I've done alot of research on the $1299 macbook and i think its the right computer for me but i was wonder what games could it handle. i have halo CoD2, and battlefield 2. and i might be getting some games like wow.
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What games can the macbook handle
- Thread starter bckcntryski36
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Meh...
If you're gonna use it for gaming, you are probably better off looking for a refurb MacBook Pro off of the Apple Store site. There's also the iMac with both the Radeon HD 2600 or the GeForce 8800GS which runs WoW at full framerate with everything maxed. I rarely drop below 30fps even in high-traffic areas with the Radeon HD 2600 and 2GB of RAM.
The Intel GMA X3100 in the MacBook isn't that impressive of a GPU and while Halo may run great (cause the game is like dirt old now), WoW will likely suffer significant framerate loss if the graphics options are set above midgrade.
Apple has some fantastic deals on refurbs. The refurbs look brand-spankin'-new and perform the same. My iMac is a refurb and if it didn't come in a brown box, I wouldn't have known it was a refurb. Sometimes, Apple also sends a refurb with better specs than what you purchased. My iMac was supposed to ship with a 320GB drive and instead shipped with a 500GB.
If you're gonna use it for gaming, you are probably better off looking for a refurb MacBook Pro off of the Apple Store site. There's also the iMac with both the Radeon HD 2600 or the GeForce 8800GS which runs WoW at full framerate with everything maxed. I rarely drop below 30fps even in high-traffic areas with the Radeon HD 2600 and 2GB of RAM.
The Intel GMA X3100 in the MacBook isn't that impressive of a GPU and while Halo may run great (cause the game is like dirt old now), WoW will likely suffer significant framerate loss if the graphics options are set above midgrade.
Apple has some fantastic deals on refurbs. The refurbs look brand-spankin'-new and perform the same. My iMac is a refurb and if it didn't come in a brown box, I wouldn't have known it was a refurb. Sometimes, Apple also sends a refurb with better specs than what you purchased. My iMac was supposed to ship with a 320GB drive and instead shipped with a 500GB.
The new MacBook that's coming out in a few weeks should have far better integrated graphics. I'd just wait for that.
ive heard it can handle GTA San Andreas and WoW. the current MacBook's have 144 MB of integrated video RAM which more than my dedicated graphics chip on my MacBook Pro Core Duo which can play decent games from 2007/8.
Come on. The tech isn't there in the integrated graphics. That's all, really. Otherwise, the MacBook's integrated graphics would be comparable to 128 MB video cards found in laptops, which clearly isn't true.
I'm not saying the MacBook's integrated graphics is bad. It's not. However, for gaming, it isn't the best. You can probably play WoW, but not at extreme settings, and not as good as your friends on semi-recent desktops or on laptops with dedicated video cards.
Wait and buy the new MacBook when it comes out.
Besides the fact that VRAM size has nothing to do with processing power, integrated graphics also tend to share memory with the rest of the computer, meaning it uses your RAM, not dedicated VRAM. Shared memory is MUCH slower in terms of clockspeed and latencies.
I didn't buy my Macbook for games(no one should), but I have played some intense games on it with no problem at all. The games looked good also on it. Of course the Pro will do better. You also pay hundreds more for it. There is no way anyone can say with certainty if the new Macbook will have a better graphics card or what the price will be.
It's just one of many factors. Usually they don't give weaker cards lots of ram since it won't be running games in such high resolutions to require such a large frame buffer and cache.
A 1gb video card in a MB isn't going to outpace a 256mb 8800, but similarly a 64mb 8800 would be crippled.
The MB doesn't need more memory IMO, it just needs built in and more capable. Course it won't be pumping out Crysis and full quality TF2 in the next itteration.
i have the 1299 macbook you're talking about (2.4 c2d, 2g ram) and these are the games that ive played on it so far--
tf2 - playable, fine (although the framerate might go down a bit if you go into large areas with many people)
cs 1.6 - works fine
starcraft and WC3 - fine
cs:s - fine
dod:s - fine
portal - fine, but it doesnt run anymore for some reason
gmod - fine
audiosurf - fine.
all with crossover (6.2 i believe)
tf2 - playable, fine (although the framerate might go down a bit if you go into large areas with many people)
cs 1.6 - works fine
starcraft and WC3 - fine
cs:s - fine
dod:s - fine
portal - fine, but it doesnt run anymore for some reason
gmod - fine
audiosurf - fine.
all with crossover (6.2 i believe)
You were able to play CS source fine? wow thanks! do you think it could handle upcoming games such as Starcraft 2?
SC2...hard to say...I mean, it's not Crysis, but the graphics in it arn't 2D either...
I'm just gonna go ahead and say, no. Chances are so slim, telling you there's any possibility would be pretty much a lie...
No, Starcraft 2 would not be playable on a Macbook...
I too am looking at a macbook. Now, I use a white iMac with integrated graphics, and it ran Civ IV and CoD 2 demo great. Does the macbook have the same graphics card, or a better one?
I assume the iMac has GMA 950 and the current MacBook has GMA X3100 so the MacBook should be better.
The white iMac has a dedicated GPU which is a lot better than the X3100 on the MB.
Didn't any iMac had any integrated GPU?
Yes, There were iMacs in one revision with a GMA 950.
yep yep cs:s works fine.
i would suggest using a at least a external mouse if not a keyboard as well, becuase imo its more comfortable playing with it.
and uhm, i am going to take a giant guess and say that it can run starcraft 2, because from people's estimations on the internet (too lazy to pull article) and the low spec requirements that blizzard games usually have, the mb should be able to play it at least on low settings, but dont quote me on that.
The guy asked what games will play not a discussion about the pros and cons of the macbook as a games machine! Doesn't anybody read forum questions anymore!!
Generally i've found that if your willing to play around with the settings alot of games will run ok apart from anything super intensive.
By the way I think Starcraft 2 will run fine, Bllizzard usually doesnt give its games over the top graphics, though it probably wont run at the highest settings.