Gaming- New Macbook

Hello, I ordered the new MacBook, 2.4 ghz, 2mb ram. I have been looking at gaming sites, and am hearing mixed reports. Will Command & Conquer 3, Tiberium Wars play smoothly on the system? Before, I spend $50 bucks, I would like to hear from the experts. Thanks.

lenn5 wrote:
What are the minimum specs for the game? If the Macbook meets them then it will probably play. Whether it plays at the level you want is another question.
lenn
This is the minimum requirements according to Apple Store:
System Requirements
Mac OS X v10.4.9 or later
1.83GHz or faster Intel Core Duo processor
1GB RAM
4.5GB or more free hard-disk space
Video card: ATI X1600 series or later; NVIDIA GeForce 7300 or later
8x or faster DVD-ROM drive
Keyboard and mouse
Note: This game does not support the GMA950 integrated graphics card.

Similar Messages

New Macbook Gaming

Hey guys, I am looking at getting a new Macbook (1299.00) I am wondering if anybody has tried gaming on it because aside from school work, I am big on gaming, such as "Counter-Strike source," "Call of Duty," ect. I am not sure if the graphics card and the hard drive is strong enough to play games on these new mac books, I have herd it is though. Also does anyone know if you can play "steam" powered games on a mac. What i am not sure on is how can you play PC games (Counterstrike source, Call of Duty, on a Mac. Also I dont know how good it would be playing on a 13inch screen.
any feedback is greatly appreciated.

Thank you Art bana, however I just have a couple of quesitons.
What is the 1200 dls aluminum Macbook? compared to teh new (2008) Macbook, wich has 2.0GHz
* Intel Core 2 Duo
* 2GB DDR3 Memory
* 160GB hard drive1
* NVIDIA GeForce 9400M graphics
Do you think the games will work well with that?
Also I saw on the "minumum requirements, for the graphics it said "Nvidia GeForce then like 7000, 7600, 8000, and 8800. Does hat mean my grahpics are fine since it has the 9400mm ?
Also, If a game like Call Of Duty 5 works a little slow with medium settings, does that mean it will work perfectly with high settings? When you say ' a little slow' do you mean totally laggy ever other minute or like a brief lag once in a great while.
What does "boot camp" have to do with thesse gaems?

Gaming potential on the new MacBook 13inch

This is what specifications are on the new MacBook 13inch.
Graphics and Video Support
Intel GMA 950 graphics processor with 64MB of DDR2 SDRAM shared with main memory1
This is what is on my iMac
ATI Radeon X1600 graphics with 128MB GDDR3 memory
Can someone explain the difference and advise on whether the MacBook would be as good for playing games?

Hi, I've read on other forums that at some point in the near future mac software developers who produce 3D heavy games, will exclude the macbook and mac-mini from they're minimum requirements list on the packaging, as they both utilize on-board integrated graphics!
I'm running HALO on my base model Macbook (white,1.83 ghz,combo,60GB hd,512mb) I've had to turn off all effects,shading,details,flaring,etc..., and run it in a window, and at 640*480 resolution. So far I can report reasonably good gameplay online, although it depends on the number of other players and the ping rate, but its certainly playable/enjoyable (even to the point of winning a few CTF and SLAYER sessions). I wouldn't attempt hosting a server but I'm happy with the performance considering its not really a laptop designed around 3D gaming.
Hope this helps
Smarteee

Gaming Performance with New MacBook

Hey I am going to buy the new macbook soon I think and I had a few questions corresponding to gaming performance with the MacBook, in particular running AmericasArmyOperations with bootcamp and windows xp.
I currently have the last years model 20" iMac 2.4GHz processor with 4GB ram. I run the game smoothly at full graphics and get over 60fps with all settings turned up. I think 60 is the max you can get because it wont move above it, yet never really goes under either.
Does any1 know the performance abilities of the new MacBooks and the new video cards? Will I need the 2.4GHz MacBook or will the 2.0GHz and 4GB of upgraded ram be sufficient? I don't need to run the game at full details, just enough to get like 20-30 fps on the lowest settings. Do you think the new MacBooks can run it? I know the MBP can do it for sure, just curious if I can opt for a cheaper solution of only 1200$

i dont know anything about fps but i can tell you i bought the 2.0 processor aluminum macbook and i play the following games in BOOTCAMP:
-gears of war
-fifa 09
-pes 09
-scarface
-need for speed undercover
-call of duty 5
all of those run at full graphics except cod 5 it runs on medium/low

Is the New Macbook good for gaming?

I am about to buy a new MacBook Pro. I was planning on getting the MacBook Pro without retina with the i7, 1tb HDD and 8gb of ram. I am wondering if this will work for gaming. I am going to bootcamp with Windows 7 as soon as I get it. Is this a good idea or will I have problems with graphics or any other issues?

Okay, so here's my opinion on this as I have the MacBook you're planning to purchase. I have the 13 inch which means without the graphics card.
It's a decent gaming machine. It's okay for gaming here and then.
As OGELTHORPE mentioned, Mac's aren't meant for gaming. The machine will just get really hot, and won't give you the best performance.
Now as for me, I came from a 2008 sony vaio. The increase in performance was amazing, but for me.
So, go with a macbook air, and then build your own desktop. It's going to be much more beneficial. Although seeing your budget though, you won't be able to build a super powerful gaming PC, rather a standard, with simple graphics card gaming machine.
However, it's better than buying a MacBook Pro and gaming on it in my opinion.

Mid 2010 MacBook Pro 15" i7 or new MacBook pro 13" i7?

Hi,
I would like to renew my white MacBook from mid 2009. I haven't decided yet but I have two options in mind, a MacBook Pro 15" from mid 2010 with an intel core duo i7 (I think it's duo) running at 2.8GHz with an integrated card, the intel HD 3000 and a dedicated card, Nvidia Geforce 330m with 512MB of dedicated VRAM, a month old mother board and battery and a hi-res anti-glare display with 7 months remaining of apple care all for £1000. My other option would be a new MacBook Pro 13" with a dual i7 locked at 2.9 GHz and no dedicated graphics card for £1035 from amazon.
I would mainly use it for photo editing using Adobe programs and occasionally some video editing and video gaming.
Which one do you think is more powerful?
ps: I would use an external monitor, 8GB of RAM and an SSD on both
Thanks

MacBook Pro 15" 2010
Intel Core i7 2.8GHz M 640 Arrandale Cores 2 (2867)
8GB max RAM 2 - 204-pin PC3-8500 (1066 MHz) DDR3 SO-DIMM
NVIDIA GeForce GT 330M 512MB (15.85) (369) and Intel HD Graphics 3000 (10) (309)
MacBook Pro 13" Mid 2012
Intel Core i7 3520M Ivy Bridge Cores 2 (4519)*
16GB RAM max actual (8GB Apple) 2 - 204-pin PC3-12800 (1600 MHz) DDR3 SO-DIMM
Intel HD Graphics 4000 (unknown) (465)*
The 13" is a more powerful machine and it has more RAM capacity.

Should I buy a new Macbook Pro 13 inch or Macbook Air 13 inch?

Hi,
I was wondering if I should buy the new Macbook pro 13 inch, or keep my old 2010 1.4 C2D Macbook Air. I am not satisfied with the tiny 64GB SSD that my current Macbook Air has, because just a few weeks after I had done a clean reinstall of OSX Lion, the whole disk almost filled up. The one thing I do like about the Macbook Air, however is the speed of the SSD. Its really quick, and it boots in under 20 seconds. The Air didn't have many performance issues (other than overheating like crazy after playing a few graphics-intensive games).
If I were to buy a new Mac, my price range would be from $1200-$1500. I plan to use Garageband/iMovie frequently for making Youtube videos/school projects, and store a large music library. I also plan to do some moderate gaming and run Windows 7 in Bootcamp/Parallels. I don't plan to take it around much, but I don't want to have to weigh down my backpack in case I have to. My two options now would be the new Macbook Pro 13 inch or the new Macbook Air 13 inch. Could anyone give me a suggestion of which computer to buy?
Thanks!

I went through this same thing when I purchased my first Mac 3 days ago, also between the 13 inch MBA and MBP. I ended up deicding with the 13inch MBP, here's why:
1. More hard drive space, yes it may not be an SSD but more space is more space. I have also heard about people taking out the disc drive and adding an SSD in its place, so there would be an option.
2. The disc drive, I rarely do use it but just in case it's there and easier than carrying around an external.
3. Upgradability, I plan on keeping this Mac for a while because I spent so much on it. On a MBP I can upgrade the internal parts such as the hard drive and RAM. On a MBA everything is soldered together so what you buy is what you stick with.
4. Ethernet port, this is one that could be gotten around by an adapter but I still took it into consideration. Not everywhere has wifi yet including my work where every computer is hard wired.
5. Bootcamp, as well I plan to run Windows 7 on mine and Windows 7 takes a good amount of space so this is another spot where the larger hard drive of the MBP comes in handy. You could always have an external hard drive and run Windows 7 off of that on an Air but then you would have to have it always plugged in when you wanted to run Windows 7.
About me, I am a student so I had a lot to think about and read a lot of reviews online before I decided on my MBP but I am glad I decided on this over an Air. It may be a few pounds heavier also but in the long run for me I think the Pro will be better, I do plan on adding more RAM in the future as software becomes more memory intensive. With you're pricerange being 1200-1500 the 13inch MBP with the i7 processor may be one to look at. From Apple with their student discount, if you are one, you get $100 of plus a $100 giftcard. At BestBuy (where I got mine) the price of the i7 13inch MBP is 1,424.99 and if you're a student you get $100 off but no giftcard. I got the i5 13inch MBP because I don't need an i7.
In the end it all comes down to what works for you, but I hope I was able to help you some.

A few questions in purchasing a new MacBook Pro

I have recently become a full Apple fan (I have been a PC person for nearly 28 years), and am in the process of purchasing a new MacBook Pro (as my old HP Pavilion is on it's last legs). As I am in this process, I am trying to decide which MacBook Pro fits my needs, and thought the Apple community might be able to help. Here are the things I am looking for:
1) I did recently finish graduate school, and although I have a steady income, I would prefer to still be economical with what I spend - I don't really need the top-of-the-line model (as much as I'd love the retina display screen), but I do want to get what will fit for me.
2) I typically like my laptops to last 4-6 years. Here is what I typically use my computer for:
      -I don't do a lot of gaming no my computers
      -I do like watching streaming videos or dvd's a lot
      -I do a lot of photo editing - I currently use Adobe Photoshop Pro, but don't know what I will use on the Mac yet.
      -I do a lot of reviewing of photos as well
      -I also have a large media library (audio and a little video) - incidentally, I DO need an optical drive/cd drive so I can import my music purchases.
3) My computer is currently a 17" screen - while I love the size of my current screen - the price of the larger screens with the MacBook Pro's is almost prohibitive. I'm currently debating betweent he 13" and the 15". This brought up my final question:
     The 13" MacBook Pro offers the following for processors: Section 1: Up to 2.7GHz quad-core Intel Core i7 processor; however a second section stated it had an "2.5GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 or 2.9GHz dual-core Intel Core i7 processor". I'm not sure why the 13" had both of these listed as possibilites (perhaps it's in the customization of the computer?) ***Actually, as I am reading the information further, it seems that the quad-cores mentioned on one of the pages are not available in the 13"***
     The 15" offers an "Up to 2.7GHz quad-core Intel Core i7 processor (it looks like it's a 2.3 OR 2.7GHz quad-core processor respectively)"
I understand that most current programs are written only for a "dual-core" processor, and as such a dual-core processor will outperform a quad-core processor currently; however, once programs start getting written for quad-core processors, those computers will take a drastic jump forward in processing speed. To be honest, I am not sure which processor I need both in terms of what I'm doing now, and also in terms of running well in 4-6 years. What is the difference in the i5 and i7 processors - is the dual/quad core processing the only difference? Further, what difference is the 2.5 vs 2.9 GHz processor (or for the 15" screen the 2.3 or 2.7 GHz processor)?
I know this was a long winded question, but I want to make sure that I get the most for the money I spend, and that it will do what I need it to for the next several years. Thanks in advance for any help/guidance you all can offer!

My buying advice - the 'entry-level' new 15" MacBook Pro. Take a look at the specs. It's a wonderful machine - and you can upgrade RAM and HD to fit your needs without voiding the warranty. I don't know of any apps that I currently run that can't take advantage of the quad-core, and almost everything is 64-bit now.
I'd used the money you saved from not buying an out-dated 17" and put it into software. If you're transitioning from Windows that can add up quickly (which isn't to say you can't run your Windows apps using Boot Camp or a VM like Parallels.
Just my opinion - but if I could buy anything I wanted right now, I'd go with one of the upgraded 15" non-Retina MacBook Pros.
Clinton

Installing Windows 7 Upgrade Edition on a new Macbook Pro

Hi all,
I am a recent convert to Apple after becoming more and more disillusioned with Windows for the past 10 or so years. I have ordered a shiny new 15" 2011 MBP and can't wait for it to arrive!
My issue is that I am going to need to install Windows for occassional use with certain software as well as occassional gaming. I have a legitimate copy of Windows XP (as well as ME and 98) which I am perfectly happy with - However I understand that the new Macbooks will no longer support WinXP via Bootcamp?
I am a student and have recently purchased a copy of the Windows 7 upgrade edition to rectify this, but I have now read that you cannot perform a "clean" install from the upgrade edition?
I'm afraid I am finding this all very confusing. I do own a legitimate copy of WinXP, and am eligable for the Win7 upgrade, so any help getting this installed on my new Macbook? I would hate to have to keep my ancient desktop around just for Windows, as this would defeat the object of my new purchase.
I have found the following guide;
http://www.winsupersite.com/article/windows-7/clean-install-windows-7-with-upgra de-media.aspx
Does anyone know if this will work in my case or has anyone tried on a brand new MBP?
Thanks in advace for any advice and guidance you can offer.

I have read in an issue of Mac Format about installing Windows in VirtualBox? I'm not really sure how this differs from using BootCamp and what the advantages/disadvantages are...
Virtualization through Virtualbox (or Parallels or Fusion,) allows you to create a "virtual machine." In this virtual machine, you install Windows or Linux or whatever OS, just like you would a physical machine. But the "machine" is just some software and you view the machine as window within OSX. Think of it like a word processing program like Microsoft Word. You run Word to create documents. You can have multiple documents, but the documents can only be "run" within Word. And you can have multiple documents open at the same time and you can switch back and forth between documents without having to reboot OSX. So it is with virtualization. You can create multiple virtual machines (if you have enough hard drive space, just like Word.) You can run multiple virtual machines (if you have enough RAM, just like Word.) It's just that the "documents" are now operating systems rather than word processing or spreadsheets. The big advantage is that you don't have to reboot out of OSX in order to use Windows.
...i'm looking to mostly use windows for gaming, would this method be suitable for that as i see I would not have to restart the system.
And then we come to the disadvantage. A virtual machine has "virtual hardware". The "guest" operating system doesn't actually "see" the physical hardware directly. Instead a virtual motherboard, virtual hard drive, virtual keyboard, etc, are "presented" to the guest OS. The virtualization software must "interpret" the requests from the guest OS into things the physical hardware must do. As with any interpretation, there is a delay. Think of it like if you spoke only French and you talk through an interpreter to someone who only spoke Swahili. It works, but is slower than if you were able to speak Swahili. For most things, this is fine. The weak link is the virtual video card. A simple game like solitaire doesn't need much graphics power so the "slowness" is not an issue. But a FPS game like Call Of Duty or Crysis, where graphics performance is critical, a virtual machine often chokes. So the use of virtualization in gaming really depends on the game.
BTW, there is another technology called emulation that is similar to virtualization, but in general is slower than virtualization. Emulation is used when the CPU required for the guest OS is different than what the physical host has. For example, if you wanted to run Windows on a PowerPC Mac. This is why the Mac changing to Intel CPUs was so exciting because it allowed the use of the faster virtualization technology for Macs to run Windows.
So the decision to use Boot Camp or virtualization depends on your needs. Me personally, I work with virtual machines daily due to my work with testing servers and such. With virtualization I am able to run several virtual machines simultaneously and so can simulate a whole network all within my Macbook. My work doesn't involve much graphics tasks with games, Photoshop, video, etc, so virtualization is fine. If your game is a FPS, then you probably wouldn't find virtualization acceptable. But "simple" games it may be fine. Virtualbox is free, but Parallels and Fusion sometimes do better with certain games. Parallels and Fusion have trial versions so you may want to try them as well. If you do, when you create the virtual machines, do NOT activate Windows until you're sure you're going to purchase. The various products do NOT use the same file format so converting a virtual machine to another format is tricky. If you do activate Windows, then decide to use a different product but are unable to convert the virtual machine, it's not a big deal to call Microsoft for the reactivation, but it is inconvenient, so better to avoid activation until you're sure.

New Macbook Air over Old Macbook Pro 13" ?

Essentially I would be using it for the following:
Word Processing (ms office suite)
Video editing (primarily YT videos) via FCP X
Music editing / production via Garageband, Logic Pro, and Melodyne
Adobe Photoshop CS6 (willing to live without retina)
Probably light gaming
Coding ( I don't think this should be an issue, but want the ability to write apps for iOS)
Web surfing obviously
Building itunes library (currently less than 10gb)
Budget is $1190 or less. I'm definitely getting at least 8gb of ram (16gb if older mbp and falls in budget or 4gb if that would be sufficient for what I'm planning to do) in either scenario. But not sure if I should go for 128 - 256 ssd gb or a higher capactiy hd that usually is found in mbp's. Is the 1.3 ghz processor in the MBA enough for all that? Should I be looking at retina MBP's? A bit lost / clueless.
Looking to purchase today so opinions are very much appreciated and needed asap. Which would work best for my needs? Looking at 13" models. SD card slot would be great, but not necessary since I currently have a PC that has an SD card slot as well as cd/dvd drive.
Mainly interested in new or seller refurbished. Not used unless less than month old or something. Most likely not getting apple care.

Thats just a new Macbook Air 13" base model sold by BH. with 8gig of RAM
Get the $100 upgrade at purchase of the 8gig of RAM over the 4gig, to be certain, yes your choice is correct on the RAM.
Same Air I use currently.
Youll save sales tax buying from them of course, however I dont know what shipping costs would be from BH.
You shoudnt worry about SSD space, all large media needs to be (most of it at any rate) on an external HD, and you need same for backups / Time Machine .
Solid State Drive usage premise, or the “more space / upgrade SSD” question
There have been questions posed and positions taken by many people who are trying to use their Macbook Air or Pro’s solid state drive (SSD) as a mass media storage device, for either pictures, videos, massive music collections or all three combined; but this should not be the working premise of a ‘limited’ SSD and its use.
In which, it’s the case of those users with either 128GB, 256GB, or even 512GB of internal SSD space, that have or are running “out of space”, that questions are raised. The immediate premise of some users can sometimes be “(how to / if) upgrading my SSD” when in fact in nearly all instances another approach is the logical and sensible one that needs to be looked into and exercised.
Any Macbook containing a SSD should be idealized as a ‘working platform’ notebook containing all your applications, documents, and weekly or bi-weekly necessary files. All collections of media files such as pictures, music, and videos, unless directly needed should be kept off the notebook and on an external hard drive or likewise. While the ‘working platform’ premise is also the case with larger internal conventional hard drives of 1TB+, its implementation isn't as critical except in terms of data protection.
Realistically, you should at most coordinate roughly 20 to 25% of your total SSD space to all audio-video personal use media (picture / music / video collections), leaving the remaining amount on an external HD.
Nobody should consider any notebook a data storage device at any time under any circumstance, rather a data creation, sending, and manipulation device; and in the case of a SSD, this is more important for purposes of having sufficient working space on the SSD and reducing SSD ‘bloat’ in which cases someone is wrongly attempting to use the SSD space as a large media storage nexus.
The rare exception to the collective usage and premise of SSD use in which a much larger SSD is truly needed are for those in video and photography professions that require both the extremely fast speeds of the SSD and the onboard storage for large and or many video and photography files. However this also falls under the premise of a ‘working platform’ for such peoples rather than the intent of many who are using the SSD as passive and static data storage for media files very infrequently needed or accessed.
All on-notebook data collections should be logically approached as to necessity, and evaluated as to whether it is active or passive data that likely doesn’t need to be on the notebook, allocations of space-percentages to as-needed work and use, apportioning space for your entertainment media, and questioning whether it should it be on the notebook for more than short-term consumption.
Considerations should be made in the mind of any user in differentiating the necessary system data (System hub) comprising the Mac OSX, applications, necessary documents that both must and should be on your internal SSD, and that of the users personal data (Data hub) comprising created files, pictures, music, videos, PDF files, data created or being created and otherwise, that likely unless being used soon or often should be parked on an external hard drive for consumption, or temporarily loading onto the internal SSD.
You both can and should purchase whichever SSD size you need or see fit, but even in the case of the largest of SSD, unless use-considerations are made, and SSD spaces are allocated as should be the case indicated above, one can easily and immediately run into this quandary of “needing more internal SSD space”, in which instance a different approach in usage must then be implemented.
However it is almost always the case, that such large media files are wanted to be stored internally rather than actually needed, in which case the external HD is both prudent as well as necessary. Additionally costs per MB are infinitely less on an external HD than an internal SSD in any consideration of data expansion needs.
A Professional Example
In the case of a Macbook Air or Macbook Pro Retina with ‘limited’ storage on the SSD, this distinction becomes more important in that in an ever rapidly increasing file-size world, you keep vital large media files, pics, video, PDF collections, music off your SSD and archived on external storage, for sake of the necessary room for your system to have free space to operate, store future applications and general workspace.
You should also never be put in the position of considering “deleting things” on your Macbook SSD in order to ‘make space’. This is especially what your external HD is for.
Professionals who create and import very large amounts of data have almost no change in the available space on their notebooks internal SSD because they are constantly archiving data to arrays of external or networked HD.
Or in the case of the consumer this means you keep folders for large imported or created data and you ritually offload and archive this data for safekeeping, not only to safeguard the data in case your Macbook has a SSD crash, or gets stolen, but importantly in keeping the ‘breathing room’ open for your notebook to operate, expand, create files, add applications, for your APPS to create temp files, and for general operation.
Slim USB3 1TB external hard drive
External Hard Drives
External hard drives are both extremely cheap and regardless of the size of your internal SSD (or even internal hard drive if the case), you need an external hard drive with your SSD equipped Macbook for several reasons:
1. Data backup and protection.
2. Redundancy for important data.
3. Necessitated ideal space for large media files for collections of pictures, videos, and music etc.
While ever changing in price, typical portable 2.5” external hard drives in USB3 run roughly $65 for 1TB or $120 for 2TB small portable USB3 hard drives. Such drives range in thickness between 5mm and 15mm, with recent improvements in storage of 500GB drives in 5mm profiles.
There is almost no premise in which a small 12mm thick 1 Terabyte USB hard drive cannot be taken along with any Macbook as an external large storage extension inside any Macbook carry case or pouch. Typically such external HD profiles are not much bigger than a deck of cards.
External hard drives are a foregone necessity for purchase with any Macbook for at the very least Time Machine backups, data redundancies, and ideally for large media storage.

Which new MacBook Pro is best for a graphic design student?

Hi there, I was just wondering if anyone could give me some advice on which new MacBook Pro to get. I'm a graphic design student who would like to be able to use Photoshop, InDesign, and Illustrator at the same time, while also web browsing (I tend to have a million windows open). I won't be using the computer for any video work or heavy gaming.
Here's what I do know: I'd like the retina display, and I need the 8GB of memory (do I need more?). Other than that, I'm not too sure about what specifications I need. I'm not super knowledgeable about all of this, so apologies if these are very elementary questions. Any help would be much, much appreciated. Here are my main questions:
1. Would you recommend getting the quad core i7, or is i5 fine? For i5, do I need to pay attention to the difference between 2.4GHz and 2.6GHz?
2. What exactly is PCle-based flash storage, and would you recommend 256GB or 512GB?
3. What's the difference between Intel Iris Pro and Intel Iris?
Thanks so much!

1) Depending on which software you'll be using most of the times a quad core has more benefits (since it's more future proof). Not all software supports multiple cores (and thus rendering the extra cores of the quad "useless" if it's not supported).
2) PCI-e is what we use in desktops to attach for example a graphic card. Previous hard drives used a cable to connect it with the motherboard (in the old days we used IDE, now recent hardware uses SATA3). Basically because it's directly connected to your motherboard (there's more to it but to keep it simple) this will allow it to read and write faster from and to it. (Double the speeds of your regular SSD)
3) I reckon (haven't checked into it) that the base core speeds are clocked higher on the Iris Pro and probably has more dedicated ram to it.
What a graphical student wants would be most likely a quad core CPU with a dedicated graphics card. The extra is storage is nice if you reckon you'd need it. (I mostly work on cloud but keep my current projects on my drive because then I'd have faster access to it).

Playing Call of Duty II on my new MacBook Pro... Not Good!

Hey
Just bought a brand new MacBook Pro with ALL the trimmings - and Call of Duty II makes my mac run like I was playing on a Commodor 64.
Does anybody had the same experience - and have you found patches or updates that fixes this problem?
Thanks!
Mikkel

Well, I can offer some things that helped me out *a lot*.
First, I also suffered interminably from my MacBook Pro's malaise while doing 3D gaming-- wondering why I was running games so poorly on a piece of iron that was relatively recent. So, here are the solutions I tried in order.
1) Increased my 2GB of RAM to 3GB of RAM via a Crucial.com RAM purchase. Cost me $100 bucks. I think it was worth it for my gaming and other needs. I have to say that this change alone I did before I ran the Call of Duty 2 demo. I own Crysis and found that the expanded RAM only improved my gaming slightly (~30%). With Crysis and 3GB of RAM, I still had chunky gameplay and I found that 1024x768 was largely unplayable when there was a lot of action on the screen.
2) I made sure that both Bootcamp and Windows XP had all of the latest software updates. Run "Automatic Update" from XP (I'm assuming you're running XP) and then use Apple's "Software Update" mechanism (search for it, if you can't find it) that Apple has built into Windows in order to update Apple's software on the Bootcamp side of the house, too.
3) I downloaded the "Mobility Modder" application (you can get it at driverheaven.net for free) that runs under XP and Vista. Someone else on the forums suggested it, and I also recommend it. It let me tweak the settings of my ATI Radeon card (check to see if your brand and model of card is supported) and then download the latest drivers for my MacBook Pro. (Personally, I have an ATI Radeon X1600 card in my MBP.) The app is free. Also, when you download the new ATI drivers you get this "free" application called EarthSim. It's very cool and when I plugged my MacBook into my HDTV using a DVI-->HDMI cable, it was beautiful seeing the earth on the screen. Absolutely gorgeous!
4) Finally, ensure you download an app like WinClone and backup your Windows partition before you start tweaking stuff (or after, if you're feeling adventurous). I find that it took me eons to get all my software working correctly in XP and it prevents a major re-installation of stuff should you change a setting on something that suddenly hoses something.
5) Lastly, there are those pesky graphics settings in Call of Duty 2. Do not let the app make the "recommended graphics suggestions" for you! It'll give you horrible eye-candy. I haven't copied down my settings (to share with you), but I can tell you that I changed it to 1024x768. Turned on 2x anti-aliasing. SyncEveryFrame was set to OFF. I also turned OFF the other setting underneath SyncEveryFrame. Most other stuff I turned on or set to at least NORMAL. Naturally, YMMV.
I manually changed almost all of the settings to try to take advantage of the "new" horsepower my MacBook Pro was packing with the Mobility Modder app having put me in fighting shape.
Good luck!
Brian
<edited by host>

Looking to buy new MacBook Pro for editing with Premiere/After Effects, but wondering about trade-off between Processor Speed and Graphics Card

I'm a professional video editor (using Premiere and After Effects) looking to buy a new MacBook Pro and am deciding between two models. The slightly older model has a 2.8GHZ i7 (3rd generation) Quad Core processor with a 1GB SDRAM of NVIDIA GE FORCE GT 650M Graphics Card. Then newer model has a 2.3GHZ i7 (4th generation) Quad Core preocessor with 2GB SDRAM of NVIDIA GE FORCE 750M/Intel Iris Pro Graphics Card.
Which makes the most difference (processor speed vs. graphics card) with editing with Premiere and After Effects?
Any help/guidance would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks!
mike

Poikkeus wrote:
1. Your MBP will be somewhat slower than your iMac, as reflected in the general speed; desktop Macs have more RAM and storage.
You recon? If he get's the 17", he would have up to 8x more RAM, 4 x more GPU,, and a bit faster CPU;.
2. Be aware of the advantages and disadvantages of extra RAM. Loading up the slot will make juggling multiple applications easier, like Photoshop, VLC, and Safari. However, more than 4gigs of RAM will make loading your MBP on startup twice as slow - at least a minute, probably longer. That's why a MBP user with extra RAM should sleep their machine nearly always when not in use, rather than powering off.
I did not know this, I just upgraded from 4gb to 8gb the other day. Have not noticed it being slower, but I don't often shut it down. It's nice to not even have to bother with ifreemem.
3. Additional storage and RAM will maximize the basic capabilities of your MBP, but you won't be able to make a 2.3ghz machine any faster than it already is.
SSD
4. I still feel that your iMac will be faster than your prospective MBP. The only way to dramatically increase the speed would be the installation of a SSD drive (like the lauded OWC series). But they're not cheap.
I don't want to rain on your parade, but want you to get a more realistic idea of your performance.
I chose a macbook pro, 17" of cause. I use it for gaming. Yes a iMac is better for gaming. But, it's nice to be able to move around. Set up a man cave in the lounge 1 week, or in the bedroom, the next. But you fork out a lot more dosh for that luxury. And yes, not as much power as Poikkeus has said.

After the latest upgrade to OSX 10.9.3 I can only see two screen resolutions for my new MacBook Air 11"

After the latest update to my OSX 10.9.3 I ca see only two Display resolutions 1366 x 768 & 1152 x 648 when I choose scaled in my display preferences. As per Apple site the new MacBook Air 11" can show many display resolutions
Supported resolutions:
1366 by 768 (native), 1344 by 756, and 1280 by 720 pixels at 16:9 aspect ratio; 1152 by 720 and 1024 by 640 pixels at 16:10 aspect ratio; 1024 by 768 and 800 by 600 pixels at 4:3 aspect ratio
Please advise how can I set the resolution to 1280 by 720 pixels as this resolution was more comfortable to me.
Regards
Ahmed

depends widely on what you are doing.
gaming, videos, etc. Then yes 5 hours is normal.
See footnote #4 on apple.com on the macbook Air page.

What package do you recommend with buying a new macbook air?

I am looking to buy a MacBook Air. I'd like a much storage as possible, speed as posible and to edit photos, etc (but don't want to pay for more than I need). Thanks. I am hoping to use my new MacBook Air seamlessly with my iPad2 for pages documents (sinced to the cloud).

1. Opt for the 8 GB memory upgrade. For $100, it will absolutley give the biggest "bang for buck", in terms of performance upgrades. Since you can never upgrade the memory later, it is a necessity to include the option with your purchase.
2. 256 GB is a reasonable amount of SSD, provided that your iTunes library is under around 32 GB, and you don't plan on storing too much in the way of movies or other space intensive files. It is also enough if you possibly plan to run a simple Windows installation with a VM product like Fusion or Parallels. Consider the larger 500 GB selection if you think you will be storing large amounts of data. Only yop will know what you will need. I say estimate your need, then double it. I have about 175 GB on my system right now, and use Windows and have a modest iTunes libary, with a few movies. I opted for the 500 GB SSD, so I have some room.
3. Upgrade the processor only if you will be needing the device for light gaming, video editing, or any other processor or graphics intensive work. The base processor is pretty good, and the upgrade is only a modest increase in performace, so this will be the least likely upgrade to consider if money is tight.

Gaming- New Macbook

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