Pro 15" - Can it handle WOW

[Ainippe]

The Iris pro model will still get just as hot under stress...and system throttling will still occur under those situations. Heat is heat is heat =p. That being said...WoW can run on most computers these days its a pretty old game..sounds like you need a macbook air..great portabiliy, great battery..and can handle light gaming when you get the urge.

That would be really cool if it could handle wow - I am concerned it probably couldnt - anyone here used an air for wow?

 

[h3blade]

I use 2012 mid rmbp, 1gb gt650m

1440x900 AT GOOD setting and distance is around 1/3 of max.

it was hot (about 80-85°）until i use some software to disable the Turbo Boost.

now i play it with around 70-75° and no any delay or lag issues.

2GB 750 should be able to play at max setting without problem, WOD is another thing.

you will have poor experiences to play wow at a rmbp regardless.

 

[pragmatous]

I have the 2014 mac with dGPU and WoW plays great for the most part. You will need a laptop fan as the mac does get warm. It slows down in certain parts of wow at medium settings but overall it's good.

Without drawing catcalls of derision i would like to ask a question that includes a bit of history:

Back in the early 2000's I had a mac desktop which I loved. However I fell in love with Gaming and moved away to generic PC's. I also travel a great deal so having an Alienware for 8 years has helped my addiction to WOW.This is finally on its last legs. Rather than cart another 11lb monster around with me I was wondering if a top spec MacPro 15" laptop would be able to cope comfortably with wow? Does anyone have experience in this area?

I love the simplicity and asthetics, plus of course the build quality of Apple and would love to return to the fold.

 

[Ainippe]

Thanks everyone for their frank and concise replies.

 

[Ainippe]

Thanks to all those who have made comments on this thread, been really helpful

 

[x3n0n1c]

However, regardless if the laptop is Apple or Dell or HP, their heatsinks sit on the enclosure of the system. Therefore, plastic does not absorb heat like metal does. This is where an aluminum body helps a lot. The entire bottom part of the laptop becomes one big heatsink. Now you can remove the heat via the fans inside the laptop and the ambient air.

In a plastic enclosure, all the heat is trapped within that little heatsink. If, for whatever reason, the CPU/GPU produces more heat then what the heatsink can handle, then the system will fry.

If you looked at the back of the MBP, the entire area is one big vent. Only the two corners (for the 15") are the exhaust. The middle acts like a large intake. Not to mention for the retina models, there's side vents now too that draws air over the system board. On PCs I've owned before, they depend on little vent openings throughout the laptop or bottom for a type of intake.

I run my system hot all the time (for days at times too without rest and sometimes even on my bed) and I have yet to have any issues hardware wise. Remember, there's a lot more users in the world then there are forum members. Somehow, we think that one person or group who posts a failure of their system means a majority when really they're a very small minority.

This is all well and good, but the cooling system in the rMBP is incapable of dissipating the heat generated under load. If you load up just the CPU to 100% you will hit the 100 degree C mark in second, and the system will have to throttle. Add the GPU into the mix and it gets even worse.

Granted games generally do not peg the CPU and GPU at full load but the system still gets too hot under this type of use. Play any demanding game and these machines will throttle. No laptop should have a cooling system that cannot allow the machine to run at full speed (Rated speed, not turbo) under load.

 

[ayeying]

This is all well and good, but the cooling system in the rMBP is incapable of dissipating the heat generated under load. If you load up just the CPU to 100% you will hit the 100 degree C mark in second, and the system will have to throttle. Add the GPU into the mix and it gets even worse.

Granted games generally do not peg the CPU and GPU at full load but the system still gets too hot under this type of use. Play any demanding game and these machines will throttle. No laptop should have a cooling system that cannot allow the machine to run at full speed (Rated speed, not turbo) under load.

Is there a test to test for throttle? I use my rMBP for handbrake all the time and it runs at a constant encoding speed. Sometimes I'll be watching netflix in the background also, which, enables the 750M video card for some reason and the system still chugs along with no problem.

It may reach 100 deg C but that does NOT mean it's overheating at all.

 

[GoldfishRT]

No laptop should have a cooling system that cannot allow the machine to run at full speed (Rated speed, not turbo) under load.

While I agree unfortunately that is one of the side effects of computers being as light and thin as they are now. Every ThinkPad I have owned since 2008 has throttled under full load, for instance. It's a bit funny since I have always bought the highest end models of any particular line and many times they would end up being slower in practice since the better CPUs would generate more heat under load.

Luckily my 2011, as long as it's on the aluminum stand next to my monitor, doesn't throttle.