MBA 2010 vs 2011 for decent gaming?

I know this is a bit premature, since the 2011 mba hasn't come out, but this is the assumption that it will have a Intel HD 3000.

I'm not looking for a hardcore gaming laptop, but I'm happy with what the current c2d/350m can pull for win7 gaming (Portal, Half life 2, etc).

I found a refurb 13 mba ultimate on sale for 1500. I'm wondering if I should grab that (before it's sold) or think it's worth the risk by waiting for the sandy 13'' mba?

 

last year is going to perform better in games, since the gpu is an nvidia integrated, however in terms of processing power the 2011 model will be better

and the gpu is the 320m not the 350m

 

I would just wait and get the new MBA. The gaming performance difference is minimal in windows when comparing the HD3000 and the 320m. The HD3000 can handle the basic HL Source type games.

 

The only thing is that, if Apple only used the HD3000, it is down clocked on the ULV Sandy Bridge chips in order to conserve power and the performance differences are pretty bit compared to what is in the 13"-17" MBP models (I think even the entry level 13" MBP has a slower clocked HD3000 than everything above it).

I think the ULV options can still play Half-Life 2 engine games but I could be wrong. Unless gaming is going to be a big part of the equation, the ULV Sandy Bridge processors are much better performers than the C2D chips Apple is currenty using. Then again, Apple could always go with the HD3000 and some low power discrete option. We won't really know anything until Apple officially announces any changes/updates to the MBA line.

 

I mean, gaming is not a huge part of the equation. I got my desktop for the serious gaming. Just like, some fun gaming on the go if I want while travelling, etc. Play some Source games or some classics like Kotor.

But for everything else, the Sandy Bridge > C2D, like HD videos, multitasking, photo editing, right?

 

yeah if thats the case I would wait for the mba refresh

 

The Geforce 320m on the Air is still superior to Intel HD 3000. So if gaming is your priority then grab Air.

Don't get caught up with notebookcheck ranking HD 3000 above 310m and saying they are comparable because they aren't after testing the games myself using a 310m and Intel HD 3000. The driver support and memory on the dedicated card alone almost doubled the performance in frames per sec.

Evidence of this is using my cousins 2720qm m14x 720p running the fastest Intel HD 3000 with 650mhz/1300mhz clock and pitting it against a Toshiba i5-460m w/ Geforce 310m. Tried 4 games at least (F.E.A.R, WoW Cataclysm, Cs Source, left 4 dead 2). The 310 is about 30-40fps more than the intel hd 3000 (same 1366x768 native res, same settings. I thought at first it was probably the intel driver, after trying diff drivers and updating to latest one both from intel and Dell, the performance is still inferior to the entry level geforce 310m.

The reason why notebookcheck has the intel hd 3000 higher than the 310m in their list is possibly because of the 2nd gen cpu, boosting it on benchmarks but no real effects on the gaming itself.

If the gpu on the up and coming refresh of MBA is only the intel hd 3000 paired with a ULV CPU (like the ones on m11x r3) then it will be even worse than the regula intel hd 3000.

Hope this helps

 

So you are saying that the benchmarks on a trusted website and those of multiple users here can't be used because they conflict with your test? That is not the way number analysis works. You also have to take into account Mac OS X, something you completely left out and paints the HD3000 in the baseline 13" rather favorably and overall on par with the 320m.

 

errr notebookcheck aint a trusted site, the gpu comparison is quite flawed actually.

However I disagree that its miles behind, its almost on par, it will still be lower though. You have to test a variety of games, and the m14x aint the best thing to test anything out there, for one transvestites were never my thing (not that I have any prejudice)

 

Well, you know what answer you are going to get when you ask about gaming on laptop with integrated gpu. Sure you will be able to play something to kill time but you wont be able to playing anything new most likely.

As to specific games check notebookcheck charts.

 

Yeah it's mostly to kill time. Man, I'm so confused. I know apart from gaming (running OSX smoothly, general snappiness), it's wiser to get the new 2011 MBA. But if I go with the old 2010 MBA, I get better gaming performance and can get a discount buying a refurb from apple.

Honestly, I would go with your 15" mbp setup lieto (ESP with the radeon 6750m), but that model seems a bit heavy for me.

Decisions, decisions.

 

I'm not sure, but it would be wise to check if the MBA 2010 doesn't get bottlenecked by the ULV Core 2 Duo. Maybe the GPU is better but doesn't translate to an overall better performance...

 

Had to make same decision not so long ago.

I decided to base my decision on what i am doing on daily basis.
On daily basis i am carrying my mbp in the car so weight couldnt be deciding factor. Sure i carry it to the flight or to local cafe or to lan party but its not daily so i can handle extra 0.5 kilo.

Also i got tired of upgrading my gaming desktop and synchronizing data i needed with my working mbp (having everything at one place is REALLY awesome, only need to back up from one source -). And since i only play online games with not so crazy graphics decision was made towards high-end mbp as 2 in 1 working+gaming.

Another thing — 15 inch bigger screen simply owns 13 in everything comfort wise.

Situation where i think Air would be better if you are carrying it by feet every day along with books etc so weight can add up.
As for mbp 13 — its a cheaper all around solution. Small screen, decent weight, not much power. It does the job but if you have money for lets say gaming desktop + air or top mbp 15 i wouldnt buy it.

 

Problem is I'm a radiology resident, and I'm using this mainly to study, take notes, etc while going to lecture between working in the hospital. I guess it's not only the weight of the macbook pro, but it's size as well.

 

If you carry it every day then Air+desktop is probably better for you.
You ll be able to find games you can invest some time into and then there are movies, music, online stuff to not get bored.

Wait for new air if you can though, better value for money for same price most likely. It will come in next few months. As for your original question — i doubt it will be completely different level of performance in games so if you need laptop RIGHT NOW you can buy air now as well. But this "value for money" thing would personally hold me of

 

There was a rather long article and test testing the intel chip against the 320 and on the first 2 pages the intel chip was within 5 or 6 frames of the 320m. On the last 4 pages the 320m was as much as 18 frames per second ahead of the intel chip. whenever i see people say the same i swear they only read the first 2 pages. There will be 3 times as many games playable on the 320m. 18 fps is alot. it only takes a good 5 fps from a game being just barely playable to slide show.

all that said and done id still wait for the new sandybridge model. the SB is no slouch and pretty much eats c2d for breakfast clock per clock.

 

Here's the thing,

Now without a dedicated gfx processor, the mba kinda gets placed in the same processing power and specs like the toshiba r835. That laptop is $800, weighing 3lbs, and a DVD drive.

I really want to get a mba, but I'm having a hard time convincing myself now with the lack of a 320m, the only thing I'm paying $1000 extra for appearance and OSX. Someone convince me otherwise!

 

the 320m isn't dedicated... so no change.. its integrated to integrated. Intel graphics were horrid for a long time, so now that they have something decent, no one really wants to believe it, and still feel the prejudice against Intel no matter what. The ULV Sandy Bridge will be slow enough that the graphics in it will be easily slower than a 320m.

The 320m and the HD 3000 are both very low end for graphics and gaming no matter what, so there is little use fighting over them.