I'm still going strong with my '08 "silver keys" 15" MBP at this point, but it's literally creaking and the screen bezel is cracking. So, I need a new laptop and since this one has served me so well, I'd like to stay with Apple's line.

In looking at the 15" options, the key differentiators seem to be the speed of the Intel processor (three options: 2.2, 2.5, 2.8 GHz) and whether or not it includes a Nvidia GeForce GT 750M GPU. I would like to be able to play games on this thing, but I'm not big on having maxed out specs or anything; I just want them to run ok (I have low standards here). I'm going to get a PS4 soon too, so most of the graphically intense games I'd be interested in will be available there (I'm well aware of the limited library of games on Mac too). So the question I'm asking is whether or not I need to get the MBP with the Nvidia card for games that are more in the mid-range of graphics? Or would the built-in Apple one do just fine? It's potentially a $500 difference here, and I just want to make sure that if I'd get it, it's power that I'd actually use. Any advice anyone has on this would be much appreciated.

Side note: I'd also like to do some video editing on occasion in Final Cut Pro, but not everyday.

I have a 15" Pro Retina with Iris graphics and it is completely worthless for gaming. Don't even bother with it.

If you're dead set on playing games on a Mac you may want to consider waiting until the next revision of the MBP comes out. The 970m and 980m were just announced last month, so there is a good chance one of those or another 900 series M will end up in next year's Pro.

The 750M is significantly better than the integrated Iris Pro, so if you're planning on playing anything even remotely demanding then that's your best bet. I have an rMBP with one, and while it's not the greatest mobile GPU on the planet, it'll tackle most games just fine. The only downside is that it can get uncomfortably hot and loud, so you might want to invest in a pair of decent headphones.

@mb: I think there's an equally good chance that Apple ditches dedicated GPUs altogether in the next Macbook Pro revision. It'd be a massive shame if they did, but Iris Pro is perfectly fine for 99% of tasks besides playing games and keeping a dedicated GPU around as an option might get in the way of their relentless pursuit of thinner and lighter chassis.

I have the 15" with the 750m and it's fine as a secondary gaming system. Don't get it if the primary use case is gaming. Don't expect it to run new games at the highest settings, but if you just want to play some Diablo III or Starcraft on the go, then it's fine for stuff like that.

The Iris Pro version would most likely be useless for anything but simple 2D games and older 3D games. It's impressive for an integrated card, but it's not going to play new games very well. You can lookup benchmarks (I think Anandtech did an article on it) to see how it handles games.

I know this isn't a macbook, but still here is article on 5k iMac as gaming platform

http://arstechnica.com/apple/2014/10/the-retina-imac-and-its-5k-display-as-a-gaming-machine/

@cameron: @conmulligan: @mb: Thanks all. Going with the GeForce version sounds necessary as far as having the laptop be gaming-capable. My '08 one was maxed out at the time I bought it and has the then-current GeForce as well, so this all makes sense to me. Just wanted to check and make sure I wasn't buying a bunch of power I'd never use, but it seems like even cursory gaming would take advantage of the added GPU power.