How does this laptop perform for games?

[silentmemories]

(Disclosure: It's a MacBook Pro. I'm planning on waiting out for the 2012 revision of the MBPs though since there has been rumours of a hardware redesign. Personal reasons for the choice of the Mac OS, but would like to game as well.)

I was originally thinking about purchasing the individual parts and building a desktop for gaming and general computer uses, but because I live in different locations for the different parts of the year, I would have limited exposure to my desktop. I have decided instead, to purchase a laptop that has specs that could somewhat game.

Specs:
Processor: Intel i7 Quad Core 2.2Ghz (2720QM)
RAM: 4GB 1333MHz (Can self upgrade this later on to 2x 4GB)
Graphics: AMD Radeon HD 6750M with 1GB GDDR5
Hard Drive: 750GB 5400-rpm (May upgrade to 7200 rpm.)
Native Res: 1440 x 900

How are these specs? How would I perform in these games? (Set at max, preferably, at native resolution.)
Battlefield Bad Company 2
Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood
Crysis 2
Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit
Games released in 2011/12

I have some hope for this laptop for gaming because I've heard that hardware reqs for games have been somewhat stagnant because of the consolelification of games. How would it perform?

 

[dma0991]

My question is that do you really need a MBP for a certain job requirement to use iOS SDK or maybe softwares that are available only on a Mac? If not then it would be a lot better to spend on a gaming laptop which would have better specs at similar price to the MBP.

You can do a lot better than a MBP 17" at $2499 if your intentions are to play games which are more common on Windows. Try Alienware instead if you do not need to use it like I mentioned earlier.

http://www.dell.com/us/p/alienware-M17x-r3/pd.aspx
http://www.dell.com/us/p/alienware-m18x/pd.aspx

 

[mfenn]

If you're waiting until 2012 to buy, then let's talk then. The specs are likely to be vastly different.

 

[silentmemories]

My question is that do you really need a MBP for a certain job requirement to use iOS SDK or maybe softwares that are available only on a Mac? If not then it would be a lot better to spend on a gaming laptop which would have better specs at similar price to the MBP.

You can do a lot better than a MBP 17" at $2499 if your intentions are to play games which are more common on Windows. Try Alienware instead if you do not need to use it like I mentioned earlier.

http://www.dell.com/us/p/alienware-M17x-r3/pd.aspx
http://www.dell.com/us/p/alienware-m18x/pd.aspx

I've been using OSX exclusively for quite a long while already (5 years already – only used Windows for very short periods of time for playing games.) and am really used to it there. I also find myself much more productive when I'm using Mac. (Personal reasons)

The weight of the MacBook Pro and the amount of battery life is quite important to me as well. The Dell M17x seems a bit too big and the 18x is unthinkable as well. I've looked at the Dell M11x and 15x (Now the 14x) previously but they were just generally too heavy.

How much of a difference is it in terms of performance between (The price doesn't really matter at this point) the M14x and the MacBook Pro with the specs above?

If you're waiting until 2012 to buy, then let's talk then. The specs are likely to be vastly different.

Well, I'm planning right now - I still haven't decided whether or not I should purchase it, and the updated CPU will definitely be Ivy Bridge, but the specs should be roughly the same.

How would the current one perform now?

 

[R.Danneskjold]

(Disclosure: It's a MacBook Pro. I'm planning on waiting out for the 2012 revision of the MBPs though since there has been rumours of a hardware redesign. Personal reasons for the choice of the Mac OS, but would like to game as well.)

I was originally thinking about purchasing the individual parts and building a desktop for gaming and general computer uses, but because I live in different locations for the different parts of the year, I would have limited exposure to my desktop. I have decided instead, to purchase a laptop that has specs that could somewhat game.

Specs:
Processor: Intel i7 Quad Core 2.2Ghz (2720QM)
RAM: 4GB 1333MHz (Can self upgrade this later on to 2x 4GB)
Graphics: AMD Radeon HD 6750M with 1GB GDDR5
Hard Drive: 750GB 5400-rpm (May upgrade to 7200 rpm.)
Native Res: 1440 x 900

How are these specs? How would I perform in these games? (Set at max, preferably, at native resolution.)
Battlefield Bad Company 2
Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood
Crysis 2
Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit
Games released in 2011/12

I have some hope for this laptop for gaming because I've heard that hardware reqs for games have been somewhat stagnant because of the consolelification of games. How would it perform?

The HD 6750 is what's important here and it will have no problems running any of the games you mention at native resolution (max 1680x1050 in the MBP), although some games, including Crysis 2, will not run well at maximum settings.

 

[silentmemories]

The HD 6750 is what's important here and it will have no problems running any of the games you mention at native resolution (max 1680x1050 in the MBP), although some games, including Crysis 2, will not run well at maximum settings.

Thanks all for the replies.

Would it be wise for me to up the resolution to 1680x1050 (Matte anti-glare option)? I've heard that higher resolutions require more performance to push the extra number of pixels. In that case, would it be better off for me to stay at 1440 x 900?

---------

I've looked through the Alienware laptops now for the specs as reference (M11, 14, and 17x)

• M11x: CPU exceeds that of M11x. No mention of the nVidia chipset though on the website - it's 2GB though but I've heard that an extra 1GB will be only good if you're running multiple monitors.
• M14/M17x: For the CPU part, the CPU matches the mid configuration of both laptops. For the graphics part, the passmark for the gfx card of the MBP exceeds that of the M14x (Highest config), but it seems to sport a 3GB VRAM. (Not so sure on how that'll affect the performance) The HD6970M (Max config) on the M17x seems to be twice the performance of the MBP though so there's definitely a difference there.

 

[dma0991]

If you're more used to a Mac then no problem with getting that instead. You could check the performance of the HD 6750M from here. It should give you a rough idea on what games it is capable of playing.

The only thing that I would like to complain about is that I heard of the MBP 17" had a hard freeze or some sort a few months back. I am not too sure if the problem still persists but you could check out on the issue that I stated here. If you're getting the MBP 17", look out for this matter before buying.

As for the Alienware, it is best to get a 14-17" notebook and the M11x is not worth considering. It has too small of a screen and parts are not really good due to to the size constraint. There are other gaming laptops manufacturer out there as well like Maingear, Sager or Malibal but they don't seem to have SB CPUs on their laptop range. Give them a look if you're interested.

 

[silentmemories]

If you're more used to a Mac then no problem with getting that instead. You could check the performance of the HD 6750M from here. It should give you a rough idea on what games it is capable of playing.

The only thing that I would like to complain about is that I heard of the MBP 17" had a hard freeze or some sort a few months back. I am not too sure if the problem still persists but you could check out on the issue that I stated here. If you're getting the MBP 17", look out for this matter before buying.

As for the Alienware, it is best to get a 14-17" notebook and the M11x is not worth considering. It has too small of a screen and parts are not really good due to to the size constraint. There are other gaming laptops manufacturer out there as well like Maingear, Sager or Malibal but they don't seem to have SB CPUs on their laptop range. Give them a look if you're interested.

Thanks for the link. It helps really much - puts everything into perspective for the capability of the graphics card. FPSes for the 6750M card is quite weak (In the max modes) as previously pointed out but its the first time the Mac portable line has had such a great graphics upgrade. I really hope that the mid configuration of the 15" MBP will get the 6870 1GB (Hopefully 2GB) next year in 2012.

Thanks for all the replies!

 

[fffblackmage]

Thanks all for the replies.

Would it be wise for me to up the resolution to 1680x1050 (Matte anti-glare option)? I've heard that higher resolutions require more performance to push the extra number of pixels. In that case, would it be better off for me to stay at 1440 x 900?

I think you should stick with the higher resolution, because it's just more useful everywhere else outside of gaming. I seriously regret not getting the higher resolution display for my own laptop, just because I thought games would run smoother with the lower resolution display. I ended up not play much games on the laptop, since it sucks for gaming anyways.

 

[R.Danneskjold]

The best part with the MBP 15 IMO is that it's the lightest 15-inch laptop on the market, but still as powerful as the competition. Alienware laptops are also very capable, especially the latest SandyBridge revisions, but also heavier than average. The 14-inch M14x is actually heavier than the 15-inch MBP (!) if portability is a concern.

 

[silentmemories]

I think you should stick with the higher resolution, because it's just more useful everywhere else outside of gaming. I seriously regret not getting the higher resolution display for my own laptop, just because I thought games would run smoother with the lower resolution display. I ended up not play much games on the laptop, since it sucks for gaming anyways.

Hmm. Well, as you said, resolutions do affect the gaming capability of a laptop. I'm not that demanding for games – I don't really expect everything to play max for every setting, so hopefully it should be fine. I don't mind playing at medium-high.

I'm not exactly sure how having a higher resolution would help though. I've heard that it's good for Photoshop and editing photos, but outside of that, I'm not exactly sure it would be that good - default 12 point font text even smaller than it is currently would increase my myopia, wouldn't it?

The best part with the MBP 15 IMO is that it's the lightest 15-inch laptop on the market, but still as powerful as the competition. Alienware laptops are also very capable, especially the latest SandyBridge revisions, but also heavier than average. The 14-inch M14x is actually heavier than the 15-inch MBP (!) if portability is a concern.

I concur – the battery life and the weight is spectacular for a quad core laptop, and I was really surprised by the aggressive move by Apple on pursuing better hardware. I hope this continues on and the move to the 6850M instead of the current 6750M.

The OS is also really nice as well, but Windows is still the best for gaming.

 

[Davidh373]

If you just need to move it around a bit (not haul it everywhere with you) then I recommend a Eurocom Panther 2.0. It is only a few hundred dollars more. You get a desktop Processor (intel 9xx series) 6GB Ram (up to 24GB) a high end mobile GPU (in SLI if you wish) and pretty much any HDD/SSD config. you'd want! This of course all comes packaged in a shiny casing and features a 1080p monitor.

http://eurocom.com/

One downside is that it's going to be heavy, but if all you are doing is packing it up and taking it from house to house, you shouldn't have a problem.

 

[mfenn]

I'm not exactly sure how having a higher resolution would help though. I've heard that it's good for Photoshop and editing photos, but outside of that, I'm not exactly sure it would be that good - default 12 point font text even smaller than it is currently would increase my myopia, wouldn't it?

It really depends on your workflow. If you only have a couple of windows open at once and don't mind scrolling around, a low resolution is fine. If you're like me and like having a ton of windows open and detest scrolling, even a 30"-er can get a bit cramped at times. :awe:

 

[HardcoreRobot]

higher res is nice if you ever want to push it out to a larger display

 

[OS]

The best part with the MBP 15 IMO is that it's the lightest 15-inch laptop on the market, but still as powerful as the competition. Alienware laptops are also very capable, especially the latest SandyBridge revisions, but also heavier than average. The 14-inch M14x is actually heavier than the 15-inch MBP (!) if portability is a concern.

the MBP is NOT the lightest notebook;

MBP 15 - 5.6 lbs

http://www.anandtech.com/show/4205/the-macbook-pro-review-13-and-15-inch-2011-brings-sandy-bridge


HP DV6 various models listed at 5.3, 5.4, 5.5 lbs

http://www.shopping.hp.com/


the Envy 15 though not in production anymore lists 5.18 lbs
this model also doesn't have an optical drive

http://h10032.www1.hp.com/ctg/Manual/c02131229.pdf



basically 5.6 lbs for a 15.6" laptop is nothing special, however I will give that the listed battery size for macs is very large for their respective sizes.