Unofficial Macbook Gaming Thread (Late 2008 Models)

ok back at home now.

So maybe i over-exagerated when i said it played really well on high settings lol..

my current settins are:

BASIC OPTIONS
resolution : 1280 x 800
refresh rate: 60
v sync: no
anti-aliasing: none


GENERAL PERFORMANCE
real tree: medium
fire: medium
physic: medium

ADVANCED OPTIONS
vegetation: medium
shading: medium
terrain: medium
geometry: low
post: low
textures: high
shadow: medium
ambient: medium

the graphics are ok. Not going to blow your mind. The FPS comes out at around 18 after keeping an eye on it during certain things. (tried burning stuff, blowing stuff up, getting in big gunfights & driving and it seems fairly constant) and tho it sounds low, it's actually not laggy at all. It is most definitely playable like this.

As a conclusion i'd say it plays REALLY well on a notebook not specifically developed for gaming. ****, if i'm at uni working on my mac, get bored and decide i want to have a go on FC2, I can. I wan't expecting to be able to do that at all! If you want the full FC2 experience though, i'd prob pick up the console version (if thats an option for you?) or spend an extra £500 on the macbook pro for a little boost in performance?

Can you try with higher settings (like on normal or even high)? Because on my computer the default settings was on low graphic, but i was able to play it on high.
Maybe the macbook can ^^.

PS: have try your macbook on an external screen?

Thanks

back again..

no, i haven't tried it on an external display unfortunately cos i don't have the right cables! sorry!

tried FC2 on some more settings though:

All medium = about 15fps very smooth, no slowdown
All High = on average 13fps (pretty solid, tiny bit of lag)
All ultra high = 6.5fps lol, v. laggy

Best bet is to set all to medium then customise a little bit it seems. I put fire quality up high, and will put up textures to high. Should be very smooth and playable!

Rik_95 said:

All medium = about 15fps very smooth, no slowdown
All High = on average 13fps (pretty solid, tiny bit of lag)
All ultra high = 6.5fps lol, v. laggy

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Sorry, 15fps is far from very smooth.

My thoughts as well. 15fps is very low. Yet you say it is "smooth".
These are two statements that contradict each other.

No, you dont need more than 17 fps.
Im playing with 18 fps and it's not laggy at all. It's very smooth. I'm talking about Far Cry 2. I know that 17 fps on Counter-strike is REAly bad. But somehow on Far Cry 2 is really great.

Thanks Rik_95 for your time.

So do you think guys that diablo 3 and fallout 3 should run on the macbook?

Frenchkid

frenchkid said:

So do you think guys that diablo 3 and fallout 3 should run on the macbook?

Frenchkid

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I would really like to see if fallout 3 runs well. Could anyone try that out?

I want to see fallout 3, Left 4 dead and cod waw <- last 2 especially!!!

ChrisNg

to the doubters, go get far cry 2, play it at around 16 fps then come back tell me it's jumpy/laggy etc. Because it's not!

Not too bothered anyhow, i'll prob get it for 360 too.

When more demos come out for newer game i'll be happy to try them out.

Oh btw, if i install 4gb ram, will it make a noticable difference to the gaming?

Rik_95 said:

to the doubters, go get far cry 2, play it at around 16 fps then come back tell me it's jumpy/laggy etc. Because it's not!

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Sorry, you guys are misleading people. 16fps is a terrible (see: choppy) framerate in ANY game, but particularly in a First Person Shooter.

OSX2009 said:

Sorry, you guys are misleading people. 16fps is a terrible (see: choppy) framerate in ANY game, but particularly in a First Person Shooter.

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Like I said previously, 18 fps is not bad in Far Cry. I dont know why, but it is NOT laggy at all even with 18 fps ( I tried on my computer with Far Cry 2).

I will try to record a video to show you.

Hey guys! Sorry about the long delay. I experienced a dead/vibrating fan issue and apple ended up replacing my macbook. (I didn't really want them to...but they said the fan could be dangerous, so whatever) The new one works fine and has no issues. I'm starting my benchmarks over using XP. I just got Oblivion installed and so far I notice two things:

Higher frame rates
No stuttering.

Awesome! I'll have a more full review later, although it won't be as extensive as my previous posts. I'll just give you an idea of how XP performs. Lots of people are getting these macbooks now, so I imagine I won't be needed as much, On a side note, you guys should check out youtube. I found a lot of videos displaying the graphic performance of this machine both on OS X and windows. Fun times!

Game on!
Trent out

i'm not trying to mislead people. I've given you the fps, and given a description of how it plays. Take that as you will.

But at around 18fps, it is smooth running.

Can't say im bothered either way. laptop gaming is a pain at the best of times. I'll stick to my consoles.


Oh! and for anyone wondering how Autocad (2009) works on the MacBooks, it's great! works fine, although i've not given the 3d aspects a good try out yet, but i'm sure it'll work fine.

can anyone give a shot at playing Red Alert 3 or Call of Duty: World at War Beta on either the MB or MBP? Preferably the MBP? Curious to see how the MBP will stand with these two titles.

I will try and run CoD next tomorrow. I just registered for it. I am running a MBP (2.53Ghz).

B&O said:

I will try and run CoD next tomorrow. I just registered for it. I am running a MBP (2.53Ghz).

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fantastic. looking forward to your findings .

I ran it and it runs well on full with AAx4. I will make a quick video with details tomorrow. It is hard and too fast paced for me. I used to love CoD online but it is too much blind shooting for me. Looks great.

I didn't want to make a video but here are the specs I run with no slow down.



I am not sure why dual cards is on but hey!

B&O said:

But will the BenQ run OS X? That is a deal breaker for me. Gaming is just a side thing.

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Gaming is never a side thing for many computer users, unless you're one of those casual gamers who only play Spores and Bejeweled. But really your question is whether the BenQ will run OS X? Well, yes Virginia, there is a Santa Claus. You just have to use the Goog.

Again, BenQ S42. Many times faster than MacBook at almost 1/2 the price. Happily playing Crysis here. You're welcome to try with your MacBook, even with the 9400.

Henshin-a-go-go said:

Gaming is never a side thing for many computer users, unless you're one of those casual gamers who only play Spores and Bejeweled. But really your question is whether the BenQ will run OS X? Well, yes Virginia, there is a Santa Claus. You just have to use the Goog.

Again, BenQ S42. Many times faster than MacBook at almost 1/2 the price. Happily playing Crysis here. You're welcome to try with your MacBook, even with the 9400.

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This isn't the "macbooks are better than X" thread. We're just looking at how well macbooks can handle gaming. We're not in the market for a gaming computer.We just like macs and we also like that they have an updated video card.