Bit of advice on a macbook needed.

Now i've done my research on a macbook and i think i'm going to make a purchase this week for a 2.4ghz macbook. I will also replace the ram to 4gb and also I will increase the hdd to a 320gb.

What I will be using it for is instant messaging, typing up work and general useage. But what i'm wondering about is if a macbook will be able to run WoW.

I'm not too fussed about whether it's on high settings or what-not. as long as it can run on a decent resolution and at med settings i'm happy.

So what i'm asking you for whether the Macbook can run WoW and at what FPS I would be able to get on it.

Thanks

 

Nearly any modern computer will run WoW. Your Macbook should be no exception to this.

 

I'm kinda wondering what FPS I can expect to see on it, that's what i'm wondering about

 

Don't expect much in terms of gaming from a Macbook. It has integrated video so you may be able to get away with playing some FPS games from the early 2000's, or late 90's. Remember that most games are built for Windows, so you'll have to run bootcamp to run most games.

I'm not a gamer, by the way, so perhaps other NBR members may have actual games suggestions.

 

All of them on Native 1280x800 Resolution and with the free download of WoW:

Nvidia GeForce 9400M

All High Settings:

Outdoors: Average of 19-22 FPS and would jump to 28 on occasion.
Indoors: Average of 33-36 FPS and would jump to 45 on occasion.

All Lowest settings:

Indoors: Average of 67 FPS and would jump to 79 on occasion.
Outdoors: Average of 45-50 FPS and would jump to 58 on occasion.

Hope that helps!

 

FYI, the 2.0 GHz version will play Wow very well. I dont know the stats for it but I have a guy at work that plays it on his Macbook constantly and thats the version he has. And also, from what he told me, Wow has a native version for Wow.

 

9400m is an adequate video card for at least the original, but if there were any upgrade in the burning crusade and frozen throne, you might have to tune the settings down and further down in raid/open areas

19-22 on high level is like letting you to lick the lollipop only once every minute; for 9400m, it is reasonable but don't you just want a little* bit better so you can always run at max settings?

dell xps has 9500m which guarantees to be a better performer than 9400m
besides, 7200rpm 320gb, 4gb ram, all for 1300 CAD ~ 1k USD

spec:
Components
PROCESSOR Intel® Core™ 2 Duo P8700 (3MB cache/2.53GHz/1066Mhz FSB) edit
OPERATING SYSTEM Genuine Windows Vista® Home Premium Edition SP1, 64-bit edit
PRODUCTIVITY SOFTWARE Microsoft Works edit
HARDWARE SERVICES 1 Year Return to Depot Service and Technical Support edit
LCD AND CAMERA Edge-to-Edge 13.3" HD WXGA LCD with 2.0 Megapixel Camera edit
MEMORY 4GB Dual Channel DDR3 SDRAM at 1067MHz (2 Dimms) edit
HARD DRIVE 320GB 7200 RPM SATA Hard Drive edit
OPTICAL DRIVE Slot Load DVD+/-RW (DVD/CD read/write) edit
WIRELESS CARD Dell Wireless 1515 802.11n Half Mini-Card edit
BLUETOOTH Dell Wireless 370 Bluetooth Module (2.1+EDR) edit
Essentials
SECURITY SOFTWARE No Subscription (only 30-day protection) edit
INTERNET ACCESS Please contact me with more details edit
Accessories
ALSO INCLUDED WITH YOUR SYSTEM
SYSTEM COLOUR Obsidian Black with Leather Accent
GRAPHICS CARD NVIDIA® GeForce® 9500M - 256MB
BATTERY OPTIONS 56 WHr 6-cell Lithium Ion Primary Battery
SOUND OPTIONS High Definition Audio 2.0
Adobe Software Adobe® Acrobat® Reader 9, Multiple Languages
Labels (non-displayed / transparent to customer) Windows Vista™ Premium
Processor Branding (non-displayed / transparent to Intel® Core™ 2 Duo Processor

price: 1329CAD, i am fine with the new 13" xps style


Dimensions & Weight
Width: 12.56" (319mm)
Height: 0.88" (22.55mm) front / 1.35" (34.34mm) back
Depth: 9.3" (236.12mm)
Weight: Starting weight of 4.85 lbs. (2.2 kg)4(13.3" display, 6 cell battery). Weights will vary depending on configurations and manufacturing variability

apple:
2.0GHz
Intel Core 2 Duo
2GB DDR3 Memory
160GB hard drive1
NVIDIA GeForce 9400M graphics
Standard keyboard
Aluminum unibody
Ships: Within 24hrs
Free Shipping
$1,399.00

Size and Weight
Height:
0.95 inch (2.41 cm)
Width:
12.78 inches (32.5 cm)
Depth:
8.94 inches (22.7 cm)
Weight:
4.5 pounds (2.04 kg)


if your point is to run WoW at a reasonable speed, this should be it.

from canada:
sony SR offer similar spec, similar price point
lenovo offers T400 with similar price point too, but 14inch screen estate
hp offers the worst video card with 9300m

note: apple macbook has the worst screen panel in comparison with poor vertical viewing angle

 

blizzard has many(if not all) games native for apple, if that's what you mean

 

People using the dell xps m1330 with the 8400m gs had no problems on WoW. That card was a dedcated one. The 9400m scores a higher 3dmar06 score than the 8400 (which means it is more powerful). You should be able to play WoW fine. Hope this helps.

 

The 9400 is pretty powerful, more then what people credit it with.

 

i was basing on the numbers given from colten's post above, which looks reasonable. after all, 9400m gives you integrated logic board + video at a reasonable speed.

it is not to say 9400m is weak or anything, but if i was to get 20fps on high settings, i would be like "jeez, only if i get something a little better and get 30fps" instead of lowering the settings.

 

Ok thanks I'll consider it. The main reason of choosing the Apple mac over windows equivalent is that i've finally had enough of windows and hoping that from what i've seen on videos and reviews, Leopard is the OS for me.

But now my only problem is whether to go for the macbook or the macbook pro. Even though it may mean I have to save up a bit more and wait for a month or two, I think the macbook pro is a lot more future proof and it'll be good to see it run on full settings. But hopefully by then, the back to school deal might be on and so i could get a free ipod



Another quick thing is that with doing a lot of work on my computer, i'm struggling to decide between Iwork '09 or Microsoft office for mac. Can somebody tell me how easy it is to transfer Iwork documents to windows computers and vice verca. Thank you for your help

 

iWork is horrible. The conversion to .doc is pathetic and the programs for me always kept crashing. Go with Office 2008.

 

If you are doing just basic computing the macbook is fine. If screen size is important to you, perhaps saving up for a MBP would make you happier in the long run since it also has the upgraded graphics.

 

Definitely. I have the base 2.0ghz MacBook with the 9400, and (with AA and AF turned off) I can play Left 4 Dead at native resolution (1280 x 800) with all settings as high as they go, and get an average of around 24fps.

 

I agree. The 9400M is a whole lot better than the credit it gets, and it gets classified as a pretty bad card just because it's integrated. It's really got some good quality!