Disappointed with Graphics Card.

S

soziblewuup


Joined
Dec 6, 2010
Messages
15
Reaction score
0
Points
1
I bought the Mid 2012 13" Macbook Pro about 3 weeks ago and never really thought about using it for gaming. Anyway I decided yesterday to investigate that area, only to find a really poor Graphics Card (Intel HD 4000). I understand that the Macbook Pro is not geared towards gaming but for the £1,000 I payed, I'm disappointed it won't even come near to the Minimum System Requirements for most modern games, rendering it useless in this area.

I'm almost 100% sure there's nothing i can do to make it better in this area, but i thought it wouldn't hurt to ask. Would upgrading from the 4GB ram to 8GB allow for more memory allocation to the Graphics card? Or make a noticeable difference?

Thanks, Jack
 
vansmith

vansmith

Senior Member
Joined
Oct 19, 2008
Messages
19,924
Reaction score
559
Points
113
Location
Queensland
Your Mac's Specs
Mini (2014, 2018, 2020), MBA (2020), iPad Pro (2018), iPhone 13 Pro Max, Watch (S6)
I have a 2012 13" MBP here and have had decent success with some popular games (TF2 and Starcraft 2 primarily). What games are you trying to play? Did you lower the graphics settings?
 
OP
S

soziblewuup


Joined
Dec 6, 2010
Messages
15
Reaction score
0
Points
1
Thanks for the reply. I've tried games such as Mafia 2 and Skyrim. I've mostly been playing on medium graphic settings which I now realise is probably too high. Every time I reduce it to low I can't face to look at the screen; it feels like I have bought a game from 2002.

Is the only solution to play on low graphics? I tried low with Mafia 2 for 5 minutes and even then it was stuttering slightly.
 
pigoo3

pigoo3

Well-known member
Staff member
Admin
Joined
May 20, 2008
Messages
44,212
Reaction score
1,422
Points
113
Location
U.S.
Your Mac's Specs
2017 15" MBP, 16gig ram, 1TB SSD, OS 10.15
soziblewuup said:
I bought the Mid 2012 13" Macbook Pro about 3 weeks ago and never really thought about using it for gaming. Anyway I decided yesterday to investigate that area, only to find a really poor Graphics Card (Intel HD 4000). I understand that the Macbook Pro is not geared towards gaming but for the £1,000 I payed, I'm disappointed it won't even come near to the Minimum System Requirements for most modern games, rendering it useless in this area.
Click to expand...

Whenever purchasing an expensive item (like a laptop computer) doing the research ahead of time is key! None of the 13" MacBook Pro models have "dedicated" video/graphics hardware. If someone is into gaming (and as you mentioned, Macintosh laptops are not the best for gaming)...than someone has to at least get a laptop with dedicated graphics hardware (which means getting a 15" MacBook Pro model).

The 13" MacBook Pro is Apple's entry level model in the MacBook Pro line. As with any entry level model in any product line...there will be limitations. If there were no limitations...then why would anyone be encouraged to upgrade to a higher end model??

I agree with you...if the Intel HD 4000 graphics hardware did not even meet the minimum system requirements for most moderns games...that would be disappointing. But I'm thinking that this is over-stated...and that the 13" MacBook Pro actually does meet the min. system requirements for many modern games. It's just that the modern games you prefer...may not be well supported.

Again...it would have been a great idea to have done some research ahead of time. The system requirements for the games played could have been determined/confirmed ahead of time...and then the decision of what computer to purchase made (with the appropriate specs.). Buying a computer first...then finding out that the preferred games won't play (or play well)...is not the best way to go about making a new computer purchase.

- Nick
 
OP
S

soziblewuup


Joined
Dec 6, 2010
Messages
15
Reaction score
0
Points
1
pigoo3 said:
Whenever purchasing an expensive item (like a laptop computer) doing the research ahead of time is key! None of the 13" MacBook Pro models have "dedicated" video/graphics hardware. If someone is into gaming (and as you mentioned, Macintosh laptops are not the best for gaming)...than someone has to at least get a laptop with dedicated graphics hardware (which means getting a 15" MacBook Pro model).

The 13" MacBook Pro is Apple's entry level model in the MacBook Pro line. As with any entry level model in any product line...there will be limitations. If there were no limitations...then why would anyone be encouraged to upgrade to a higher end model??

I agree with you...if the Intel HD 4000 graphics hardware did not even meet the minimum system requirements for most moderns games...that would be disappointing. But I'm thinking that this is over-stated...and that the 13" MacBook Pro actually does meet the min. system requirements for many modern games. It's just that the modern games you prefer...may not be well supported.

Again...it would have been a great idea to have done some research ahead of time. The system requirements for the games played could have been determined/confirmed ahead of time...and then the decision of what computer to purchase made (with the appropriate specs.). Buying a computer first...then finding out that the preferred games won't play (or play well)...is not the best way to go about making a new computer purchase.

- Nick
Click to expand...

Completely agree with the research, as i mentioned the gaming aspect was very much an afterthought. I think I just feel a little let down that even as an entry level Macbook Pro, it doesn't meet minimum requirements, considering its price. It would have been nice to at least give you the option to play some of these games at minimum graphics settings, smoothly.

Skyrim - 512MB RAM
Battlefield - 512MB RAM

Most first person games like these are minimum 512MB RAM.

However I have just looked at Mafia's minimum requirements and it says Graphics: 256MB. The Intel 4000 is superior to that but will still stutter on anything below the very lowest settings.

I guess there's nothing else really I can do, other than live with it!
 
Raz0rEdge

Raz0rEdge

Well-known member
Staff member
Moderator
Joined
Jul 17, 2009
Messages
15,762
Reaction score
2,100
Points
113
Location
MA
Your Mac's Specs
2022 Mac Studio M1 Max, 2023 M2 MBA
If gaming is a high enough priority, you would be served well with putting together a gaming PC that you can build for fairly cheap and upgrade as needed as newer games demands change. The entry level MBP might have costed you more than a decent gaming machine might have, but Apple makes no secret about it's pricing and your research would have bore that out.

It is hard for you to have not thought through all that you were intending to do with the MBP, purchase it, THEN decide what else you wanted to do and complain that it doesn't do it.

As Nick pointed out, the 15" MBP (at the higher price point) would probably have been a better option for you with gaming in the picture.

So, yeah you will have to live with the limitations of the MBP you bought..
 
OP
S

soziblewuup


Joined
Dec 6, 2010
Messages
15
Reaction score
0
Points
1
It is not so much a big problem for me, more so an area of confusion. It is the fact that Apple have creating a stunning machine that runs everything you could possibly need to run in excess of satisfactory, and then ship it with a sub standard graphics card. It just seems to stand out as the only thing below par.

I think what i'm getting at is, if Apple were really making this laptop a sub standard entry level laptop, why didn't they go for 2GB RAM etc. Just seems strange to me, to make everything else so satisfactory and leave one thing out. However as you pointed out perhaps this is what they were using to drive people up to the 15". Just seems strange to do that on the graphics card.
 
pigoo3

pigoo3

Well-known member
Staff member
Admin
Joined
May 20, 2008
Messages
44,212
Reaction score
1,422
Points
113
Location
U.S.
Your Mac's Specs
2017 15" MBP, 16gig ram, 1TB SSD, OS 10.15
soziblewuup said:
Completely agree with the research, as i mentioned the gaming aspect was very much an afterthought.
Click to expand...

I can certainly understand if the gaming issues cropped up at a later time.:) None of us are mind-readers or can accurately predict our future needs.

soziblewuup said:
I think I just feel a little let down that even as an entry level Macbook Pro, it doesn't meet minimum requirements, considering its price.
Click to expand...

Entry level is entry level. A high price (relative to other things) is really not indicative of performance. £1,000 was simply the "Ticket to Ride" in the Macintosh laptop world price!;)

- 15" MacBook Pro's with dedicated video hardware cost £1,499.00 to £1,799.00.
- 15" MacBook Pro's with the retina display cost £1,799.00 to £2,299.00.

The 15" models are 50%-130% more expensive than the entry level 13" MacBook Pro you purchased!!! And with 50%-%130 more money spent...you get better hardware/performance!:)

soziblewuup said:
I guess there's nothing else really I can do, other than live with it!
Click to expand...

Sure there is.:) If you're truly unhappy with it...sell it before is loses too much value...and get the MacBook Pro you feel would play games better. Or do as Raz0rEdge suggested...and purchase a Windows computer...specifically setup for gaming!:)

- Nick
 
chscag

chscag

Well-known member
Staff member
Admin
Joined
Jan 23, 2008
Messages
65,248
Reaction score
1,833
Points
113
Location
Keller, Texas
Your Mac's Specs
2017 27" iMac, 10.5" iPad Pro, iPhone 8, iPhone 11, iPhone 12 Mini, Numerous iPods, Monterey
How much system memory do you have in your MBP? It matters quite a bit because the Intel HD 4000 happens to be a very good integrated graphics chipset which can support up to 1024 MB of borrowed memory. However, your MBP should have 8 GB of system memory installed first. Don't sell the HD 4000 short as a gaming GPU. It can do quite well.
 
pigoo3

pigoo3

Well-known member
Staff member
Admin
Joined
May 20, 2008
Messages
44,212
Reaction score
1,422
Points
113
Location
U.S.
Your Mac's Specs
2017 15" MBP, 16gig ram, 1TB SSD, OS 10.15
chscag said:
How much system memory do you have in your MBP? It matters quite a bit because the Intel HD 4000 happens to be a very good integrated graphics chipset which can support up to 1024 MB of borrowed memory. However, your MBP should have 8 GB of system memory installed first. Don't sell the HD 4000 short as a gaming GPU. It can do quite well.
Click to expand...

Great point man!:)

@OP: More ram can equal better performance. Especially if the games being played require a good amount of "base ram" just to launch the game...which could possibly not leave much for the integrated graphics hardware to run effectively/efficiently.

If you only have 4gig of ram...subtract from that what is needed to:

- run the OS
- the amount of ram the game needs
- ram any additional apps. that may be active need (internet browser, mail apps., iTunes, etc.)

...then there may no be much ram left for the graphics hardware.

- Nick
 

Shop Amazon


Shop for your Apple, Mac, iPhone and other computer products on Amazon.
We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon and affiliated sites.
Top