Macbook Pro/Air gaming questions

I would like returning to the mac side, most because i need a bit more less heavy laptop (i have my Alienware M15x) because in june i will travel to Germany (im moving for studies) and the overweight is something that im considering a lot.

I was considering the MB Air 11" or 13", also an MBP 15 with C2D and 9600M (if is possible i will try to buy the 2010 or wait until the 2011 models), the problem is that i like a lot SC2, probably i will start playing WoW so how runs these games on those macs? I will use only OSX (no bootcamp, if thats the topic well better i dont sell my laptop), but i know that SC2 is a bit problematic with the os.

Anybody plays SC2 and how runs? (In which system too, specs)
WoW runs fine natively on OSX?

I need help in this because i found that a friend trades his MBP 09" with C2D and 9600M (obviously is going to give me difference), i will only play a lot those games and probably urban terror.

I need the system because the weight, OS X (i want to move away from Windows), battery and the design (i miss my MBP 15", badly it had an 9400M only )

Thanks

 

I had a Macbook Pro 17 with the 9400m/9600m, and it got HOT when gaming! GPU would hit 89C(not too bad) but, the CPU hit 99C, which is pretty darn hot.

I played Crysis, Far Cry 2, Just Cause 2, CoD MW2, etc perfectly fine, and I could run them at medium-high settings.

However, the current Macbook Pro 13 with 320m runs pretty cool when gaming. Here's my review of: http://forum.notebookreview.com/apple-mac-os-x/527864-2010-macbook-pro-13-graphics.html

 

I can personally attest that my [now wife's] 2.4Ghz 9400m equipped macbook ran WoW at about 98c. Had to turn down most of the settings, but I did do 10 mans on it in wrath with few issues--and that was outputting the source to a 24" display.

Would highly recommend at LEAST shooting for one of the new 320m equipped units if you absolutely HAVE to have a macbook, or save several hundred dollars and go with a mid line windows machine with this year's tech inside.

 

I just got a macbook pro and had to make the same decision, only game i used as a reference was sc2 cause I play it sometimes. Mines a 2010 so it has the NVIDIA 320m on it and sc2 works very well. I pushed it to High texture, Medium graphics, and high effects and i get about 40-50 FPS and it doesnt lag at all. Definitely worth it.

I had a lenovo y460 with a switchable ATI Radeon 5650 which is why i bought it but honestly I have no need for something that powerful. Just wastes battery..

EDIT: This is only in OSX btw,i didnt try bootcamp.

 

Have you considered the M11X? 4.5LBS, 7.5HRS of battery and the price is 549$ (dell site, after -50$ coupon) base version @ 2gb/160gb or 525$ (dell outlet, after -20% coupon) refurb @ 4gb/250gb R1's? They can play SC2 on med-high.

If you absolutely wanna go mac, there's a reseller on ebay I was browsing that's selling the 13"'s for around 850$ USD (based in the US) NIB with good rating I saw a few days ago. Not sure if he still has any, though (had 5~ when I checked).

MBP's sell for alot more; about 1400~ for a duo core with decent ram/hd.

I'm not going to really suggest an Envy since it's only 4.5HRS battery and requires a slicer to compete with the air/m11x/mbp.

 

For traveling m11x or MBA 11in.

 

Id go m11x or the mac depending on what you need more. M11x has INSANE battery life, even with heavy use. Also the graphics will handle games much better, it can do SC2 more than med/high settings. I had mine on ultra and it didnt lag at all. The macbook pro 13 is bigger but roughly the same weight, but has an amazing screen compared to the m11x's crap crap screen, much easier to use if you like OSX, touchpad is amazing. Both have great sound. MBP has okay battery life but usage drains it fast.


There's a guy on NBR Unxpected Error, selling his macbook pro 13 for $875 shipped. Its the newest one and a great deal if you ask me. Still under warranty too. Check the marketplace

MBA is okay but the ram and battery life are worse. THe only thing it has on the MBP is weight, thinness. Everything else is worse or equal for more cost.

 

I'll just point out that MBA is probably the perfect machine for wireless OnLive.com gaming. You can even use a wireless Xbox 360 controller with it for optimal experience.

It doesn't have WoW or SC2 on it yet, but there are quite a few enjoyable games (AC2, Batman) and more are always coming. It's definitely worth checking out if you have the required internet (3-5+ mbps) and decent caps (unlimited helps ;D ). It's probably the best and quickest way of trying games for free for 30 mins.

 

For gaming do not recommend any Macs, except for old games.

 

It is hard to recommend a Mac for serious gaming, especially if you aren't going to be using Windows 7. But as a first time Mac user with an 11" MBA, I've found it can handle modern games surprisingly well, albeit at lower settings.

During my down time while traveling I've been going through Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands on the 11" and at medium settings (no AA or high-res textures) its getting a consistent 25-30fps. For a casual gamer like me, this is fantastic, but for more serious gamers, there are a lot better and cheaper options than Macs.

 

I wouldn't accept anything lower than 30 FPS for static games (like Baldurs Gate or Diablo), 45 FPS for dynamic games (Starcraft), and 60FPS for first person shooters. It's just unplayable.

 

For you, maybe, but for a casual gamer like myself, getting 30FPS in a newer game in such a small and light computer is great. For me, it's perfectly playable, and personally I don't see such a huge difference between 30FPS and 60FPS. That's probably because I'm not a hardcore gamer, but it works for me. When I want to spend some serious time gaming, I have my Envy 14 at home.

 

I was considering the air for the weight, but i dont know how could react the temps during games with that "slim design". Macbook Pro i find them good (except the 13 which is C2D) but i had read before that in SC2 the performance is bad in OSX, some days ago blizzard released a patch for the mac version i dont know if the problems are still resolved.

I know that macs are not for gaming (i had one before my M15x), but i need one again because i want the OSX and the weight (im going to travel in a few months and the M15x is a bit heavy compared to other computers), the weight from the MBP 15" is perfect not as heavy like my M15x without the sacrifice performance.

Im only going to play SC2, Urban Terror and a possibility for WoW, this games have full native OSX support, specially the last one but with SC2 i know that there are performance problems (i like a lot to play this one). Also i like the MB Air but without the possibility to upgrade hard drive or ram, also if i play games how are going to be the temps with that slim factor,? (This will be my principal computer).

The other computers in my sign i will leave them if somebody thinks that i still have the other Toshiba for gaming, but i can only bring one laptop thats another problem (i will study in germany, and im going to bring all my clothes, stuff, etc.. imagine the weight..).

So somebody found any performance boost after the last patch for SC2 in OSX?

 

What kind of temps do you see on the mba 11in when gaming? I know my similar hardware m11x runs cool even at full tilt so I assume it runs pretty decently cool. Just wondering about the cooling system being completely passive.

 

I didn't have the opportunity to test the MBA 11" with games, but that slim factor combined with SC2 which is game a bit exigent i dont how will react considering the slim design.

The M11x well is totally different to my point of view because is more thick than the air, and this makes the cooling more effective (also i dont know if the Air cooling is passive).

 

I've never really checked the temps while gaming, but it doesn't get too hot to use. The longest session I've had was about two hours (in bed), and while things heated up a bit, it wasn't that bad. It does have a fan that kicks in after about ten minutes, but for me, it's not too loud.

I know this is the Apple forum, but I'm curious, how do you like your M11x? I wanted to love that little computer so much, but after going through four repairs and a replacement machine that still had problems, I just decided to try something different (and couldn't be happier with the 11" MBA). Did you have any problems with yours?

 

This is where I'm at with Starcraft 2 after 2 hours of playing. Running the game at 1366 x 768, most of settings at medium and a few things on low.

 

I use Windows 7 only on my 11" Air and I was very pleased to find out that it plays grand theft auto iv quite well! This was a nice surprise because my Sony Vaio Z (core i7 gt330 4x128 ssd(raid 0) 8gb ddr3 13" 1080p) choked up and was ultimately unable to play GTA IV.

I bought the first gen m11x and pretty much was disappointed with it's heft and lame processor. It was very sluggish even in reinstalling a fresh copy of Windows 7. I wanted to send it back but my wife liked the changeable lighting schemes. I gave her that and got the 13" MacBook Pro.

I can imagine the next gen of Airs will become even more capable and I will definitely be upgrading! Hopefully a backlit keyboard will come with it..

 

Thanks for the replies

At the end i acquired an MBP 15'' with i7, when i was in the shop they had both MBA models and there they allowed me to test SC2

The bad notice was that it couldn't run very well and with 4vs4 well....

The person to which I sold my M15x had a friend that was selling his MBP (the mac that i have now) because he needed money, it was a very good purchase (1 month old the MBP almost without use, with box and everything and like new, he gave me even the ticket) only for 1800 dollars

Im very pleased with this MBP, i can use again OSX and play SC2 & WoW too like my old M15x, no more windows

I want to replace the thermal paste because playing SC2 i get like 85c with the fans on +4500 RPM with smcFanControl, i know is normal in these laptops but i want to extend a bit more the life of my CPU (heat with the time is bad for the hardware). I still have MX-4 so i want to test (i got a very good decrease in temps on my M15x), the only doubt is that i need to remove all the whole mobo for removing the heatsink? (i know that the cpu is in the other side)

 

its not easy...

just spin up your fan faster and keep it cool. The fans int here have a max RPM of 6200. Its much cheaper and easier to replace a fan in a few years from overuse, than frying your computer.

 

Well right now im using the fans with 6000RPM while playing SC2 (i get like 75c which i find decent) but i had read that apple uses a lot of thermal paste in the MBP (apart that stock thermal pastes are worse than after market TP like AS5 or MX-3/MX/4).

So i still consider to replace the paste, the only problem is that i still dont have that tri-wing screwdriver (i will try to find that one in my city this weekend).

Do i have to remove all the mobo to replace the thermal paste? Somebody had already did that and how were your experiences? Thanks

 

In my experience of pasting dozens of desktop CPUs again and again with different coolers and overclocking, it doesn't really make much difference. Excess paste gets squeezed out as long as sufficient pressure is achieved between the heatsink and the chip. The quality of the paste does matter, but most are pretty good these days.

 

StarCraft II runs fine on a 9600M GT.

that's a fact. But it runs measurably better in Windows (bootcamp). at least 10fps better. Apple is very slow to update video drivers for whatever reason.

edit: don't replace the paste. it's a waste of time, energy and warranty for little to no gain at all.

 

Its common knowledge that most laptop manufacturers(including Apple) use crappy thermal paste. From a few articles I've read, repasting a Macbook drops its temps by like 10C. Its a pain to replace though.