Mid 2009 Macbook Pro Upgrade / Question to run a game.

Hello Mac-Forums!

I own a Mid 2009 Macbook Pro, and I'm trying to figure out if it is going to be able to run Diablo 3. I know that there is another thread somewhere in this forum asking the same question however it didn't get a clear answer in my opinion.

I am planning to upgrade to 8 GB ram.

Are there other things I can do to boost the performance, if so how costly?

The graphics card is a nvidia 9400m. It is apparently supported under low settings.

The other thread mentioned that the card does not have dedicated memory, but instead is shared. I do not know much about computers, but does that mean that if I increase the memory from 2 to 8GB, will that increase the performance to run Diablo 3?

Please let me know of any suggestions or conclusions regarding my computer's ability to play the game. Of course, aside from purchasing a new one.

The graphics card is a nvidia 9400m. It is apparently supported under low settings.

The other thread mentioned that the card does not have dedicated memory, but instead is shared. I do not know much about computers, but does that mean that if I increase the memory from 2 to 8GB, will that increase the performance to run Diablo 3?

Click to expand...

The nvidia 9400m which your MBP uses is an integrated graphics chipset which "borrows" memory from the system. It borrows up to 256 MB regardless of how much memory is installed. Increasing your system memory from 2 GB to 8 GB will help applications to run faster but it's not going to help the performance of the Diablo 3 game. The game needs graphic power. You should be able to play at low frame rates though.

Oh I see.

Is there absolutely any way for me to boost the performance of the game (fps wise) or is the only alternative purchasing a new computer?

Thank you very much for your prompt and informative response!

edwinhwang90 said:

Oh I see.

Is there absolutely any way for me to boost the performance of the game (fps wise) or is the only alternative purchasing a new computer?

Thank you very much for your prompt and informative response!

Click to expand...

There is really no way to boost the performance of your MacBook. The video hardware and the cpu are not upgradeable...and these are the two things that primarily govern the performance of your computer.

If you did an internet search for "Diablo 3 Macintosh System Requirements"...you would have found this:

Diablo III System Requirements - Battle.net Support

Even the recommended system requirements say you only need 2gig of ram. So according to this...to play Diablo 3 you do not need a ram upgrade.

But (in my humble opinion)...2 gig of ram is getting a bit "thin" these days...and I would recommend a ram upgrade to at least 4gig (or 8 gig if you want to). Not necessarily to plat Diablo 3...but for all of your possible computing tasks.

HTH,

- Nick

Thank you very much for your input, I greatly appreciate it

I will go ahead and keep the computer as is, and see what happens!

edwinhwang90 said:

Thank you very much for your input, I greatly appreciate it

I will go ahead and keep the computer as is, and see what happens!

Click to expand...

You're welcome. Sounds like a good plan. See how it goes.

- Nick