Macbook Pro. Go or no go?

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iMpactX

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I'm currently ending my Junior year of Highschool, and my Alienware m11x laptop just isn't cutting it anymore. Video cards wont switch to high performance, the plastic is breaking, it runs so much slower, and I'm just getting sick of it. I'm seriously considering saving up for the new macbook pro when it comes out in the next few weeks. I'm talking about the 2012 version. The question I have is, does anyone have a 2011 macbook pro? I want to know how it runs games, and if I should dish out the extra cash for an i7 processer, as opposed to an i5. And if the 2.8 GHz makes a difference over 2.4 GHZ. I just want to be able to play games such as Diablo, some FPS such as CS:GO, and maybe roleplayers like the witcher 2 or WOW. Can anyone tell me what I should do? I appreciate it.

-iMpActX
 
I didn't think a lot of games ran on mac :/ if you want a laptop for gmaing I would build a custom laptop, probably end up being cheaper and yes I would dish out the little extra for an i7
 
Well the current 2011 models (13 inch) cpus are the i5 2410m and the i7 2620m. Beyond the higher clock speed, the i7 has some more l3 cache. Both are only dual core cpus with hyperthreading, so there is not a huge difference in performance. Obviously clock speed is going to make a difference, but with everyday use, probably not a huge amount. As far as gaming, both are limited by the integrated graphics of the cpu. Neither has a discrete graphics card (the bigger ones do). So for gaming, you are definitely going to be limited with the 13 inch model:

http://www.anandtech.com/show/5113/apple-15inch-macbook-pro-late-2011-review/2

If gaming is a big concern, then a windows laptop will be your best bet for price/performance.

As for the 2012 version, not sure what will all be changed. Ivy bridge should be nice addition which should also provide improved graphics with hd 4000. Any specifications released on the 2012 models?
 
Well, I know the Witcher 2 won't be available on Mac. If you want to game, I'd strongly consider Windows just so that at the very least it's available on the OS.
 
Well I got the 2011 Macbook rather recently, (regret that I didn't know about the 2012 model until now) and it generally runs beautifully. Silent operation, doesn't heat up too high, and it almost never lags CPU wise during games (of any kind). In addition, the graphics card on it is pretty good.

But yeah, if you want it for gaming, it'll run amazingly on the few games OS X can support. Again, it only supports a relatively small amount of games. (it's not like it can't run any games at all though)
 
I have a macbook pro and I'm the division leader. Just think what you could be one day!

I basically have the hard drive split with bootcamp 250gb each partition. Windows 7 on one and Lion on the other.
 
Never get a Mac for gaming

Honestly, with the money you'll spend on getting a 'good' MBP, you can build a windows rig about 646435135136546 times better.
The one thing I will say is that you should wait for Ivy Bridge processors to mature a bit (i.e. over the summer) or for Intel to drop the price of their Sandy Bridge due to the the Ivy Bridge launch.
 
I personally don't like Macs myself but its all about the user and whether you like them or not. Also you will give up a lot of things like Games and a lot of other important things. But on the good side its a very sleek looking laptop,user friendly and it doesn't get as many viruses as windows.

But I think if you are a gamer buy either a Desktop or Laptop as you can play more games and do a lot more things and you will probably save about 1000$ assuming that the new 2012 version is going to be 2000$.
 
you could either get a decent mac, or a boss of a windows based pc.

unless you have a need for OSX, there is no reason to buy into it, when all of the alternatives are cheaper.


Also, your issues (other than the physical damage) sound like they could be solved with an OS reinstall.
 
Thanks for all the feedback, I'm definitely reconsidering. I don't know if I want a rig, because I wouldn't be able to take that to college in a year, but you guys may have saved me a couple thousand. Cheers to that!
 
Here's what you should do:

Buy a boss of a windows laptop
Install osx on it
Profit
??

But seriously just partition the hard drive and split it so you have enough for osx and enough for win7
 
Yes you can play a lot of games now on Macs, it may feel weird though.

Honestly, it all depends on personal preference and what your using it for. I got my macbook pro mainly for DJ'ing. I also use it when I travel or when I'm lazy (like now) sitting on the couch. I got my iMac for production and graphic design mainly. My PC i use pretty much only for gaming.

If you want a macbook pro, then get one. If you don't want one, then get something else. But I don't think you'll be disappointed if you decide to get a MBP. Some people are just fanboys of a certain operating system, me personally, I like and use both.

Macs are now increasing in viruses, but they still aren't to the point PC's are. My PC would constantly get something and I've had to reformat it many times; I haven't had one problem with either of my Macs. Except on my macbook pro for some reason now over time it takes a couple minutes for it to tap into the wifi network when I wake it from sleep, my guess is that the card isn't in all the way and I need to take it apart to pop it in, but it's possible I just need to replace the wireless card.

At times it can feel like the Mac OS is holding your hand through everything, but it is an EXTREMELY stable operating system. In my opinion, it's more stable than Windows, but some people would disagree with that.. it all comes down to preference, always.

Just keep in mind that Macs are expensive, really overpriced, but worth it depending on what you like, need it for, etc..
 
Last edited:
Ovrclok said:
Yes you can play a lot of games now on Macs, it may feel weird though.

Honestly, it all depends on personal preference and what your using it for. I got my macbook pro mainly for DJ'ing. I also use it when I travel or when I'm lazy (like now) sitting on the couch. I got my iMac for production and graphic design mainly. My PC i use pretty much only for gaming.

If you want a macbook pro, then get one. If you don't want one, then get something else. But I don't think you'll be disappointed if you decide to get a MBP. Some people are just fanboys of a certain operating system, me personally, I like and use both.

Macs are now increasing in viruses, but they still aren't to the point PC's are. My PC would constantly get something and I've had to reformat it many times; I haven't had one problem with either of my Macs. Except on my macbook pro for some reason now over time it takes a couple minutes for it to tap into the wifi network when I wake it from sleep, my guess is that the card isn't in all the way and I need to take it apart to pop it in, but it's possible I just need to replace the wireless card.

At times it can feel like the Mac OS is holding your hand through everything, but it is an EXTREMELY stable operating system. In my opinion, it's more stable than Windows, but some people would disagree with that.. it all comes down to preference, always.

Just keep in mind that Macs are expensive, really overpriced, but worth it depending on what you like, need it for, etc..
Click to expand...

Just get osx lion on a windows computer and save money ><
 
why would you drop that amount of cash on a laptop just to have MAC osx and a fancy apple label on it, your first mistake was aleinware, your second would be getting a mac book pro for no logical reason,and for gaming that's an oxymoron,

I'd suggest Asus, or a good custom laptop company, dont get a toshiba qosmio i have one, Who ever was put in charge of laptops at that company needs to be fired.
 
Muffinz said:
Just get osx lion on a windows computer and save money ><
Click to expand...

from what I know it doesn't work. Lion is an upgrade. You can't buy the original OS without buying the computer itself. Lion only upgrades it, it's not a full OS.
 
Ovrclok said:
from what I know it doesn't work. Lion is an upgrade. You can't buy the original OS without buying the computer itself. Lion only upgrades it, it's not a full OS.
Click to expand...

Oh... Well there's always a form of linux :D
 
iamevilbear said:
I have a macbook pro and I'm the division leader. Just think what you could be one day!

I basically have the hard drive split with bootcamp 250gb each partition. Windows 7 on one and Lion on the other.
Click to expand...

Muffinz said:
Here's what you should do:

Buy a boss of a windows laptop
Install osx on it
Profit
??

But seriously just partition the hard drive and split it so you have enough for osx and enough for win7
Click to expand...

Muffinz said:
Just get osx lion on a windows computer and save money ><
Click to expand...

This can work, and driver support for Lion is increasing, but you can't necessarily get Lion to work on any non-Apple PC out there unless you're pro at writing drivers :3

Ovrclok said:
from what I know it doesn't work. Lion is an upgrade. You can't buy the original OS without buying the computer itself. Lion only upgrades it, it's not a full OS.
Click to expand...

Lion is a full OS, though it's tricky to get it in that form. For most people, it is just an upgrade (though you could always try installing Snow Leopard and then upgrading to Lion, but you may have driver issues, though I think these are decreasing)

I personally would go with the MacBook Pro, but I'm an Apple fan, so I'm a bit biased. Honestly, you can probably get more for your money by getting a non-Apple laptop, though I would certainly consider custom-building one if you're not going Apple. If you do go with Apple, I'd suggest dual-booting like evilbear and I do. Most of the games I play work on Mac, but I have to switch over to Windows for a few)
 
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