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macrumors 6502
Original poster
Feb 16, 2010
376
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Was going to get the rMBP 13 but no discrete graphics is BS. Currently my 2009 MacBook pro has better graphics than a 2012 machine! That is nuts, what was apple thinking?
 
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Was going to get the rMBP 13 but no integrated graphics is BS. Currently my 2009 MacBook pro has better graphics than a 2012 machine! That is nuts, what was apple thinking?

Ahem.

I think you meant "discrete" graphics, not "integrated." All Apple 13" laptops have integrated graphics.
 
Will rMBP 13' ever have integrated graphics? [RANT]

Was going to get the rMBP 13 but no integrated graphics is BS. Currently my 2009 MacBook pro has better graphics than a 2012 machine! That is nuts, what was apple thinking?
The rMBP 13" does have integrated graphics. As for the 13-foot rMBP in your thread title, I'm not sure. :D
 
Was going to get the rMBP 13 but no integrated graphics is BS. Currently my 2009 MacBook pro has better graphics than a 2012 machine! That is nuts, what was apple thinking?

This is not possible. The best what 2009 MBP had is the Nvidia 9600M GT (dedicated GPU), which is a slower card than Intel's integrated HD4000
 
Was going to get the rMBP 13 but no discrete graphics is BS. Currently my 2009 MacBook pro has better graphics than a 2012 machine! That is nuts, what was apple thinking?
$5 says you've never actually looked at any benchmarks and compared the two. The HD4000 is plenty good and probably way better.

What do you need a discrete GPU for anyway?
 
$5 says you've never actually looked at any benchmarks and compared the two. The HD4000 is plenty good and probably way better.

What do you need a discrete GPU for anyway?

Gaming.

And there's no way that integrated graphics can be better than discreet. Get real man, everyone knows.
 
Maybe making that 2560x1600 not a lagfest.

HD 4000 has over 1Gpixel/sec fillrate, this is enough to continuously render a 2560x1600 quad at over 200 FPS. If there is a problem with the performance, than its a software one, not a hardware one. Besides, CPU still does the majority of the work.
 
It sounds like they do not build a MacBook Pro to game! What were they thinking?

...really if you can do video/photo editing and audio editing, then you are probably building it for the pro market. Gamers notwithstanding
 
Gaming.

And there's no way that integrated graphics can be better than discreet. Get real man, everyone knows.

Have you been living under a rock or something? Of course a modern integrated card (which can run Skyrim at 35 fps on 1680x1050) is faster than an ancient GPU (which struggles to get 35FPS on 1280*720).

Bottomline: the new 2012 13" MBP will be considerably faster at gaming even compared to the 2009 top-end 15" MBP. Hell, even a 2012 Air outperforms the 2009 Pro in every possible category.
 
Was going to get the rMBP 13 but no discrete graphics is BS. Currently my 2009 MacBook pro has better graphics than a 2012 machine!

False.

The integrated graphics in the 2012 machines (HD4000) are considerably faster than the discrete GPU in your 2009 machine.
 
No dGPU means not having to deal with graphics switching, meaning peace of mind regarding the battery being drained faster than the use warrants. Trust me, that's a plus, a big one.

In fact, this would be reason enough for me to consider downgrading from the 15" to the 13". If it wasn't for the 16 GB of RAM and awesome speakers, my 15" would be sold already.
 
13" will never get it. The iGPU will only get faster with intels updates, so the need for a iGPU will be smaller and smaller. The 13" isnt meant for gaming anyway.
 
No dGPU means not having to deal with graphics switching, meaning peace of mind regarding the battery being drained faster than the use warrants. Trust me, that's a plus, a big one.

In fact, this would be reason enough for me to consider downgrading from the 15" to the 13". If it wasn't for the 16 GB of RAM and awesome speakers, my 15" would be sold already.

Are you serious? Only a fanboy turns an obvious drawback into a "feature". Lol, downgrade from 15 inch my ass.
 
No dGPU means not having to deal with graphics switching, meaning peace of mind regarding the battery being drained faster than the use warrants. Trust me, that's a plus, a big one.

In fact, this would be reason enough for me to consider downgrading from the 15" to the 13". If it wasn't for the 16 GB of RAM and awesome speakers, my 15" would be sold already.

If you install gfxCardStatus you can tell it not to use discrete graphics ever when running on battery. Issue solved.
 
A few errors aside, I completely agree with the OP.

For that price, discrete graphics should be a given.

People are right though - Haswell promises a 100% increase in graphical performance over Ivy Bridge's HD4000. According to Intel, that should put it in line with a $70-90 graphics card (see GT650).

I currently work with a 2011 13" air and I absolutely love it but the HD3000 kills any hopes of casual gaming. I have too much self-respect to play games at absolute minimum settings and still only getting 20 FPS.

And to the guy who claims to run Skyrim just fine on an HD4000 - get some self respect man! Minimum settings are NOT for people who spend $2k++ on a laptop!
 
If you want to play games with stellar graphics, buy a PC. For the same cost as an MBP you can build a high quality gaming machine that packs a bigger punch and will last you longer. Only drawback is lack of OS X, but OS X cannot compete with Windows for gaming (and I'm a Mac guy).
 
Its a real shame Apple didn't manage to squeeze a dedicated GPU in the 13. I really thought they would have to keep the lines between the Air's and the Pro's clear cut.

Having picked up a 15" Retina at launch weirdly/thankfully I'm relieved as I really like the 13" footprint but always like to run the occasional game and without a dedicated GPU it just wouldn't cut it.

:)
 
If you install gfxCardStatus you can tell it not to use discrete graphics ever when running on battery. Issue solved.

Thanks but I already know about and used it. It's not that simple of an issue to solve, as sticking to integrated-only incurs a slew of caveats, especially when dealing with external monitors.
 
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