Macbook Pro Hi Res 17" +/- ACD for Photo work & WoW

[AndreUK]

Forgive me for asking in a new thread (I have read similar threads regarding 15 & 17" MBP & ACD and others on 512 VRAM).

I currently have a Windows XP 17" (1680 x 1050) Asus Laptop. I do alot of work with Photoshop & Nikon Capture NX (have had images published). I also play alot of WoW in every room of my house!!! I love the screen real estate and portability, hate Windows and love my girlfriends 15" MBP (using it myself more and more).

My absolute dream is to get:

• 17" Hi-res Glossy MBP (maxed out)
• 23" ACD

I was wondering:

• Can this MBP run WoW at 1920 x 1200 (playing at a native resolution is desirable for image quality, I know WoW is scalable and you can play it on a low end machine, but it is also demanding when settings are maxed)
  
  
• If you can play WoW at 1920 x 1200, can you do this on the ACD and also have the MBP "open" in use for web browsing? (is this just asking too much?)
  
  
• Can you run both the MBP & ACD at 1920 x 1200 at the same time for photo / graphics work? (or again is this asking too much?)
  
  
• If the ACD can not run "intensive" apps at the same time as the MBP (at native resolution) is there any point in getting an ACD?
  
  
• I could probably live with my Windows lappy for a little longer (although my Mac envy is growing exponentially every day), is it worth trying to wait for the next CPU / GPU upgrade? (sorry, I know this is a rubbish question!!)

I very much appreciate your advice, as I am a Windows user looking to jump ship ASAP!!!

 

[ctishue]

I can answer some of your WoW concerns. I play WoW at 1920x1200 with everything maxed except terrain distance at 2/3 and full screen glow off. I get 30-35fps in Shattrath which might dip to 25 with a ton of people around. Outside of Shatt I get anywhere from 50 to 80fps pretty much everywhere. It runs a lot better than I thought it would. This is with Adium, Safari, Xchat Aqua all running in the background.

And yes I tried having the MB Pro hooked up to my 24" 1920x1200 LCD. I could run WoW on one monitor and other things on the MB Pro screen without issue, both at 1920x1200.

 

[Live in 3D]

Here is a thread about the WoW topic

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/456384/

 

[AndreUK]

That's amazing!! Thanks for the link (missed that one!).

I particularly was impressed by the 2.6 17" MBP running WoW with max everything, full screen glow on, v-sync off at 1920x1200, no AA and was getting between 30 - 80 fps!!

Personally I am a sucker for the "cartoony" FSG effect (I know that alot of people hate it and it hits fps). WoW isn't like most 1st person shooters where every fps counts. Also interesting is that some people reckon non-native resolution isn't as bad as a lot of people say.

As far as the 23" ACD goes, that's great news! That's amazing that you can run both screens at once!! (may need to turn down a few settings though if I persist with the FSG effect).

Photoshop & Capture NX shouldn't be a problem then!

Now.... big question!! Can I hold out for 3-4 months for the next CPU / GPU upgrade, or will my MAC envy get the better of me!!! ARGGHHH!!!!!

 

[ctishue]

Yeah it is quite impressive. It runs just as well as my Mac Pro with X1900 XT in a lot of cases. I'm honestly thinking of selling my tower because this 17" is such a beast.

 

[QCassidy352]

Now.... big question!! Can I hold out for 3-4 months for the next CPU / GPU upgrade, or will my MAC envy get the better of me!!! ARGGHHH!!!!!

3-4 months is a pretty much a best case scenario. Intel may be pushing the new chips, so it's possible. But do keep in mind that the first MBP was introduced 1/06, and now, in 3/08, we're on rev. D. So that's an update less than once every 6 months, on average, and the last one was 1 month ago. So if you're gonna wait, be prepared to wait 6 months.

Frankly, I see no reason for you to wait, given your stated uses. The current MBP would be perfect for you, and the next one may or may not have any substantial differences (I mean, look how long people waited for this one, all for one of the smallest updates in apple's history).

 

[zerohp]

I have similar performance to those above when FSG is turned on. I also have a 24" 1920x1200 external display that I have been using. Even though full screen glow looks better, I would still turn it off until blizzard fixes the issues with it on OSX. It is over 20fps improvement for me. I am never below 50fps in major cities, even then its usually 60fps and up to 100fps outside in the world with few players around. People don't believe this performance, but you really just have to see for yourself. Having the correct settings and clean ui mods are important.

I normally play on a PC with a 30" display at 2560x1600. Later this week I can hook that display to my mbp and see how it performs. Wow is not really graphics intense, my pc gets 35-40fps (while raiding) with max settings at that resolution with only a 7950gt video card.

ps: all of these numbers are from prior to the WoW patch that was released yesterday. so they may change

 

[AndreUK]

Thanks for the advice, it has all been excellent and really helpful. I think I'm gonna go for it sooner rather than later. Can't really see myself waiting for another potential 6 months!!

I see that the ACD hasn't been updated for a long time, knowing my luck it'll probably be updated the day after I make my purchase!!

Also, I hope our US friends realise how lucky they are, here in the UK, Applecare for the MBP costs £279 (thats $560!!), I think that will cover the display as well, but it's a hell of a lot of wonga!!!

Finally, the last poster mentioned only running "clean UI mods", I run quite a few (Titan, SWstats, Deadly Boss mods, Miks Scrolling Battle Text), but nothing that totally "warps" my default UI. I hope thats gonna be OK and not hit my FPS too much. (And please post your results hooking your MBP up to your 30" display, I am sure all will be interested!).