Is windows worth it for gaming??

i'm curious to know, for anyone that has installed a windows partition onto their MB or MBP if it would be worth it for cheaper gaming // wider selection of games... i dont really want to install windows too much because i hate it, but if it will let me play a wider variety of games at cheaper prices i just might do it, so any opinions on installing windows on a Mac would be great. Thanks... and yes... i know windows is terrible, but everybody loves games..

To be honest, I've encountered maybe one or two viruses in like 10 years of Windows use. There are lots of viruses, but they are fairly uncommon.
If you're still really concerned about it, run Windows only as a non-administrator user (create a new limited user after you boot in for the first time) and install a virus and adware scanner. Also use the Firefox browser; while it's not perfect there are far fewer attacks that succeed against it.
If you only use Windows to play retail games, you should be fine as long as the firewall is up and you follow the above advice.

Similar Messages

3 gigs worth it for gaming?

This may be a dumb question but I gotta ask before any purchase:
Will 3 GB (as opposed to 2 GB) of memory make a significant difference for gaming? That is, once the Radeon/GeForce's 256 MB of video memory is used up, will that system memory be utilized for additional video needs or be wasted?
It seems that - for an iMac gamer - the video card is the choke-point or bottleneck. Two GB of RAM seems like an obvious cost-efficient choice for all around use but that 3rd gig is spendy and I'm not sure if it helps in a significant way.
Hope I've explained myself sufficiently and thanks in advance for all help.
dingo

What kind of games are you playing? are the very high tech games?
i have 1 GB in my 20" and it can run most games pretty well. Not on max settings but they do run pretty high.
So yes i would say 2 GB is enough.
there is always that off chance that there will be a game that you need more one. But usually it's the video card then.

Which XP version Should I Order For gaming through Boot Camp??

I went on newegg.com searching for Windows XP, but I saw that there were things like "64bit OEM version" and "SP2B Home edition" and "Professional SP3"???
All i would like to know is:
1.) What does this tech lingo refer to?
2.) Which is the best Windows XP version for Gaming?
Thanks alot for reading and please HELP!

1. 64bit OEM version. Most consumer operating systems are 32 bit. 64 bit systems have some theoretical advantages, e.g. their ability to address more physical and virtual memory. But to experience these advantages the program or game must be written for a 64 bit system. Not that many are. And there is an ongoing problem with finding drivers for 64 bit OS's, so all your peripherals may not work. Pro comes either in a 32 or 64 bit version.
OEM means Original Equipment Manufacturer. An OEM version is meant to be sold only to system builders who then assume responsibility for support. Microsoft will not support an OEM version. Most people though just see it as a cheap way to get the OS, as it is much cheaper than the retail version. It comes unboxed, just a disc.
When you try to activate it you may have to lie to Microsoft and say you are a system builder, but it's a lie Microsoft has heard many times.
2.SP2 Home Edition of XP. Home Edition is the version of XP most users have on their system. SP2 refers to Service Pack 2, a collection of updates to XP (including security updates). It rolls many updates into one big installation. Home only comes in a 32 bit version.
3.XP Professional SP3. XP, both Home and Pro now have a third service pack which again rolls up many, many updates. If you bought an SP 2 version of either pro or Home, when you ran Update after your installation it would list SP 3. So an SP 3 version of either Home or Pro is more up-to-date. However. installing SP 3 without updating to Boot Camp 2.1 usually results in an error message which prevents installation, and Boot Camp 2.1 can't be installed until after you have installed windows as it is installed from within windows. I believe it's best to install SP2, but before doing so, download the SP3 stand-alone installer from Microsoft's website (as well as the Boot Camp 2.1 installer from Apple).
Then you can immediately install Boot Camp 2.1 and SP3 (which you've cleverly burned to cd/dvd or put on a flash drive) after completing your Windows install.This leaves you with a system that is much better patched before you venture out onto the Internet to get even more Windows updates, and also seems to cause many less installation problems.
As far as Pro vs. Home - Pro has some advantages but does cost more. Pro can access 2 physical processors (not just 2 cores on 1 processor), but that would only make a difference if you were using a Mac Pro, not an IMac or MacBook Pro.
Pro was originally aimed at business (and power) users. Since it's regarded as a business OS, Microsoft will continue to provide (security) updates for it far longer than they will Home (it's standard policy for Microsoft to do this for business versions of their OS for obvious reasons), so that's a plus.
4.As far as gaming goes, the 32 bit version of Home is what almost every gamer I know uses. If you need a driver for XP and it exists it exists for 32bit Home.
However, I do know people who swear by the 64 bit version and/or Pro, and there are some games with 64 bit versions. But when most people say "XP" what they mean is 32 bit Home.

I want to instal windows 7 using bootcamp on my mac book pro and how large do i have to make the partition if i want to use it for gaming?

i want to instal windows 7 using bootcamp on my mac book pro and how large do i have to make the partition if i want to use it for gaming?

"At least 16 GB of free space on the disk onto which you’re installing for 32-bit, or 20 GB for 64-bit (for Microsoft Windows and Windows-based applications)."
That's what Apple proposes in here Boot Camp: System requirements for Microsoft Windows
Personally I would double these amounts and add to that the diskspace needed for your Windows games.
Stefan

Im looking for a MacBook that is worth the money and decent for gaming and editing, any suggestions?

Im looking for a MacBook that is worth the money and decent for gaming and editing, any suggestions?
There all so AWESOME!

Then you are best to get a Macbook Pro. Your real aim should be the graphics card.
You won't be doing really good gaming on a discrete graphics card sharing RAM.
Depending of coarse what games you play.
eg. card games / COD games.

What is the best windows version for gaming on 32bit system

what is the best windows version for gaming on 32bit system?

Hi,
What game do you want to install in Windows? For a game, you should choose your OS based on your game requirement.
Andy Altmann
TechNet Community Support

What is the best Router for Gaming?

Alright, at the moment I have a "G" wireless router, which I bought it for pure gaming reasons, well I am thinking about upgrading 'cause I am having some lag and poor connections and I want to enhance my connection for online play. I won't lie I am a addicted hardcore gamer, so I need a good router! ^_^
Well I been looking at this WRT330N , which this one interests me a lot!
http://www.linksys.com/servlet/Satellite?c=L_Product_C2&childpagename=US%2FLayout&cid=1166859632665&...
I know it's about $200 but I am willing to spend the money if it's worth it! If anyone can share anything about this router or a cheaper and better router please do so!

I started shopping for a wired router to handle a claimed higher speed from my cable provider. I want something that runs at full incoming wire speed. I did not think I would care a lot about special gaming features. One of the techs at work uses the GamerLounge which is made by D-Link and he loves it for gaming. It runs a little over $100. It has a number of features to help automate the setup for gaming and to help debug gaming connection problems. I do not know if Linksys makes anything that is specifically targetted at gaming. You might want to read the various hardware reviews and decide which features you think will be important to you. Linksys has product documentation that describes the products but you will have to understand the terms used in the brochures to decide which device might be best for you. I have a Linksys for wireless support and it is rather slow compared to a wired connection because I run encrypted. If you want to run games on wireless, then published benchmark results may be the number one item on your list. Some routers may have much faster wireless performance than others. Cost will probably be a factor but more expensive does not always mean better. I have a WRT54G V5 and Tom's Hardware has a review discussing some of the serious limitations in V5. I stopped using it as a main router and went back to an old 10 Mbps wired router connected to the cable modem to get better performance. The WRT54G V5 sort of works when used as a wireless access point but Windows file and printer sharing do not work. So ... it all depends on which features are most important to you. Absolute best case is to talk with a friend who has a working setup that they like. Then you can decide if their priorities for choosing features match your priorities.

What GPU to get for CS6 + Are SSDs worth it for editing?

My current computer is an old dell xps 7100
Phenom x4 830 (Yes I know, I'd love to get an intel 3770k or something but I'm pretty strapped for cash)
Some tiny amd gpu, not sure which (can use gpu-z if really needed)
12gb ram
1 500gb hdd
The machine is really slow and the hard drive is filled up a lot, so I'm thinking of re-installing windows (possibly windows 8 for the faster boots and all) and clearing all of the junk. My other problem is that premiere and after effects are really slow, since its a pretty weak processor with no MPE acceleration. I have around $300 to spend on some upgrades, but I'm not sure which one to get.
I was thinking of buying a gtx660, since it has 2gb vram (which is better for more complicated projects I think?) and is really fast and a good value for gaming, which I also do. I could also get a gtx 650 and spend the rest on some HDDs for a raid, or maybe an SSD. Or I could buy a gtx 670 or 660 ti if they're really worth it. I haven't needed to use more than 8gb beforehand in projects, so I don't think i'll need to upgrade to like 32gb or anything crazy like that.
My main question is how much would the gpu acceleration accelerate everything? Would I just be bottlenecked by my cpu and hard drive? And If I did a raid array (raid 0), or got a SSD how much would that speed stuff up.
Any help would be greatly appreciated, and sorry if I put this in the wrong forum or something. First post here.
PS I read that cs6 is actually slower for exporting some stuff? Should I just use cs5 or cs4? I could just render the few things i need in cs6 first and do the rest in cs5 (like motion tracking and such). Or am i just overcomplicating stuff.

Hi Randal,
You are absolutely correct. I was getting the specs off the data sheet I have here and it was for the OEM version of the GTX 560 which has higher specs. I have so many video cards here, I guess I need to sort them out as OEM and non-OEM cards and keep them stored in different rooms.   lol.
As far as the GT 640, on an AMD system quad core, it did produce faster times than the GT440, even though the GT440 has a wider memory bandwidth.   That one is strange. HOWEVER, on an Intel quad core, the GT 640 was slower. Go figure.
Right now I am running tests with a GTX650 and a GTX 650 Ti.   So far the GTX 650 Ti is better than the GTX650 for rendering. Even though they are both 128 bit cards, they seem to work well in an AMD system.
As far as the GTX 560 non Ti holding back your system, I can see that. I am just finishing up building a new animation rendering system based on the AMD FX-6300 chip, so I am lookng forward to testing the various video cards I have here with it.   It was a budget build system, as I pulled the HD's, DVD drive, keyboard and mouse from an old system. It is NOT being used as a Premiere editing system, just for rendering animations with ProAnimator, Lightwave and a few other programs. But, I will use it to test video cards with.
Dave
RjL190365 wrote:
Two small corrections, Dave:
The non-Ti GTX 560 actually has only 336 CUDA cores, not 384 (that belongs to the GTX 560 Ti). Also, the GF114-derived GeForce GPUs have only a 256-bit memory interface width, not a 320-bit memory interface width. However, the 128.2 GB/s memory bandwidth is correct for a reference GTX 560 (Ti or non-Ti).
On the other hand, the GTX 650 does have 384 CUDA cores (same number as the GT 640 since both are based on the same GK107 core). But it runs at a slightly higher clock speed, has a 128-bit memory interface width and 80 GB/s memory bandwidth (versus 28.5 GB/s memory bandwidth for the GT 640).
In any case, the GTX 560 non-Ti is definitely holding back my i5-2400 auxiliary editing rig.

New Macbook Pro 2014 for Gaming / casual use

Hello there! I currently have a 2011 13" Macbook Pro with
Intel HD Graphics 3000 512 MB
16GB RAM
500GB Harddrive
and a 2.4 GHz Intel Core i5
I really like to play video games but with this current setup ^ its very sluggish and I get very low FPS
I'm considering getting the 13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina display and with the 3.0GHz Dual-core Intel Core i7, Turbo Boost up to 3.5GHz
My questions:
Will this computer be able to handle a constant 60fps in most games? (Borderlands 2, portal 2, Bioshock Infinite)
And I've heard other places that this computer also has a Nividia graphics card that it switches over to when you play anything that requires more than the Intel 4000 that it comes with.
Thanks for the help!

Hi there!
No it wont.
Macbook Pro's hardware are mediocre for gaming. In your specific case, the 13" does not offer the possibility of a dedicated graphics card, only comes with Intel Iris. The 15" one does, the NVIDIA GT 750M with 2gb, yet it's weak for gaming above 40-50 fps, also dual-core processors are not very powerful these days either and you will most likely experience heating issues on intensive gaming sessions. If you like gaming Mac is not very efficient for it, unless you get a mac pro, but of course you would loose portability. The 27" iMac can be set with the GT 780m, it has 4gb but its still weak since its a mobile graphic chip as well, even the 5k iMac uses almost identical hardware setup than the regular iMac but with an AMD chip (also 4gb ram), while the 5k looks great with such hardware it is unable to handle smooth gaming on that resolution as well.
Dont get me wrong, I'm not here to trash Apple, at the office we work with around 8 to 10 macbook pros but none of them, not even high end ones are able to game smoothly, in fact, some games run better on windows via bootcamp than OS X.
Hope it helps.

Windows Vista Drivers for 1820 and 1616 - Lets have some drivers ple

RePost from http://www.productionforums.com/view...?p=47643#47643<img alt="" src="http://www.productionforums.com/images/icons/icon8.gif[/img]?Lets have some drivers please
<span class="postdetails">Windows Vista Drivers for 820 and 66
I hate to say this about E-MU but the way they are dealing with Vista Drivers is unprofessional. I am a repeat customer of Creative products and was so impressed by my old Platinum eX that I bought a second to run duals for tons of audio processing. That was back in the day. Then I jumpped ship and tried out an M-Audio Firewire 40. That did not last too long beforei was completely unimpressed. So I came back to Creative... Purchased a 820 in the box. So impressed I turned around and purchased a 66 in the box just 8 months later. Both ran smooth as butter... All until i just recently built my new system designed primarily with audio production in mind.
With a setup like this, who needs a mac?
AMD Athlon X2 x64 Dual Core +6000 3.0 Ghz
2 Gigs Corsair
Samsung SyncMaster 206BW 2" Wide Screen
EVGA NVidia 9700s 256 DDR3 Graphics
SATAs up the yin
and a PCIMIA to PCI Dock
All under Vista Ultimate OEM
And Guess what?
Months into RTM of Vista...
E-MU is caught pushing release dates.
Last month it said they would release beta drivers middle of April...
I waited, patiently I might add.
I waited<waited some more, I try running xp drivers... computer wont even try to install them properly.
My software waits, computer waits, turns into a gameing machine just because my all together 600 dollar investments in Creative are not important enough to leld me the drivers i need to be producti've in what i love.
I need x64 drivers stat. I need them working, I need them installable without a glitch, a hitch, no driver signing problems, no questions, no fuss no muss. I find it ironic that you guys at E-MU are willing to jump right in there and make sure to have drivers compatable for you new products, yet faithful advocats of the most powerful soundcards you have are sitting here dead in the water because you dont find it nessesary to place priority on ready and waiting end users who have purchased long term support buy investing large amounts of moola into hardware from your company.
Come on, its not like the 820 or the 66 are exactly legacy technology. We are talking about Hardware that is only two years old and should be usable for up to 6 years. This is deffinatly a strike against the company and just goes to show where Creative stands.
I have stood by waiting in silence for a very long time.
Now i think my time has come to tell how i feel and i believe there are alot of others out there that feel the same. the only items that do not work soothly are my E-MUs... go figure.
And I have been looking forward to all i can do running both of them side by side.
Oh yes, and that link posted above to the beta news for vista... its a joke. open up your betas, and have a real dev tell us what the hang ups are... At least give us real concreate reasons why it is taking so long.
with that said, when you guys get yoru act together and get me some drivers, I will sit happy as a lark.
My thoughts for today.
~Alpha-Beta ReaKKtor

Hello Silas,
sorry for my bad english
I already checked that page. On the first time I was trying to install Vista on a clean hard drive. The installation process finishes without errors but after installation Vista shows me a lot of error messages, mostly about unknown hardware. So I installed all available drivers I have found on Toshiba web site. It not helped me too much, hardware problems still remains. I could not find out what exactly causes probles. Finally I decide to install XP and then upgrade to Vista. Now everything seems to be ok. :D
There was some hardware problems but much easier to resolve. It seems to me that Toshiba did not provide all the drivers, for example StarForce Protection drivers. Vista did not recognized this hardware on the first time.
Now it works!

How do I download the Windows Support Software for MacBook Mid-2010 ?

Hey guys, I've got quite a big problem at the moment... In December, I bought a MacBook7,1 (the Mid-2010 Unibody model) and used my OS X install disc whenever I wanted to install Windows XP/Vista/7 drivers to my Boot Camp partition. However, I've recently got quite a bit of a problem...
See, I can't find my OS X Install Disc. So I have to use, from within the Boot Camp Assistant, the "Download the Windows support software for this Mac" function, to be able to burn to DVD/install to a USB stick.
Now, this function up until recently used to work completely fine - no issues at all. However I need to reinstall my Windows 7 (again, I know, Windows has quite a few problems but I really do need to use it for what I do - gaming, etc) again, and whenever I try this option in the last... week, I'd wager, it comes up with "Download could not be continued" and "The Windows Support Software is unavailable" errors.
I've checked on this forum and some people are saying that Apple removed the support software for some Macintosh computers? What on Earth? What about us lot who don't have our OS X install discs anymore?! I don't think it's fair they've specifically gimped a functionality that was working fine until a bit ago for no apparent reason. It's just... stopped working. Is this for everyone?
Is there some alternative I can use? I've tried everything. I don't have someone I could just borrow the OS X install disc from and I think it's rather unfair if they expect to me to shell out for an OS X install disc again when I could previously do what I wanted for free!!!

The point isn't whether I lost them, the point is that I was able to use the Boot Camp Assistant previously fine to download the Win Support Software and put that on a USB stick (which has since been formatted for other usage).
Since this was made available as an option, I haven't really had much need for the OS X install discs (Unless I really, really needed to reinstall OS X at some point but I have no reason to fear that right?). To claim this being "okay" because I've misplaced the discs is rather outrageous.

How good is a Macbook Pro with dual video cards for gaming?

I've been a PC guy my whole life (aside from my iPhone which I love). My gf has been pushing me to try out a mac and considering how my PC laptops have a pretty good track record of dying on me or encountering some other problems after a year or two, I can't help but consider making the investment. The only thing is, I'm a big gamer and usually get the latest games. I'm not super tech savvy though I do my research and get a sense of what kind of specs are better and worse.
In terms of gaming, I always assumed that more ram = better. In that sense, I'm a little put off that even the most expensive MacBook Pro only comes with 4 gigs of ram (which is what my year and a half old laptop has now) especially when it seems most newer laptops have 8 gigs minimum for a fraction of the price (and 16 gigs if you're willing to spend as much as you would on the most expensive macbook pro). Does RAM somehow work differently on a Mac or is it truly that little?
Also, how does the whole dual video card thing work, does that mean I'd be having the power of those two cards put together?
Personally, I've been leaning towards the Asus G53SX-NH71 because I can buy it for less than the cost of the cheapest macbook pro and as far as gaming purposes go it seems to have more power than even the most expensive Macbook which costs over double the price.
Am I missing something here? Do the dual video cards really bring that much to the table or for gaming purposes am I better off with a PC?
Thanks.

I've been watching this forum for years, and I'll have to say that gamers are not a big group around here. A few things. First, getting 8GB of RAM for the MacBook Pro is cheap. Most people either don't care, pay Apple to do it, or, like me, DIY. The max you put in a MBP is 8GB, so no 16GB, unless you were looking at the iMac or MacPro.
Second, there is no dual video card in a MacBook Pro. There is an integrated video card, an Intel HD3000, which shares RAM with the CPU, or a discrete video card, an AMD, various versions on different MBP's. The Intel is for low battery usage. The AMD is more powerful, and it's to be used when you've got power. The video card has more applications than just gaming, but also in video and photo editing.
No one here is going to talk you into one platform or another. If you are only going to game in Windows, then it's a waste to get a Mac. If you're going to game in Windows but want the Mac side to do everything else, the build quality and elegance of the Mac will far exceed most products out there. You can run Windows in Boot Camp natively, and as I understand, gamers love it, because the Mac is actually a better Windows machine than most Windows machines. But I don't play games, so I have no proof.
So the choice is yours. And we could argue all day long about the side by side comparison of a cheap Windows machine vs. the Mac. You are using the price vs. price comparison that is a false dichotomy, ignoring how one values various features. For example, the trackpad on a MacBook Pro far exceeds (and I mean light year exceeds) anything on any other laptop out there.
I spent 10 minutes answering your question. I'm not debating you on x vs. y. The choice is totally on what you're going to do. Most of us are trying to contribute to the world, so gaming is low on the needs list.

Macbook Pro 15'' options for gaming and college

Hi there Apple Community!
I'm having trouble choosing the best cost benefit for a new Mac. I'm a college student and my main priority is to have a mobile unit to cary with me for classes. I'm also a gamer, and since this will be my main computer I'd like to have one that could also run games like Civ 5 and WoW smoothly. Therefore I believe the best option for me would be the cheapest 15'' MBP.
However, both the price and the extra weight scare me. I'm not confortable with walking around with a R$ 6,600.00 notebook (about US$ 3,300.00 - I'm in Brazil and thanks to taxes all the prices are overrated ).
I'm studying options to reduce the risk of walking with such a valuable piece of hardware around while giving me what I need where I need, and after some time I've matured the idea of having more than 1 device.
My first option would be to get me cheapest 13'' MBA along with a Mac Mini - the one with the Radeon 6630M videocard on it. They cost together about the same as the 15' MBP, and would give me both a lighter option to go to college and a dedicated videocard for games, though this card is weaker than the one in the MBP - and I'm not sure how well this card would handle the games I want to play.
Another option would be to get myself the both cheapest 21'' iMac (with the same videocard as the MBP) and the cheapest MBA. This would be a bit more expensive than the MBP, but no big deal, and I'd still have both a decent unit at home for games and the mobility I need for college.
My last option would be to get the 13'' MBA and use the rest of the money to assemble a gaming Windows 7 PC. This would be my last resort, though. I know I can assemble a terrible machine with this budget, but I believe I could have what I need - decent (not extreme) gaming experience at home - from a Mac, even if I have to use Bootcamp.
I'd like to know from you who own Macs what you think about these options. I intent to make my purchase this month or the next, as my classes begin in August. What would u think to be the best combination? Or is the MBP the best option? Thanks in advance for any thoughts.

Thanks for the reply, OGELTHORPE. Refurbished products were the 1st thing I thought when I saw the cost of a 15''MBP. Unfortunately there's not even a link for this store in Brazil's store. I'm not sure, but I believe this is because of the mistrurst we brazillians have upon refurbished equipments sold by many other companies that fail to meet quality specs - some companies even try to push them as 'new' to the customers... I know that US Apple follows refurbishing rules to the letter - not hard to find people around the web saying that they got a nice deal for buying a refurbished Apple and that they would do it again. I wish I could buy a refurbished unit from the american Apple Store and have it delivered to Brazil, but I believe this is way too much to ask for the 'free shipping' they offer...
As for gaming, I do like it, but I'm not looking for a gaming station - otherwise I'd look for a PS3, Xbox 360, etc. I do want a computer to complement my studies at home - this is my main focus after all, and it would be desirable if this new computer could also run some games for me to play when I can.
I'm just not satisfied with the Intel HD 3000's performance (some people say they are even weaker than the previous nVidia models they replace). This is why I'm trying to get my hands on one of those new Radeon videocards.
Anyway I've heard that Apple may show some new products on this week's presentation at WWDC.Let's hope something good is coming.

Optimize Mac for Gaming with Bootcamp?

Hi, I have a Mid 2012 MacBook Pro with Windows 7 installed using Bootcamp. Because I'm a student my parents aren't exactly thrilled with the idea of getting me a Gaming PC, but since I'm not a hardcore gamer I think I can make do with what I have. How would I be able to optimize my gaming experience with my Mac? In other words, whether it is with software, or upgrading some hardware, how can I make my Mac usable for gaming. And trust me, I'm not hoping for 60FPS having games on the highest setting kind of thing, something that is decent quality is all I want. I feel that my Mac's current specs and hardware is almost at where I want it, but some optimization to increase efficiency and performance would be really nice. Thanks in advance!

you are stuck with whatever graphics it has which is usually the main resource.
Did you buy with just base RAM? which processor? you can't change the cpu.
http://www.everymac.com/systems/apple/macbook_pro/index-macbookpro.html
RAM Upgrade Kits:
http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/memory/Apple_MacBook_MacBook_Pro/Upgrade/DDR3_160 0MHz_SDRAM
Some SSD tests http://www.barefeats.com/hard193.html
https://www.maxupgrades.com/istore/index.cfm?fuseaction=product.display&product_ ID=437&ParentCat=367
Windows can't be installed on an external drive but it can be cloned and booted off Thunderbolt interface.
Boot Camp
A PC with i7-4790 and 16GB + SSD (case, psu, copy of Windows) and X89 motherboard would of course give you freedom and not have to dual boot, plus you get to choose the GPU you need. Windows on Mac often run hot, hotter than they do already. And later you can upgrade just the parts you need to.

2.4Ghz Quadcore, 8GB RAM, 650M Graphics.. Good enough for Gaming?

Hi Guys,
Im looking at buying the retina macbook pro with the above specs, i like to play call of duty 2/4 and counterstrike, would i be able to game comfortably with these specs, i.e high fps/smooth, i wont just be using macbook for gaming as im a graphics designer but i do love occasional multiplayer game.
many thanks

Pete77777 wrote:
do processors make a difference to fps ingame?
Not as much as the performance of the graphics chip, because that is what does all the heavy lifting as far as rending on the screen. Intel HD 3000, 4000 etc., only graphics is really poor as it's only CPU based.
It's really not advised to use a expensive Mac laptop for 3D gaming, especially the Retina because it's sealed.
The reason is the hotter the Mac gets, the more air it has to draw in to cool the machine, which more vent clogging dust it inhales which overheats the machine and tends to shorten it's lifespan. Also using the inferior bubble membrane keyboard too much tends to wear it out.
If you want to 3D game, either buy a dedicated Windows 7 3D gaming tower so you can clean the dust out, upgrade the graphics card and be compatible with everyone else, use tougher keyboards (clicky clack types) and so forth, or if your budget can't do that and the Mac, then a PS3 or a XBox.
3D games are always improving, new ones come out and require better video cards, you can't upgrade a video card in a laptop. So you won't be playing for long.
OS X changes every year, so it breaks games. Windows 7 will remain so until 2020.
http://www.cbscores.com/index.php?sort=ogl&order=desc
TigerDirect will help you build a gaming PC, and with this video card you'll likely never have to upgrade it.
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/campaigns/deals.asp?campaignid=2524

Is windows worth it for gaming??

Similar Messages

Maybe you are looking for