaway eGPU via Thunderbolt 2 speed. It should be faster on the 2017 MBP with Thunderbolt 3 speed.

sonnet-breakaway-rx-580-egpu-mac-pro.jpg
 
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theitsage said:
With official support for eGPU, there's no need to buy top of the line discrete graphics card. Get the base model, spend money on SSD upgrade and an eGPU. I'm getting 48 FPS on this RX 580 + Sonnet Breakaway eGPU via Thunderbolt 2 speed. It should be faster on the 2017 MBP with Thunderbolt 3 speed.

sonnet-breakaway-rx-580-egpu-mac-pro.jpg
Click to expand...

eGPU support won't be available at the consumer level until next year, at least on the MacOS side of things.
 
vipergts2207 said:
eGPU support won't be available at the consumer level until next year, at least on the MacOS side of things.
Click to expand...

This was done in 10.12.4 using Goalque's automate-eGPU script. Apple's official support means eGPU performance will improve and less work for those who want to use it.
 
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theitsage said:
With official support for eGPU, there's no need to buy top of the line discrete graphics card. Get the base model, spend money on SSD upgrade and an eGPU. I'm getting 48 FPS on this RX 580 + Sonnet Breakaway eGPU via Thunderbolt 2 speed. It should be faster on the 2017 MBP with Thunderbolt 3 speed.
Click to expand...

Doing a double take on that eGFX box....

How did you get a Breakaway eGFX so quickly after the announcement. I didn't even know this existed until Monday lol. Is it better than the node?
 
Have you considered the iMac Pro? It is going to represent a pro-level workstation with specs that should make it a fantastic gaming system, and a workstation of such a good value that you may not be able to build a gaming PC on your own with the same specs for the money.

The iMac Pro is going to be epic. It is going to be an insane value with insane performance. For those needing a lot of power, the combination of a lower-end Mac laptop + an iMac Pro may be the power solution that Apple has been lacking for some time. Given the higher costs of eGPUs, and the fact that the entry level iMac Pro is going to use an 8 core CPU...

Like...the iMac Pro is probably going to change Apple's gaming/VR image completely.
 
ZapNZs said:
Have you considered the iMac Pro? It is going to represent a pro-level workstation with specs that should make it a fantastic gaming system, and a workstation of such a good value that you may not be able to build a gaming PC on your own with the same specs for the money.

The iMac Pro is going to be epic. It is going to be an insane value with insane performance. For those needing a lot of power, the combination of a lower-end Mac laptop + an iMac Pro may be the power solution that Apple has been lacking for some time. Given the higher costs of eGPUs, and the fact that the entry level iMac Pro is going to use an 8 core CPU...

Like...the iMac Pro is probably going to change Apple's gaming/VR image completely.
Click to expand...

Please don't. It's a good value on the side of developers and the like who use the computer primarily for their work. It starts at $5000. If he's interested in VR, he can build a PC of 7700K/1600 with a GTX 1070 for anywhere between ~$1000-2000 and do just fine.

Yes you cannot build a well-specced machine like the iMac Pro, but that's assuming that you as a professional will use the multi-cored Xeon chip to its fullest with the 5K screen. For all we know, OP could be satisfied with a less powerful MacBook Pro.

My suggestion is, if you're really wanting to game, build a PC. The value you get out of that rather than going with a MacBook Pro will be infinitely better.

If you're using your computer for your work first and gaming much less, cheapest MacBook Pro 15" with an eGPU down the line.
 
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I can help you only with this
2016 model with 450 in league of legends i get around 45 fps at 1200 resolution
With 2017 model 555 in same game i get a stady 60 fps so i dont know why,is the cpu or the gpu but in this perspective im happy
 
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kevinkyoo said:
Please don't. It's a good value on the side of developers and the like who use the computer primarily for their work. It starts at $5000. If he's interested in VR, he can build a PC of 7700K/1600 with a GTX 1070 for anywhere between ~$1000-2000 and do just fine.

Yes you cannot build a well-specced machine like the iMac Pro, but that's assuming that you as a professional will use the multi-cored Xeon chip to its fullest with the 5K screen. For all we know, OP could be satisfied with a less powerful MacBook Pro.

My suggestion is, if you're really wanting to game, build a PC. The value you get out of that rather than going with a MacBook Pro will be infinitely better.

If you're using your computer for your work first and gaming much less, cheapest MacBook Pro 15" with an eGPU down the line.
Click to expand...

The cheapest 15-inch MacBook Pro that would fit the OP's needs is $2,600.
Let's say low-cost eGPU enclosures come out that can be purchased for $200
A 1080 ti is around $700 IIRC
A nice 27-inch 4k display is around $500

If the OP wants a Mac, and is not interested in a Windows gaming PC, the pricing of the iMac Pro isn't that much of a stretch from a MacBook Pro + the other accessories...I'm not saying it is the right choice, but given the pricing of both options, wouldn't at least giving it consideration make sense?
 
ZapNZs said:
Have you considered the iMac Pro? It is going to represent a pro-level workstation with specs that should make it a fantastic gaming system, and a workstation of such a good value that you may not be able to build a gaming PC on your own with the same specs for the money.

The iMac Pro is going to be epic. It is going to be an insane value with insane performance. For those needing a lot of power, the combination of a lower-end Mac laptop + an iMac Pro may be the power solution that Apple has been lacking for some time. Given the higher costs of eGPUs, and the fact that the entry level iMac Pro is going to use an 8 core CPU...

Like...the iMac Pro is probably going to change Apple's gaming/VR image completely.
Click to expand...
Lol, you could build a $2000 machine today with a 7700K + 1080ti that will match and likely beat any Vega chips that will be in the $5000 iMac pro base price. Of course we're talking about gaming here, not the specialized use like the fastest 4K FCPX editing machine available.
 
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ZapNZs said:
The cheapest 15-inch MacBook Pro that would fit the OP's needs is $2,600.
Let's say low-cost eGPU enclosures come out that can be purchased for $200
A 1080 ti is around $700 IIRC
A nice 27-inch 4k display is around $500

If the OP wants a Mac, and is not interested in a Windows gaming PC, the pricing of the iMac Pro isn't that much of a stretch from a MacBook Pro + the other accessories...I'm not saying it is the right choice, but given the pricing of both options, wouldn't at least giving it consideration make sense?
Click to expand...

Who says you need a 1080Ti? A 980Ti used can run ~ $250-300 and can do VR just fine. 4K is still not ran perfectly by a 1080Ti - people go for 1440p still.
 
kevinkyoo said:
4K is still not ran perfectly by a 1080Ti
Click to expand...

I have a 1080Ti at home, and I can tell you that EVERYTHING runs at max settings at 4k at around 60 FPS.

If you want to game on a Macbook, then the best solution is to buy any one you want and an external GPU like Bizon, you will get an Nvidia card which is much better for games and Adobe stuff and have the best of both worlds.
 
bartvk said:
You're saying you are going into debt just to get a consumer product? If so, I personally think that's very unwise.
Click to expand...
No the whole reason for me to get my Barclay card was for me to get a Mac I am not going into debt just because I am bored it something I been wanting
 
theitsage said:
With official support for eGPU, there's no need to buy top of the line discrete graphics card. Get the base model, spend money on SSD upgrade and an eGPU. I'm getting 48 FPS on this RX 580 + Sonnet Breakaway eGPU via Thunderbolt 2 speed. It should be faster on the 2017 MBP with Thunderbolt 3 speed.

sonnet-breakaway-rx-580-egpu-mac-pro.jpg
Click to expand...
FYI, you can't upgrade the SSD (or the RAM) in the MacBook Pro.

As for gaming, it will play most games on at least mid settings. eGPUs will certainly make gaming a lot better, though.
 
killawat said:
Doing a double take on that eGFX box....

How did you get a Breakaway eGFX so quickly after the announcement. I didn't even know this existed until Monday lol. Is it better than the node?
Click to expand...

Sonnet and AMD sent me the enclosure and the RX 580 in April to review. There's a reason Apple chose this enclosure for its dev kit. You can read the full review here.

UL2RA said:
FYI, you can't upgrade the SSD (or the RAM) in the MacBook Pro.

As for gaming, it will play most games on at least mid settings. eGPUs will certainly make gaming a lot better, though.
Click to expand...

What I meant is to get the MBP with base iGPU/dGPU then upgrade the SSD during the BTO.
 
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kevinkyoo said:
Who says you need a 1080Ti? A 980Ti used can run ~ $250-300 and can do VR just fine. 4K is still not ran perfectly by a 1080Ti - people go for 1440p still.
Click to expand...
My 1070-based Alienware I bought last Fall can output Borderlands 2 at 4K, but this is an older game. I don't know what the FPS was as I don't know how to activate on-screen counter but it was quite playable and definitely didn't stutter even during battles.
 
magbarn said:
Lol, you could build a $2000 machine today with a 7700K + 1080ti that will match and likely beat any Vega chips that will be in the $5000 iMac pro base price. Of course we're talking about gaming here, not the specialized use like the fastest 4K FCPX editing machine available.
Click to expand...
Yes, and no.
 
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