How does the MacBook measure in the video game market right now? I was simply wondering how well it runs windows games (Steam games) emulated (VirtualMachine or an emulator) and non-emulated (Having windows installed parallel-y). Overall, is the MacBook a better choice for a (very) occasional weekend gamer who is a hard-core student, or would a Windows machine still better?
Thanks for your opinion.
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The PC (Personal Computer) is a highly configurable and upgradable gaming platform that, among home systems, sports the widest variety of control methods, largest library of games, and cutting edge graphics and sound capabilities.
MacBook for Gaming.
I have an entry level Macbook, with 4Gb of RAM. I play RTS games on it (booted on Windows), so I don't about anything above that. Civilisation IV runs on my fine and that makes me happy. My kids also play Viva Pinata on it and it runs fine. The settings may be need to be lowered on some games to get a smooth operation.
Mac can run COD4 fairly well ive heard but if you really want a computer for gaming you have to go PC. Emulated windows is crummy for games There's more support, more companys produce hardware for it and it has a larger gaming audience. Also although you cant beat a mac for school work and such a mid level gaming PC should perform just as well.
"don't ever use a mac for gaming. "That is just plain ignorant. Where did you get that idea? My iMac will run almost all of the current Windows games available. A lot of people with a PC can't run all of the games available unless they upgrade.
"Can't see why a Mac should be better than a Windows machine for studying?"It isn't. It is, in my opinion, having used both, easier and less trouble. By running Windows, you get the best of both worlds. My daughter is in college and uses the Mac for most things (like Photoshop and Office Mac programs) and Windows only when she has to.
"Mac can run COD4 fairly well ive heard but if you really want a computer for gaming you have to go PC. Emulated windows is crummy for games There's more support, more companys produce hardware for it and it has a larger gaming audience. Also although you cant beat a mac for school work and such a mid level gaming PC should perform just as well. "True, if you are a REAL hardcore gamer, then PC is always you best bet. If your like playing games, but aren't hardcore and just play games as a diversion, for fun, the Mac is (imo) better. I have yet to find a game I really want to play, but can't.
"Can't see why a Mac should be better than a Windows machine for studying?"Well... As far as I know you get waay more battery life on a Mac running OSX than any Windows-equivalent machine running Windows. Also it's a sleeker, more responsive, more reliable machine that I would much more prefer for academics than a Windows machine.
"Don't use Macs for gaming, even if the specs allow gaming, the games are never written for OSX so run worse any way. I love using macs but then again I'm not a PC gamer."But, they are not running on OSX, they are running on Windows, so within the limitation of the video and soud card, play as they would on PC. If you are talking SPore, that will run on OSX and Windows, then I have no view as I don't own it. Not that many games do run on both, usually one or the other.
"TMThomsen said:Battery power varies for every laptop and has more to do with the hardware than the OS."Can't see why a Mac should be better than a Windows machine for studying?"Well... As far as I know you get waay more battery life on a Mac running OSX than any Windows-equivalent machine running Windows. Also it's a sleeker, more responsive, more reliable machine that I would much more prefer for academics than a Windows machine."
Sleeker and more responsive? As far as I've seen Windows XP is still the fastest and most responsive OS, but the downside is that you have to know how to maintain it. Mac OS is more casual friendly in that respect.
Honestly I don't know how strong MACs get but I know for pure gaming purposes they can be a bit expensive compared to a PC. Speaking from a personal experience - my room mate payed $1000 for his iMac used (was $1400 new) near the end of last year and I just recently purchased a cheap PC for ~$470 prebuilt (I'm lazy) with no OS (but lets be honest, that is not a big deal). We both play World of Warcraft now on the same video settings and my machine runs the game about twice as good as his. I'm not sure on his exact specs but I know for a fact I have a better video card and double the RAM.
I currently have an iMac but I'm running windows on it for my games, and I use the mac side for work :D
I have a new macbook pro, very nice, and i run run windows on it using bootcamp and the most demanding game i've played on it was far cry 2, and it ran quite well actually.
I love Apple products and OSX is real nice, but unless you really need a portable gaming machine I would rock a Windows based desktop. Otherwise you're just pissing away money.
"Otacon said:Very true, biggest drawback is the fact that nothing is upgradable save for RAM, unless of course you get a Mac Pro."Don't use Macs for gaming, even if the specs allow gaming, the games are never written for OSX so run worse any way. I love using macs but then again I'm not a PC gamer."But, they are not running on OSX, they are running on Windows, so within the limitation of the video and soud card, play as they would on PC. If you are talking SPore, that will run on OSX and Windows, then I have no view as I don't own it. Not that many games do run on both, usually one or the other.Now, I need to get back to playing Sins of a Solar Empire on my iMac - it is excellent :-)"
"PowerSerj said:dude, not even close man. no way. just go look at macbook pro specs on their web site, its really impressive."Go pick up a cheap Windows-based laptop for about half to two-thirds the price for more power."Somehow I doubt a 350 dollar laptop is as powerful as a MacBook. "
"Peach said:(1000 * 2/3= 333.33) I rounded to 350, but you get the point."PowerSerj said:Where are you finding a 700$ MacBook :/ ?""Go pick up a cheap Windows-based laptop for about half to two-thirds the price for more power."Somehow I doubt a 350 dollar laptop is as powerful as a MacBook. "
"PowerSerj said:"Peach said:(1000 * 2/3= 333.33) I rounded to 350, but you get the point.""PowerSerj said:Where are you finding a 700$ MacBook :/ ?""Go pick up a cheap Windows-based laptop for about half to two-thirds the price for more power."Somehow I doubt a 350 dollar laptop is as powerful as a MacBook. "
"Peach said:Ooops. I multiplied 1000 by 1/3. My bad."PowerSerj said:"Peach said:(1000 * 2/3= 333.33) I rounded to 350, but you get the point.""PowerSerj said:Where are you finding a 700$ MacBook :/ ?""Go pick up a cheap Windows-based laptop for about half to two-thirds the price for more power."Somehow I doubt a 350 dollar laptop is as powerful as a MacBook. "Math fail. 1000 * 2/3 = 666.66 dollars, not 333.33."As far as Mac: it's great for everything, I love them, but I'm too poor to be able to afford one powerful enough to game on. With a PC I can get as much power for a lot cheaper.
Sorry for my apparent miscalculations.
Take it from someone who's been shopping for laptops for gaming lately. I just spent a little less than 2k on one. If you want to be able to run everything fairly well, a mac is completely out of the question. I wanted one, but soon realized along the way that the graphics and memory that they offer is comparatively lackluster at best, side by side, cost by cost. You'll often hear people talk about how you're really paying for the award winning customer support and the superior OS, honestly vista 64 runs my shit fine, and as for sleekness, my sager is going to look cooler than any silly sterile white macbook anyway. If you don't believe me just look at some of the specs below and try and find me something comparable on a mac notebook for less than 2k. You won't be able to, but go ahead. FYI I bought this on xoticpc.
1x Sager NP5797 Custom Notebook (Built on Clevo M570ETU)
- Warranty: 3 Year Labor* 1 Year Parts Warra
- Operating System: None Standard - Drivers & Utility
- Fingerprint Reader: Integrated Fingerprint Reader
- Battery: Smart Li-ion Battery (8-Cell)
- Case: Basic Black Business Case - Incl
- Sound Card: Sound Blaster Compatible 3D
- Camera: Built in 2.0 Megapixel Camera
- Wireless Network: Built-in Intel® PRO/Wireless 530
- Bluetooth: Internal Bluetooth + EDR
- Memory Card Reader: Internal 7-in-1 Card Reader (MS/
- Primary Hard Drive: ~ 320GB 7200RPM (Serial-ATA II 3
- Optical Drive: ~ 2X Blue-Ray Read/8X DVDRW Supe
- Exterior Finish: NP579x Orange Frame Trim
- Ram: ~ 4,096MB DDR3 1066MHz Dual Channel
- Video Card: nVidia GeForce GTX 280M 1,024MB
- Processor: ~Intel® P9600 45nm "Montevina" C
- Dead Pixel Policy: Standard Dead Pixel Policy
- Arctic Silver: Arctic Silver 5 Thermal Compound
- Display: 17" WSXGA+ "Glare Type" Super Cl
I'm honestly suprised that macs can play pc games. I meant you might need to use windows at least on it dual boot considering that osx if that's the operating system it uses isn't compatible with pc games. About the videocard, I heard the highest is a hd4850, not sure if it's for the imac or macbook pro. I'm not really going to recommend a mac for anything to do with gaming, only general computer use. Imo it's not going to be cheap, expect to pay alot to get a gaming mac product.
TooWalrus said: "If you've got the spare cash to get a MacBook that can match the gaming power of a ... [more]
Apps exist for both, regardless of what you do... OSX is so much better than vista its not funny.... but it is also terrible, and I mean terrible, for gaming.
Games -> PC.
Anybody who's looking to game on their Mac but don't feel like dual-booting and giving up a large chunk of your harddisk, should really look into giving the application CrossOver a go. It's fairly cheap and doesn't require Windows installed in any way or form... and it works surprisingly well.
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