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Post by Tarquin on Dec 20, 2007 4:14:37 GMT -5
Well, I had decided on getting myself a laptop a little while ago. After some thought, I decided to get a Mac, because frankly I do love their OS, and also because I can use all (that is, Windows and Linux) on the same machine. However now I have a slight problem. Macs are kinda expensive. A link below shows the prices of all types/versions of Mac Portables as well as a comparision of features. [Pricing]Here are the specs on the MacBook : www.apple.com/macbook/specs.htmlSimilarly, here are the specs on the MacBook Pro : www.apple.com/macbookpro/specs.htmlAs far as I can see, the main difference between the two models is the GeForce graphics which is found in the MacBook Pro. However, the price is also much more (almost double the cheapest MacBook). Currently, I have saved about half the amount needed for the cheapest MacBook. It would probably take a year to get enough to be able to afford the MacBook. To afford the MacBook Pro, it would take more time, with more work to afford it. So, here is my basic question. Which laptop and which model in that would you recommend, and why? Is the GeForce graphics card in the Pro worth spending almost double the amount? Will the Intel graphics card found in the MacBook be bad for gaming? Remember, I do plan to use my Laptop for gaming. And yes, I do plan to have both Windows Vista/XP as well as Linux Ubuntu installed. What do you think? Thanks for taking time to read this!
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Post by Jaegar on Dec 20, 2007 11:05:28 GMT -5
I don't know a lot about it, like I said before, but after looking at the convenient wikipedia links to the pages of the two GPUS they don't seem to be worth a $500 difference. I could be horribly wrong, but I think the Intel GPU in the Macbook will be sufficient for decent gaming use. If I was buying one, I'd probably go with the 2.2 Ghz macbook (middle one) for the various features it has that the cheapest doesn't.
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Post by Yoon on Dec 20, 2007 17:08:59 GMT -5
So, here is my basic question. Which laptop and which model in that would you recommend, and why? Is the GeForce graphics card in the Pro worth spending almost double the amount? Will the Intel graphics card found in the MacBook be bad for gaming? Remember, I do plan to use my Laptop for gaming. And yes, I do plan to have both Windows Vista/XP as well as Linux Ubuntu installed. What do you think? Thanks for taking time to read this! Since you intend to be gaming on the MacBook (most likely via your Vista/XP or Linux partition on the Mac), you will definitely want the MacBook with the GeForce 8600 M GT in it, as it is significantly faster graphics card than the Intel GMA X3100. The Intel GMA X3100 is a fairly weak integrated graphics card, even compared against nVIDIA and ATI integrated solutions. Running any modern 3D game like Half-Life 2, Call of Duty 4, Crysis (gasp), or other games will either run like crap or not run at all. Ragnarok Online will run on the Intel GMA X3100 just fine, but then again, RO is 2002 game running on a low demanding 3D engine, of which even ancient 1999 video cards like 3Dfx Voodoo 3 and nVIDIA Riva TNT2 can run on. However, like you said, the price difference is pretty significant. Another alternative is to buy a PC laptop (with a nice graphics card), go OSx86 and triple/quad boot XP, Vista, Linux and OSX. Quite a few people have gotten OSX Tiger running on their laptops just fine: OSX 10.4.8 Portables List. You just have to find the right OSX build that will install properly. If you want the new OSX Leopard, PC compatiblity is still iffy, since it is a newly released OS.
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Post by Tarquin on Dec 21, 2007 0:29:54 GMT -5
Thanks Yoon and Jae! I did a few calculations, and it would cost me roughly 1500 dollars for the MacBook ( the middle model) with added 1 GB RAM.The MacBook Pro would be 1999 dollars. I somehow did not want to use the OSx86 project and prefered the legit Mac. So, is the extra 500 dollars worth the GeForce 8600 M GT? I would play recent games like Quake/Call of Duty etc? The GeForce would be best?
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Post by Yoon on Dec 21, 2007 16:01:26 GMT -5
Thanks Yoon and Jae! I did a few calculations, and it would cost me roughly 1500 dollars for the MacBook ( the middle model) with added 1 GB RAM.The MacBook Pro would be 1999 dollars. I somehow did not want to use the OSx86 project and prefered the legit Mac. So, is the extra 500 dollars worth the GeForce 8600 M GT? I would play recent games like Quake/Call of Duty etc? The GeForce would be best? Well, paying $500 for a video card that is currently going for ~$100 on desktops seems a bit much, but then again, you don't have much options to chose from with the MacBook. Anyhow, the GeForce 8600 M GT will definitely be able to play recent (2007) games like CoD 4 at mid-high settings, with older games (2006 and prior) playable at max settings. For the best performance, you will want to play the games on your Windows XP partition (via Apple BootCamp), unless the game you're playing has a native binary for OSX that runs as fast as the Windows version.
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Post by Tarquin on Dec 21, 2007 20:58:40 GMT -5
I have a further question. Are Virtual Machine softwares like VMWare or Parallels Desktop worth it? For playing games like RO for example, is it worth getting VMWare or something so I can play it without re-booting to XP and just open a virtual XP? I did a small check and apparently VMWare is supposed to be the "best". The thing is, I don't really kn ow how good the "best" is . Once again, thanks for your informative replies Yoon!
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Post by Yoon on Dec 22, 2007 3:22:53 GMT -5
I have a further question. Are Virtual Machine softwares like VMWare or Parallels Desktop worth it? For playing games like RO for example, is it worth getting VMWare or something so I can play it without re-booting to XP and just open a virtual XP? I did a small check and apparently VMWare is supposed to be the "best". The thing is, I don't really kn ow how good the "best" is . Once again, thanks for your informative replies Yoon! VMware and Parallels are quite nice on OSX, especially when using their Unity and Coherence modes. Using those modes make transitioning between OS X and XP windows very easy and efficient. Right now, many are considering VMware Fusion to be superior over Parallels for Mac at the moment. You can actually use VMware or Parallels to boot your Apple Bootcamp Windows XP/Vista partition as well, so you don't have to make two separate Windows XP/Vista partitions (one for Bootcamp and one for VM). As far as using VMware for 3D games, VMware does have limited DirectX 3D support, but it is still much slower than running games in a native Bootcamp Windows XP/Vista partition. Low 3D demanding games like RO may work in it at a sufficient speed, but you'll have to test it out first. Newer (and demanding) games should always be run on your Bootcamp Windows partition, for maximum performance.
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Post by Tarquin on Dec 22, 2007 6:25:14 GMT -5
Awesome! Thanks a ton Yoon! You were a great help, the issue is much clearer in my mind. Now, time to start saving >.>.
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