MP to MBP...that big of a difference

[Chad H]

Hey guys,
Judging by my needs and likes, I'm thinking of switching to a 15" MacBook Pro and selling my Mac Pro. I really enjoy being able to carry a laptop around and I'm starting to feel like my Mac Pro is just wasted power and its still stock and I'm don't really want to put a ton of money into it as the upgrades can be pricey. All I do now is listen to music, email, and web browsing. The big thing is I'm hooked on "Left 4 Dead" so being able to play that and the new one coming out is a big thing for me. My Mac Pro has the specs listed in my signature. If I get a 15" MBP I will likely get the 2.8Ghz or the 3.06Ghz model. I will also throw in a SSD for OSX and use the optical bay for another SSD for bootcamp. Anyway, I just wanted some thoughts or ideas.

 

[Tallest Skil]

You're going from quad- or octore server processors to dual-core laptop processors.

You'll lose a fair bit of potential power, but if you weren't actually using it anyway, you won't notice it.

 

[boatski]

You'll be fine on the CPU.

You will probably need the 9600 graphics card with the 15" though to play L4D with nice settings.

 

[Chad H]

You're going from quad- or octore server processors to dual-core laptop processors.

You'll lose a fair bit of potential power, but if you weren't actually using it anyway, you won't notice it.

Well honestly I'm not using this computer to is full potential or even close. Basically we all know any computer can surf the web, play music, email, blah, blah. I'm just wondering as far as dual booting and playing left 4 dead or possibly left 4 dead 2 if the new MBP's can take care of the job.

Also, the MBP that I'm looking at is the high end 15" with the 9600 with 512MB. I'm looking at getting the 2.8 or 3.06 w/ a matte screen.

 

[Heb1228]

I think the move would be fine for you. I can't say how the framerates are going to compare, but I can't imagine it being unplayable with those specs on the MBP. If you're not happy with the performance, you can probably turn off some of the advanced graphic features, right?

You may want to post in the games section and ask how someone who has that or a similar machine feels about that particular game. Someone that plays it regularly could give you a good run down. That seems like its your main question anyway... how the game would play on a MBP.

 

[Eidorian]

Dual core anything over the past few years is perky if you're not crunching 24/7.

My biggest complaint is the drive acess speed which can be resolved. I don't really buy a notebook to game on the road or handle the heavy work. Nearly every discrete graphics card is going to handle L4D well.