Aluminum Macbook: GTA4 in Boot Camp

[Knolly]

Has anyone managed to GTA4 working with any degree of success in boot camp with an aluminum Macbook?

It barely plays for me at the lowest resolution and settings... I know the MB isn't the most powerful gaming machine, but GTA4 looks like utter crap and barely runs when I can get other games looking amazing and running like sex.

I've been doing reading and GTA4 is just horribly unoptimized for PC, but has anyone made any leeway in this?

 

[0098386]

Le sigh.

GTAIV is a sandbox game and the most advanced one at that, not just graphically either as it's extremely CPU and Ram intensive. I don't think a Macbook was ever meant to play this. Does the 9400M (a mobile graphics card) even make the minimum spec sheet?

For the same reasons my iMac can play TF2 with any settings or resolution I throw at it... Once I set San Andreas to max settings at the second highest resolution it slows right down.

 

[JackAxe]

The 9400 does meet the minimum spec, but like the Intels it's replacing, it's an integrated GPU. On top of that inherent bottle neck, it only has 16 stream cores. The 9600m has 32 cores. When compared to the desktop nVidias, these GPUs are both lacking.

GTIV does need further optimization though, it was a rushed port.

 

[Knolly]

I'm quite convinced now that the 9400M IS capable of running GTA4 with some better drivers and if the game had been better optimized...

I finally got the game running using the latest Dox Drivers:
http://www.laptopvideo2go.com/forum/index.php?showforum=122

Kind of sort of playable, but still looks like crap. Le sigh indeed.

And my aluminum Macbook can play TF2 with just about any settings I throw at it as well. The 9400M is a powerful puppy. Not as powerful as a modern discrete graphics of course, but far more powerful than what you think of as an integrated GPU.

 

[Carrot007]

To be honest GTA4 does not really not a very powerful gfx card.

Unfortunatly what is does need and what is non negotiable is.... 3 Cores.

Yes this is a hangover because thats the way the 360 version was obviously done and that was most liekyl their starting point for the port.

I doubt the game will ever be playable on a machine with less than three cores.

Without the 3 cores it is always barely playable regardless of the settings.

With 3 cores it runs nicely.

Unfortunatly this pretty much rules the game out on all macs!

Ahh well, I game on my PC. WOuld be nice to play is on my laptop too (a mac), but that will habve to wait for a future generation.

it is possible that with some optimisation things might run better on 2 cores but I think that would be too much ofa re-write to ever happen. Especially since the game is now out.

 

[0098386]

Even Stalker on my MB doesn't run great, I've got it set to low, smaller than native resolution with the lighting option set to the middle one and I still barely reach above 25fps.

Some games are just hella optimised. I hope they do optimise GTAIV though, I'd rather play it on PC than any console.

 

[JackAxe]

To be honest GTA4 does not really not a very powerful gfx card.

Unfortunatly what is does need and what is non negotiable is.... 3 Cores.

Yes this is a hangover because thats the way the 360 version was obviously done and that was most liekyl their starting point for the port.

I doubt the game will ever be playable on a machine with less than three cores.

Without the 3 cores it is always barely playable regardless of the settings.

With 3 cores it runs nicely.

Unfortunatly this pretty much rules the game out on all macs!

Ahh well, I game on my PC. WOuld be nice to play is on my laptop too (a mac), but that will habve to wait for a future generation.

it is possible that with some optimisation things might run better on 2 cores but I think that would be too much ofa re-write to ever happen. Especially since the game is now out.

LOL, your hangover completely effected your grammar. I on the other hand don't have an excuse -- well, I'm tired.

For the higher detail settings in GTAIV PC -- which a console can not handle, a more powerful GPU is needed. These mobile GPUs, especially the integrated GPUs still have bottlenecks compared to the desktop GPUs.

If the 360's proc wasn't rather week, you would have a point, but as is, it's a watered down Power PC. Each core only spits out 2 instructions and its VMX is a joke compared to modern SIMDS. All 3 cores combined are maybe on par with a single 1.8 Ghz G5 -- you can fill in the rest.

GTAIV was built on a console for its strengths, it was rushed to the PC.

When a port is done right for the PC, like Gears of War, Fallout 3, and Devil May Cry 4 to name a few, they not only look better than their console counterpart, but they run at higher frame-rates when played on "reasonable" PCs. Their minimum specs are also more realistic. I know RockStar can't perform magic, but I also know that if this game had been given more time, or had started out on the PC, they would have avoided many of these complaints and it would run better on more configurations.

Besides needing optimization, look at the 360 vs a PC and you'll see why so many PCs are having an issue. The difference is literally night and day with the PC version looking substantially better;
http://www.n4g.com/xbox360/News-249364.aspx

 

[Carrot007]

Heh sorry about the blah!

All I was trying to say is the game appears to really want 3 cores and does not work well otherwise. Even giving it 2 really fast cores. This is the conclusion a lot of people out there seem to have come to.

Including myself after my annual xmas pc upgrade!

Before

9800 GT 512mb, 4gb, amd 2.6 ghz dual core.

after

9800 GT 512mb, 4gb, intel 2.4 ghz quad core.

(yes I do know one intel 2.4 core is much faster than one of the old amd 2.6 cores)

And GTA IV went from unplayable to nice.

On the AMD the settings in GTA had little effect on the game as the problem was the CPU.

They should be able to make it run nicely on dual core, but wheather they will is another thing.

 

[JackAxe]

I have issues with my grammar no matter my state of mind.

The more the merrier. I just can't see the 360's extra core as too much of an impact, because it is so watered down.

I know that GTA IV says it like Quads with 64 bit OSs, so RockStar probably spent most of their time optimizing it for those setups.

I'm running an Intel 9450 and a PNY 9600 GT -- it was on sale for $129 earlier this year and I can be cheap. I read that they're defective though, so I'm a bit paranoid. I mainly use this rig for rendering, but it's been great for all the games I've bought this year. My PC is mostly plugged into a 15" which sits next to my HD 30" -- which I use for my Mac. Small screens are good for desk space and LAN parties. If I weren't so lazy, I would plug my PC into my 30" more often. It does a great job at 1900 and if needed 1680 with these newer games. Older games have no problems at 2560.

I'm waiting for a price drop in GTA IV before I buy. I'm also hoping for further fixes by that time, but I won't hold my breath. I'll be honest, I wasn't even interested in this game until after I watched Zero Punctuation's review earlier this year.

 

[resonanttoe]

GTAIV was built on a console for its strengths, it was rushed to the PC.

GTA's have always been rushed to the PC, at least anything from GTA3 onwards.

Rockstar definately shifted their focus away from a High quality PC game and into the console market.

I've never really been too keen on GTA's for PC.

 

[0098386]

I've never really been too keen on GTA's for PC.

They're about the same to me. I sit back with a 360 controller (SAAC mod) for San Andreas, I do much more driving than shooting in GTA so it the controller works better for me.
Multi Theft Auto is supposed to be good... I think it's called that anyways the San Andreas online mod.

 

[JackAxe]

My friend eggs me on about getting Sand Andreas -- I think this was the one, because he picked it for $15 and he says the same thing over an over, you got to have a wheel to play this game.

I'd only opt to play any of these games on the PC, primarily because I hate thumb-aiming for obvious reasons. I don't have a wheel, but it's nice that on a PC any controller configuration can be used -- given that the developer wasn't lazy.

Newer games with the "Games for Windows" label are required to support a 360 pad, which to be honest I don't like, because it tends to gimp the game's sophistication. On the other hand it's good for accessibility I guess,

 

[Carrot007]

GTA's have always been rushed to the PC, at least anything from GTA3 onwards.

Rockstar definately shifted their focus away from a High quality PC game and into the console market.

I've never really been too keen on GTA's for PC.

Hmm, most odd! Still everyone has a different view I guess!

Well GTA 1 & 2 were a PC game first with console ports later. Excellent fun at the time, especially the 3dfx version of gta1!

GTA3. At this point the management took over and the game went where the money was, which in gaming is consoles. Though how people put up with the game I do not know. The PS2 version (being exclusive for 6months) was terrible, the machine was just not up to the task of running the game, it was horrible! I spose the machine probably could have run the game ok since VC and SA were actually better on it, but it was early days in ps2 gamingm, not as much optimisation and had a new engine etc.

As for controlers, like FPS's GTA needs a keyboard and mouse.

Autoaim? Yeah may as well have autoplay and make the game play itself ;-) And the sniper bits yeah you need a mouse! Sucks otherwise!

GTA4. Well still console focused and actually playable and not bad. (I bought the PS3 version myself) I was upset they did not put in keyboard / mouse control. No reason they could not have as a extra, the PS3 and 360 have USB so there would have been no problem. So I casually played it and waited for the PC version, which is great. (Well beyond all the registration and LIVE/Rockstar online nonsence).

The console version would have been good enough for me if I could use a keybaord and mouse to play the game properly. (even is you were to hack a keyb/mose onto the console the version is not expecvting it liek the pc version does so wouldbe no better).