Need Feedback/Buying Advice - iMac & MacBook Air or stick with the Retina MBP?

[sleven]

Hey Guys - First time poster here. I absolutely love the Apple operating system. I love the hardware, the design, the feel. Much like most of you, I have owned a few MacBook pro's and Air's in the past. A mac mini or two, 3 iPads, and multiple iPhones. I'm a fanboy and swim in the ecosphere every chance I get.

I recently just sold my Razer Blade 14" "gaming laptop" to a buddy. I told myself I was going to get a MacBook Pro. I took the plunge and purchased a 15" rMBP with the m370 AMD graphics chipset.

What I do on the computer:
Play Diablo 3, and will likely jump back into WoW. I may consider a first/3rd-person shooter of other types but do not currently play any.
Web browsing/email
iTunes

What I want to do:
Get my wife into photo editing (she currently does hobby photography on a Chromebook).
Try my hand at some amateur video editing.

I know what I do does not require a ton of processing power, but I struggle hard going from 60fps (vSync) @ 1680x1050, all settings Max, shadows off ... to - ~16-50fps with similar settings. I'm sure the rMBP is running the game at a slightly higher res - but certainly not max.

I absolutely LOVE the display on the rMBP. Most beautiful thing (aside from my wife and kids) I've ever laid eyes on. But I'd be willing to sacrifice for a possible alternative (below).

I'm considering returning the 15" rMBP and going with a 13" Air (8gb ram, 256gb hd) - lower resolution which I'm hoping the HD6000 can keep up with. And either building a small gaming PC or buying an iMac 5k.

Struggling with the decision. Looking for some feedback or some ideas to consider. Thank you in advance.

 

[maflynn]

I'm considering returning the 15" rMBP and going with a 13" Air (8gb ram, 256gb hd) - lower resolution which I'm hoping the HD6000 can keep up with. And either building a small gaming PC or buying an iMac 5k.

The MBA will struggle with any games. Macs in general are not the best gaming rigs, though you can play them. The 5k iMac is very pricey and not the best option if games are your intended usage. I have a new 5k iMac and its a great machine, don't get me wrong, but you want the best tool for your intended uses and I think a gaming PC will be a lot cheaper then a 5k iMac.

I know that doesn't help much, but why not stick with the MBP and see how that goes, you post that you love it, so why are you wanting to return the computer, is it not meeting any of your needs?

 

[sleven]

I remember having my MBA from 2012 or 2013, and it played WoW and D3 (pre expansions) on lower settings relatively well. You're right it will struggle with any game, and I'd have to keep it on a laptop cooler to try to keep that belly as cool as possible.
Which graphics chipset do you have in your 5K iMac?

The MBP does not play at the consistent framerate that I'd like. I honestly want a consistent 60 fps (or as close to it as possible). Willing to sacrifice some quality just to get the framerate.