How bad is the 9600GT?

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After many years of Microsoft-related frustration, I am ready to make the switch.

So the inevitable question of iMac vs MBP came up. Although the 24" iMacs are very impressive pieces of kit, I started to wonder about the freedom of a macbook - something I've never really considered before. All of my home computing in the past has been stuck at the study desk, and I really like the idea of indulging my interests and hobbies anywhere. And thanks to wireless networking, longlasting batteries, and large high-quality screens, notebooks are not what they used to be.

My real reservations about the MBP lie in the limited graphics options (compared with the iMac's less limited but equally non-upgradeable graphics options). My PC gaming days are mostly over - my PSP and PS3 are pretty adequate - but I was looking forward to experimenting with EVE Online with my new purchase. My 7-year old Radeon 9700Pro was never going to do the game justice, but with a new Apple....?

So new MBP owners out there, how do you find the 9600GT for games? Anyone tried it with EVE? The EVE website suggests a "recommended" Mac spec of "ATI HD2600 PRO or NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GT", but I've tended to find that "recommended" means "minimum" and "minimum" means "works - just barely".

And, to all prior gamers out there who have switched - remembering those heady days when you overclocked your graphics card to death to squeeze out those last few framerates - what's your Apple experience like? Have you given up gaming completely? Have you been pleasantly surprised at all? Have your low expectations concerning gaming been met?

Cheers for any thoughts!

Regards,
Col.
 
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I mainly run a single 8600 GTS in my main desktop PC and it works nicely for most games, only time I have to flip on SLI to bring the second 8600 GTS into action is when I fire up Crysis or something incredibly intense......the 9600 GT is a fine card, plopped one into a friend's system and it just smokes.....runs her Samsung 2343BWX easily at 2048x1152 and runs games at intese resolutions with ease.
 
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The 9600M GT (That's what you meant to say :)), is quite nice. I mean, it's no huge impressive ATi crossfire setup, but I am quite impressed with it.

It's sure better than the GeForce 448 Go in my old HP :)
 
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I've got the 9400 and the 9600 GT in my Unibody Macbook Pro (with 256megs graphic memory) and it's much quicker than the x1600 (w-256megs mem) that resided in my older Macbook Pro.

I bought Frontline:Fuel of War (ahem..) for £5 the other day. Not a new new game but pretty graphic intensive. Put it on 'Ultra High' and not even a stutter... Good card for a lappie...!


Rimmer
 

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The 9600 in the MBP will run EVE maxed out at 1440x900. If you go on you tube you can see videos of it running COD 4 at 40-60fps on all high setting with of course AA lowered.
 
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COD 4 runs even on the integrated 9400 ;)

as for the 9600M GT I think it´s a solid chip and it will run EVE ... it´s a different league than the ati hd 2600
 
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The 9600 in the MBP will run EVE maxed out at 1440x900.

Now that's what I wanted to hear!!!

COD4? :eek: That's unexpectedly nice! Even with a jaggie or two. So clearly the card is no slouch.

I'm a Switcher then - I've just ordered the MBP with 15", 2.8GHz and the 512Mb 9600. (Couldn't wait any longer.) After 11 years of enthusiastic PC building, tweaking and overclocking, it looks like I'm Over It.

Thanks gamers!

Col.
 
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I originally had the same questions you have. I wound up getting a Mac Pro and a Macbook Pro. After several months I realized that the Macbook Pro was capable of doing everything I wanted, including editing large image files in Photoshop. I sold the Mac Pro, and use the Macbook Pro like a desktop at home. It sits under my 23" cinema display and runs off my blue tooth mouse and full sized keyboard. It only takes about 30 seconds to unplug it and throw it in the carry bag. So, I have the best of both worlds. A great "desk top" and a great lap top too. Consider it.
 
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It's about the same as the Radeon 2600 isn't it?
 

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No its not 2600 is 3 year old technology the 9600 is present technology.
 
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No its not 2600 is 3 year old technology the 9600 is present technology.

The 9600M GT has been out well over a year. Both the 9600M GT and the Mobility Radeon 2600 HD are similar in feature set, and in performance.

gpureview.com doesn't have the Mobility 2600 HD but you can compare the 9600M GT to the desktop 2600 HD here:

Video Card Comparison - GPUReview.com

A little higher in some respects but less in others.

That said, the 9600M GT is a usable mid-range gaming chipset.
 

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