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    Starcraft and Halo on Macbook?

    Discussion in 'Apple and Mac OS X' started by Dustin_D, Sep 10, 2008.

  1. Dustin_D

    Dustin_D Notebook Evangelist

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    Hello,

    haven't been on here for a while. I have the middle model Macbook, and I am wondering if I can run Starcraft and Halo and play them online without any graphic problems?
     
    Dustin_D, Sep 10, 2008
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  2. Stunner

    Stunner Notebook Deity

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    Starcraft? Of course it can play starcraft.... you kidding? That game is like over a decade old. Starcraft 2 now... that's a different story. I bet you will be able to perfectly fine on low settings... Blizzard tends to make games very accessible. Don't know about Halo.
     
    Stunner, Sep 10, 2008
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  3. Colton

    Colton Also Proudly American

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    Halo is incredibly laggy on the Macbook with the graphics card in the machine. I tried Halo and it absolutely was lagging at almost every high-action point in the game. Gunfire and explosions are terrible on even the lowest settings. Thats just what i thought it was like on my macbook. I have the late 2007 version with the Intel X1300 graphics chip.
     
    Colton, Sep 10, 2008
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  4. Dustin_D

    Dustin_D Notebook Evangelist

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    I heard that the X3100 is actually worse than the 950, is that true???
     
    Dustin_D, Sep 11, 2008
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  5. passive101

    passive101 Notebook Deity

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    The X3100 is much more powerful then the GMA 950.
     
    passive101, Sep 11, 2008
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  6. Dustin_D

    Dustin_D Notebook Evangelist

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    So I should be able to play Halo on low settings online with the X3100?
     
    Dustin_D, Sep 11, 2008
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  7. passive101

    passive101 Notebook Deity

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    I'm not sure, but I would assume it should at least run as it's an older game.
     
    passive101, Sep 11, 2008
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  8. SmoothTofu

    SmoothTofu Inspiron 1420 Owner

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    You can play Halo on low on the 950. You should be fine around medium settings, it's an old game.
     
    SmoothTofu, Sep 11, 2008
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  9. dbam987

    dbam987 wicked-poster

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    Just curious, are you planning on running Halo using Windows XP or Vista on the MacBook? Because I do not believe you can even install Halo on Mac OSX. Starcraft can be installed on OSX though.
     
    dbam987, Sep 11, 2008
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  10. cycloneguy2618

    cycloneguy2618 Notebook Deity

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    You can download the demo for Halo before you buy it to see how it runs.
     
    cycloneguy2618, Sep 11, 2008
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  11. Dustin_D

    Dustin_D Notebook Evangelist

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    Well I saw both Halo and Starcraft at the Apple store in OC, so I thought they were both available for OSX... I am currently not running XP or Vista.
     
    Dustin_D, Sep 11, 2008
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  12. ltcommander_data

    ltcommander_data Notebook Deity

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    The demo of Halo for Mac is not realistic. I'm pretty sure the demo is not a universal binary so it'll run using emulation in rosetta which will kill performance. The version of Halo for Mac that is being sold right now though is a UB so it won't have this problem.

    Reviews of Halo Mac performance for the previous generation MacBooks using 65nm Merom processors with GMA X3100 are available here:
    http://www.barefeats.com/mbook2.html
    http://www.barefeats.com/mbook.html

    For Halo, 22fps at 1280x800 High Quality and 33fps at 800x600 at Medium Quality. Seeing the reviews were done in November 2007, they were likely running 10.5.2 and Halo 2.0.2. Current MacBooks using Penryn processors, the newer drivers in 10.5.4, and the latest 2.0.3 Halo update which Macsoft claims includes performance improvements may see better results, but not likely anything earth-shattering. You'd probably have to stick to 800x600 Medium Quality or even Low Quality if action scenes are causing problems.
     
    ltcommander_data, Sep 11, 2008
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