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mbp 13/15 gaming capabilities (pls read)

F

FYRR73

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Mar 28, 2012
8
0
hi guys, i intend to buy the new 2012 MBP when it is released (waiting sucks!), but i have a few questions.

i know that the mbp 13" doesnt have a dedicated gfx now so it wont perform as well as the 15"/17". i'll be playing games on my desktop mainly, but it would be a great bonus if the 13" can run games reasonably well (maybe on low/med settings).

so i'd like to ask the 13" owners here if you guys can run games that are not THAT demanding, (eg. sc2, or diablo3 beta) reasonably well, or if the fps drops sharply when there are alot of unit movements etc..

i might consider the 15" but i'm leaning towards 13" since its smaller and more portable. (student here).

thanks for reading and i hope its a legit qn! have a good day.
 
The integrated GPU is really not geared for gaming, though the new intel GPU in Ivy Bridge is an improvement. I'd still not consider it, if gaming is what of your needs.
 
Ivy Bridge's integrated HD4000 will bring at absolute most, a 50% increase performance. Best case scenario, I mean. Realistically, you're looking at about 25% or so.

For perspective, the HD3000's gaming performance is just over half that of an X1950 Pro (released late 2006, a mid-upper range card). It's not fast, at all.
 
lamboman said:
Ivy Bridge's integrated HD4000 will bring at absolute most, a 50% increase performance. Best case scenario, I mean. Realistically, you're looking at about 25% or so.

For perspective, the HD3000's gaming performance is just over half that of an X1950 Pro (released late 2006, a mid-upper range card). It's not fast, at all.
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Agreed. If you're going to game an Apple laptop is really not the platform to begin with, but I digress. Def go with the 15". I own a 13", and while I have no complaints as my use is SSH/RDP into servers and document/email and VM's it's certainly not a gaming machine
 
FYRR73 said:
so i'd like to ask the 13" owners here if you guys can run games that are not THAT demanding, (eg. sc2, or diablo3 beta) reasonably well, or if the fps drops sharply when there are alot of unit movements etc..

i might consider the 15" but i'm leaning towards 13" since its smaller and more portable. (student here).
Click to expand...
Which of these is the bigger priority?

Keep in mind that system requirements for games tend to steadily increase. I wouldn't recommend aiming for what are currently "not THAT demanding" games unless you aren't intending to play any future releases.
 
My opinions.

I am a student too and the portability of the 13'' is fantastic. I have 8GB of RAM which is plenty for my needs.

However, I do wish that I brought the 15'' as I like to delve into a bit of gaming. I would like to play BF3 and some other games that the 13'' can't handle.

My point is, if portability isn't the main reason for buying MBP and gaming is then get the 15'', as time goes on and more games come out you might regret buying the 13'' inch as you can't play any new games.

If portability is the main aspect behind your purchase then get the 13'' as I would imagine the games you've mentioned the 13'' could handle.

I know this isn't your question, but if you're a gamer or can see yourself getting into gaming later, don't buy a Mac. You're wasting your money.
 
My 2010 13" has the 320m which is equal to or marginally better than the HD3000 in this year's model. I find SC2 runs ok at native res and medium settings, but it's not the best experience.

It runs a fair bit better under Windows 7 using boot camp, so I would suggest Windows is a must if you want reasonable performance.
 
intel graphics = playable at low quality
high-end discrete graphics = well playable at high quality

*depends on the game
 
wow thanks for all the replies, greatly appreciated.

takeshi74 said:
Which of these is the bigger priority?

Keep in mind that system requirements for games tend to steadily increase. I wouldn't recommend aiming for what are currently "not THAT demanding" games unless you aren't intending to play any future releases.
Click to expand...

MrBullet said:
My point is, if portability isn't the main reason for buying MBP and gaming is then get the 15'', as time goes on and more games come out you might regret buying the 13'' inch as you can't play any new games.

If portability is the main aspect behind your purchase then get the 13'' as I would imagine the games you've mentioned the 13'' could handle.

I know this isn't your question, but if you're a gamer or can see yourself getting into gaming later, don't buy a Mac. You're wasting your money.
Click to expand...

thanks for the tips, but i do have a desktop for my gaming needs. i was just thinking it would be awesome if i could play at least a few games on-the-go with the MBP. (only diablo 3 and football manager comes to mind)

i dont think i'll be playing that much when i'm out with the MBP, but it would be great knowing i'd be able to play some games when taking a break or sth. :D

mikeo007 said:
My 2010 13" has the 320m which is equal to or marginally better than the HD3000 in this year's model. I find SC2 runs ok at native res and medium settings, but it's not the best experience.

It runs a fair bit better under Windows 7 using boot camp, so I would suggest Windows is a must if you want reasonable performance.
Click to expand...

Trentolol said:
I play Skyrim just fine through Bootcamp with medium settings, on my 13' MBP.
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that's really good news, thanks for the confirmation guys. i'll definitely consider the Bootcamp!

i think i'll look at the physical sizes of the new 13/15 when they are out. but with the info you guys have provided, it seems like the 13" might be the answer since it can certainly handle some bit of gaming.

----------
Dangerous Theory said:
Best thing you can do is search youtube for gameplay footage of the games you want on a specific machine.
Click to expand...

yep, i did a search on the gameplay of D3 beta on the late 2011 13" MBP, seems like it is able to handle the game at 25-35fps, with a proclaimed 10fps increase playing it on Bootcamp.

but it wasnt that informative as he wasn't playing at the most intensive part. (not alot of units and units movement).
 
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