I'm looking at the 13" baseline mbp. I won't be wanting to do any amazing gaming just playing things like Minecraft, WoW and Guild Wars. Also i am wondering if the laptop would be capable of hosting a minecraft server through hamachi, as the laptop i currently have an acer overheats very quickly. How long does it take to overheat, obviously that varies depending on what you're doing but if i was playing something like minecraft and listening to music with itunes. Please don't recomend a 15" as that is out of my price range.
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Will the 13" do everything i want?
- Thread starter Stirzaker96
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While I do not currently own a MBP yet and therefore cannot comment on the overheating, I do know that the intel hd graphics 4000, which is within the baseline 13" MBP can handle games such as the ones you listed. For instance, on youtube there are fairly good number of videos demonstrating the intel chipset with various games. i.e. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wZQgVlk7Bvw It might also be a good idea to look up on notebookcheck.net on more information about the performance of intel hd graphics 4000 on many other games.
EDIT: Just note that you will NOT be able to play on max settings for most, if not all, games.
EDIT: Just note that you will NOT be able to play on max settings for most, if not all, games.
If by media you are refering to music and video, i do have a sizeable amount of about 1000 - 1500 songs but my video i will be able to keep on a external hdd, and if necessary i suppose i could put some of the music on a external drive aswell.
As someone who had a 2011 13" MBP, 2012 13" MBA and a RMBP.
If you are set on a base 13" seriously consider the MBA. It's the exact same price and due to the SSD it is much faster. (Although I highly recommend ordering from Apple with 8GB of RAM.)
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He was referring to content creation, editing photos via Photoshop, movies via Final Cut Pro etc.
Why is it that you recomend the air instead of the pro? Won't the mba overheat quicker being in a smaller body?
no... it regulates its temperature fine. Overall the machine seems much faster because of the SSD, and its smaller and lighter and has a better display. You lose the optical drive though... The CPU is a low voltage version so its slightly slower, but still pretty dang good, and they have the same graphics.
My 2012 MBA wasn't as loud as the 2011 MBP. The 2012 MBA also has the asymmetrical fans. I'm not sure is the 13" 2012 MBP does. But with the SSD is it much faster than the Pro, the screen resolution is also higher, the device is lighter and skinner. Seems like more bang for your buck.
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If you want to play games I would look into a machine with a video card. Actually with price and game compatability considered a windows machine is probably your best bet.
You probably could get away with intel and WoW but it won't look great and you'll be kicking yourself when the next game you want to play comes out.
You probably could get away with intel and WoW but it won't look great and you'll be kicking yourself when the next game you want to play comes out.
13" Pro
I have a 4 year old and a brand new 13" Macbook Pro. Both work well. I think they'd do everything you want and more.
I'd argue the Air isn't really faster - sure the SSD is faster but the chip is a slower speed. The Air is also a premium price against the Pro and is not expandable. I can upgrade my Pro's RAM and HD quite easily. Sure the SSD is faster, but my 500GB HD is more important than a faster 256 GB SSD.However - if portability and weight are your main concerns then by all means go with the Air.
When I was spec'ing out machines the Air I wanted came out to around $1500. (Factoring in upgrades such as RAM). At that price point it's only another $500 to get the 15" Retina Pro.
If you're looking for portability then the Air is the way to go. If you're not that interested in size than I would personally recommend a 13" Pro. It is a bit cheaper and is way more expandable.
I have a 4 year old and a brand new 13" Macbook Pro. Both work well. I think they'd do everything you want and more.
I'd argue the Air isn't really faster - sure the SSD is faster but the chip is a slower speed. The Air is also a premium price against the Pro and is not expandable. I can upgrade my Pro's RAM and HD quite easily. Sure the SSD is faster, but my 500GB HD is more important than a faster 256 GB SSD.However - if portability and weight are your main concerns then by all means go with the Air.
When I was spec'ing out machines the Air I wanted came out to around $1500. (Factoring in upgrades such as RAM). At that price point it's only another $500 to get the 15" Retina Pro.
If you're looking for portability then the Air is the way to go. If you're not that interested in size than I would personally recommend a 13" Pro. It is a bit cheaper and is way more expandable.
The thing is, if he upgrades the MBP's RAM and SSD, thats nearing the price of the base 15" MBP which he said is out of his price range.
I also believe that MBA 13 is a better deal. Mostly due to the higher resolution ie more space on a small screen and the super fast ssd. If only pro had 1440x900 even as a 100 hi res update!
Patience till MBA 13 retina!
Patience till MBA 13 retina!
If price is a factor then the Pro is the way to go - for the base price you get way more. Yes - it lacks the SSD and is heavier - but the base price Air only has a 128GB SSD and a slower chip.
That said - you can't match the air for portability - you're just paying extra for the weight loss.
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The resolution is better on the air - but we're not talking Retina difference here. I'm not sure how 1/4 the storage space equates to a better deal -
I definitely agree tho - the Pro should have the same screen resolution.
WoW isn't like what it used to be. Before, you can get by with some cheap graphics card and still run it on "Ultra" settings while attaining a decent FPS. But now, don't plan on running WoW at the same settings with some performance loss if you choose to go with the integrated graphics route.
To be fair, I'm not sure how the Intel 4000 matches up yet, and didn't bother to perform any research prior to posting this.
To be fair, I'm not sure how the Intel 4000 matches up yet, and didn't bother to perform any research prior to posting this.
People are making this more complicated than it needs to be. For your stated purpose, yes it will be great!
Until April 2012 we had a 2008 Macbook White that served all of our purposes just fine. I think the base 13" MBP is the best value on the menu.
Until April 2012 we had a 2008 Macbook White that served all of our purposes just fine. I think the base 13" MBP is the best value on the menu.
One thing I will say about the 13" MBP, it's lower res than the MBA but it's colors are richer and the viewing angles are better.