MacBook Pro VS E8400 build; which runs faster?

[alfa147x]

Hey guys!

Here is the deal, I am no gamer. I bought GTA4 for the occasional time wasting opportunities. Here is the problem, the game runs (playable) on my MacBook Pro but on my E8400 build it's not even playable!

Where should I start?

Specs:
MacBook Pro:
Intel 2.26 GHz
2 GB 1067 Mhz DDR3
NVIDEA GeForce 9400M 256mb
32 bit Win XP

E8400 Build:
Intel E8400 @ 3.6 GHz
6 GB 800 Mhz DDR2
NVidea Geforce 7300GS 256mb
64 bit Win 7 Ultimate

More info on the MBP CPU:

Processor Name: Intel Core 2 Duo
Processor Speed: 2.26 GHz
Number Of Processors: 1
Total Number Of Cores: 2
L2 Cache: 3 MB

Also both instals are fresh, newest drivers everything. Pretty much I only have windows on those machines is to play GTA4.

Thanks guys for any help,
Alfa147x


Moved from PC Gaming

Anandtech PC Gaming Moderator
KeithTalent

 

[GZFant]

Upgrade the video card?

You are racing a Ferrari with a go-kart

 

[alfa147x]

Upgrade the video card?

You are racing a Ferrari with a go-kart

9400M is how much better than a 7300gs? I really do not want to upgrade the video card for one game :\

 

[GZFant]

Look at your specs again. It seems the only thing holding you back is the video card. Everything else is superiour to the Macbook.

Sorry man, that's a resource intensive game. You can buy a 9 series Nvidia or a cheap 4xxx/5xxx Radeon and set everything to low/medium if you are not a gamer type.

Basically, what resolution are you running it on and how much are you will to spend?

 

[alfa147x]

Look at your specs again. It seems the only thing holding you back is the video card. Everything else is superiour to the Macbook.

Sorry man, that's a resource intensive game. You can buy a 9 series Nvidia or a cheap 4xxx/5xxx Radeon and set everything to low/medium if you are not a gamer type.

Basically, what resolution are you running it on and how much are you will to spend?

Damn... well looks like I won't be playing games. I have better things to spend my money on, I just dont game enough to justify spending money

 

[alfa147x]

Thanks for the help

 

[GZFant]

That is easily the best answer to your problem.

Sell it and buy a CD of some good music and take a drive on the open road!

 

[alfa147x]

That is easily the best answer to your problem.

Sell it and buy a CD of some good music and take a drive on the open road!

Sell my video card?! What do I hook my monitor up to?!!? haha

 

[TC91]

Sell my video card?! What do I hook my monitor up to?!!? haha

lol I think he means to sell the game

 

[alfa147x]

lol I think he means to sell the game

Hahaha it was late...

 

[magomago]

I dunno....you could easily get a 8800gt/9800gt for around 50-60 bucks on FS/FT. I got mine for ~60 shipped b/c it has some massive passive heatsink on it. A 7300gs won't do much of anything.

 

[alfa147x]

I dunno....you could easily get a 8800gt/9800gt for around 50-60 bucks on FS/FT. I got mine for ~60 shipped b/c it has some massive passive heatsink on it. A 7300gs won't do much of anything.

On a scale 1( 1 - 4 FPS) - 5(Playable) - 10(Top of the line) what would rate a $50 card?

 

[fatpat268]

On a scale 1( 1 - 4 FPS) - 5(Playable) - 10(Top of the line) what would rate a $50 card?

Assuming you'd get an 8800gt or better: 6.5 assuming you turn some settings down.

 

[alfa147x]

Thanks now im considering buying one

 

[borisvodofsky]

Buy an ATI 4870, 4890, 5770, 5850, 5870

ANY of those would have you set in terms of games for the next 2 years.

WHILE anything below those will only let you play games BEFORE this year, at medium settings.

If you mildly Overclock the 8400 you can go even further.

If you find some dumbass to buy your macbook, you can get a higher speced laptop, + extra cash left over for the 4870..

NO, girls won't fu|< you at starbux anymore, but if you own an 8400 to begin with, I'm guessing they don't even with the macbook.

 

[fatpat268]

Buy an ATI 4870, 4890, 5770, 5850, 5870

ANY of those would have you set in terms of games for the next 2 years.

WHILE anything below those will only let you play games BEFORE this year, at medium settings.

If you mildly Overclock the 8400 you can go even further.

If you find some dumbass to buy your macbook, you can get a higher speced laptop, + extra cash left over for the 4870..

NO, girls won't fu|< you at starbux anymore, but if you own an 8400 to begin with, I'm guessing they don't even with the macbook.

Take your anti-apple flamebait somewhere else. I highly doubt he'll sell his laptop just to play a game, so stfu.

 

[alfa147x]

Buy an ATI 4870, 4890, 5770, 5850, 5870

ANY of those would have you set in terms of games for the next 2 years.

WHILE anything below those will only let you play games BEFORE this year, at medium settings.

If you mildly Overclock the 8400 you can go even further.

If you find some dumbass to buy your macbook, you can get a higher speced laptop, + extra cash left over for the 4870..

NO, girls won't fu|< you at starbux anymore, but if you own an 8400 to begin with, I'm guessing they don't even with the macbook.

Leave. I have plenty of good reasons to have a MBP, here is one: I can't run Aperture or FCP on some none-Apple laptop

 

[alfa147x]

Oh and I won't buy ATI, hackintoshing is a bitch with those... I rather have OS X running rather GTA4

 

[lxskllr]

My 8800GT plays Unreal engine 3 games great at 1920*1200. That's not a state of the art engine, but it's still pretty modern.

 

[alfa147x]

My 8800GT plays Unreal engine 3 games great at 1920*1200. That's not a state of the art engine, but it's still pretty modern.

Now should I spend $50 for a video card to play one game or $50 for a bigger HDD

 

[lxskllr]

Now should I spend $50 for a video card to play one game or $50 for a bigger HDD

Do you need a bigger HD? Storage come before fun imo, and if you need a backup drive, that comes before all(you're backing up data, right?). If your needs are cared for, I don't think $50 is unreasonable to play a game. Another game may come along that you'd like to play also.

 

[alfa147x]

Do you need a bigger HD? Storage come before fun imo, and if you need a backup drive, that comes before all(you're backing up data, right?). If your needs are cared for, I don't think $50 is unreasonable to play a game. Another game may come along that you'd like to play also.

For the windows side of things i have dropbox configured to backup my GTA4 saved game files... really thats all i need

For my MacBook Pro I use Time Machine

I'm just running out of storage for pictures and docs I want to get 2x 300 gb and run it in a RAID 1