Mac running windows issue

Hi, i am going to get a new computer because my 2.16GHz macbook pro doesn't run games anymore and is starting to get a bit sluggish so my issue is i could get a Mac Pro and run Bootcamp/Virtual PC on it and keep my MBP or i should i get a macbook pro 15" and a custom built $2000 pc both would equally cost me $3500AUD

I use Windows 60% of the time for games but i would rather use OSX for Music, Watching Movies, Browsing internet and syncing my iPhone

If the PC happens to break the warranty is a pain but apple have better customer care.

The PC will have an Intel i5 750, 4GB ram 2000MHz, 2X 1GB ati radeon 4650 crossfire, 1TB hdd, New gigabyte motherboard with USB 3.0, Thermaltake V9 Black edition (great for cooling).

The Custom Built PC is MUCH better but i like the idea of a Mac Pro.

So my question is Which would be better for gaming the Mac pro or the PC, does the Mac Pro have adequate cooling, the specs aren't as good on paper but does it run games well?

Do you have the 2.16 or the 2.33? Although it doesn't make much difference.

I have that same late '06 2.33 although in the 15". Have to say, my machine is running faster today with Snow Leopard and a 7200rpm drive than it did when I brought it home 3 yrs ago.

As a long time gamer and hardware enthusiast, I had never kept any x86 machine much longer than 1 year prior to this MBP and I still haven't found an excuse with it that would justify replacing it. And I've gone through 10 HDTVs in the last 4 years.

Personally, I'd say keep your MBP, upgrade the drive to a 7200, use Onyx, maintain a minimum 30% free space on the drive and lastly - perhaps do a clean install of OS X.

Just as an FYI: The CPU in the Mac Pro will blow away the i5 in some tasks and except possibly for the gpu, the specs on paper are much better. But, you want gaming. For a gaming rig, it really is never a good idea to buy off the shelf (imho). Don't buy a prefab machine. Build yourself a real gaming rig and use an i7.

You could build one for at least $500 less than the one you have listed using the i7 and with a budget of $2k you can step up to one of todays graphics cards instead of that 2 year old 4600 series with either the 5800 or 5900 series ATI card.

That $2k build your own will get you into the spec range of the $3000-$3500 off the shelf rigs and with the new i7 chips will beat out the current model Mac Pro when you're talking about gaming.

Agreed with bobtomay 100%.

In your shoes, I would keep the MacBook Pro as a portable. For about $700(US), you could build yourself a very competent mid-range machine with a Radeon 5870 HD card that will be a very adept gaming machine for at least a few years. As important as the CPU is, in gaming it takes a back seat to the GPU. Focus your budget on buying a high-end graphics card and you'll be much happier.

So would it be better to spend $200 on a GPU or buy 2 $100GPU and crossfire/SLI them?

i will probabley keep the 17" macbook pro 2.16GHz and just custom build, Because its cheaper and you aren't resricted to what you can put in it.

Multiple video cards don't scale in an entirely linear fashion. If the single card has cores that are an order of magnitude quicker than a single one of the pair of cards, then the single card will likely be faster. And of course, you can always add another high end card in later.