2009-06-29 13:30:48 I need some Tech help please!!

hi,

so I'd like to get a macbook pro, a 13 inch one, just a little one to have my itunes on, watch tv shows n movies and play the latest games and do word documents (or the apple equivalent) and emails and web browsing.
and many of these things at the same time.

but my question to you guys is all about the games.

the specs are:

13-inch: 2.53GHz Intel Core 2 Duo with 3MB on-chip shared L2 cache running 1:1 with processor speed

1066MHz frontside bus

4GB (two 2GB SO-DIMMs) of 1066MHz DDR3 memory

NVIDIA GeForce 9400M graphics processor with 256MB of DDR3 SDRAM shared with main memory

SO, my question is will these specs run games like call of duty: MW2, and the latest games?
if so what will the performance be like?

and what do you think of the geforce 9400M graphics chip??

i think theres enough tasty specs and questions to get your teeth into there, i have literally no idea about them. my pc is really really old and at the otherside of the world in england anyway, so any help will be great thanks

2009-06-29 14:46:51

Sorry, I don't think you'll get much joy out of those specs playing any recent game...let alone future games. You'll be able to play them at low specs with decent FPS, or medium spec with poor FPS.

It's harsh, but true. And mainly due to an insufficient GPU (+ shared memory, low bandwith etc).

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2009-06-29 14:52:22

The 9600M isn't even that good :P

But don't fret. There are gaming experiences to be had on that level of hardware, but MW2 may be out of reach. You'll definitely have to play it on low settings, at least.

Best way to tell? Download the COD4 demo.

2009-06-29 14:59:17

thanks for the help!!

damn...

i'll have to save for longer and work a bit harder and maybe get a higher model then, could you have a quick look at these specs for the 15inch and give me a similar diagnosis?

15inch:

2.8GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor with 6MB shared L2 cache
1066MHz frontside bus
4GB (two 2GB SO-DIMMs) of 1066MHz DDR3 memory
NVIDIA GeForce 9600M GT graphics processor with 512MB of GDDR3 memory

2009-06-29 15:00:43

The CPU should be good enough. I've got the same with double the cache running on mine and I'm pleased with it. However the intigrated GPU is very weak, the GDDR 3 won't change that. I'm running a 9650m GT and I can play CoD 4 at 720p without any AA on on maximum settings @ 60FPS (just like SF4 and many other games, except the calibre of Crysis which only manages to run at medium settings and 30FPS). You'll probably be able to run MW2 with medium settings (assuming the requirements won't change much from CoD 4).

To answer the second post: With the 9600m GT it should run about 20-30% faster than my rig. I'm not sure whenever it uses both cores but the 9600 should do enough. Should be able to run MW1/2 at max with some AA and run smoothly.

2009-06-29 15:03:54

Frankly the 9600M sorta blows too. Mac Books are just not very good gaming computers. I'm not say'n that you can't get some enjoyment out of that line of GPU's, it's just going to limit the gaming experiences that you can have. If you're just looking for some casual fun, you'll go pretty far.

But hell, I used to play COD4 on much worse. It looked like shit and performed pretty poorly though :)

Why does it need to be a Mac Book Pro? If you don't especially need a Mac for work or school or whatever, there are some alternatives that would blow those specifications away at a lower price point. Hell, you could probably get a 17" screen out of the deal too.

Some nice gaming notebooks:

http://www.sagernotebook.com/product_customed.php?...

And that's just one option.

2009-06-29 15:20:01

Thanks for the advice, its taken onboard. I suppose it dosnt have to be a mac but they are just nice and solid and well made and the software is nice and easy. But as nice as a macbook sounds i think ill regret it when i see you guys playing newer games on higher settings for less price.

Im not sure if it will make any differance but by the time ive saved up for something the new mac os will be out and preinstalled. Its 64bit. Will that make any differance?

I could also go one mac further and get a 17inch one with similar cpu and memory but it has a 9400 and a 9600gt. But i dont know whether it swirches between them depending on what your doing for perforamance/save battery or if they both work similtainiously...

2009-06-29 15:28:18

The 9600 will switch off in office mode to save battery.

2009-06-29 16:43:29

just looking at a new alienware one for 4000$ (au$) its meant to be the best or something

its only now, looking at other laptops i realize how pricey the macs are for the specs your getting...

well i got many months before i can afford anything so lots of time to look

2009-06-29 17:15:44

Alienware is seriously overpriced too. Sager makes some top notch a lot cheaper, and it's quality stuff too. MSI/Asus has some nice, cheaper alternatives, but that's reflected in their build quality too.

But that's a given. Apple overcharges for the "ilife."