Games, specifically counter strike

[DRgreenyellow9]

Does anyone run counter strike on the macbook air? Or will it run? Obviously with xp installed in bootcamp or whatever. I am in the market for getting either the air or the pro, the air is just so sweet looking and would be PERFECT for class.

Will it run okay? I don't mean source, either 1.6 or CZ. Thanks in advance!

 

[chrules]

Yes it can...

Hi, i have a Macbook, and it has the same graphic card as the Macbook Air, so it should be the same. I have both counter-strike 1.6 Source, and even Half-Life 2 running through crossover 7, and they run perfect .. actually i compared it to when i play in bootcamp and crossover seems to work better, also the case for Portal, and Jedi Academy... Haven't tried Condition Zero, but my guess is that it'll work. By the way, Crossover will only run the real CS through steam, and not a fake LAN version.. From my experience, and they also say on the website...
Good luck ^^

 

[Jethryn Freyman]

Should work fine. I had to use Windows 95 compatibility mode to get it to work smoothly on my MBP.

 

[waffle911]

...i have a Macbook, and it has the same graphic card as the Macbook Air, so it should be the same...

Not necessarily. The integrated graphics chip leaves alot to the processor, and the MBA CPU just doesn't match the MB's. Plus there is the issue of RAM, of which the MBA has 2GB and cannot be expanded with more. Subtract the RAM shared with the graphics chipset and you have something like an epileptic seizure as the frames go by one by one. I don't think it would really be all that playable, though it should run. On lowest settings, at least.

Should work fine. I had to use Windows 95 compatibility mode to get it to work smoothly on my MBP.

The MBP and MBA are two completely different animals. The MBP has a discrete graphics card which enhances performance dramatically, so any trouble running a game on a MBP would be greatly amplified on a MBA.

 

[Readma]

I used to run 1.6, source and CZ on a computer that was a hell of a lot less powerful then a MBA. eg. Radeon X300 128mb, 2.5ghz processor, 512mb ram.
Back in the days when these games first came out that was pretty much the standard config. Sure this setup may have been a desktop and not a laptop but the MBA is still alot more powerful.

I would say at the very least you would have no problem running 1.6 and as CZ uses the same engine as 1.6 you should not have any problems running it either. I would also be willing to bet that CSS with run fine as well. If you don't want to take any risks with it then i would get a MBP

 

[asphyxiafeeling]

Not necessarily. The integrated graphics chip leaves alot to the processor, and the MBA CPU just doesn't match the MB's. Plus there is the issue of RAM, of which the MBA has 2GB and cannot be expanded with more. Subtract the RAM shared with the graphics chipset and you have something like an epileptic seizure as the frames go by one by one. I don't think it would really be all that playable, though it should run. On lowest settings, at least.

The MBP and MBA are two completely different animals. The MBP has a discrete graphics card which enhances performance dramatically, so any trouble running a game on a MBP would be greatly amplified on a MBA.

i understand where you are coming from but it's really irrelevant with counterstrike. that game was released 5 years ago. the actual system req for the game are 500MHZ and 96MB of RAM for crying out loud!

in short-

the game will run perfectly. 100% certain.

 

[chrules]

Not that much of a difference..

Quote:
Originally Posted by chrules
...i have a Macbook, and it has the same graphic card as the Macbook Air, so it should be the same...
Not necessarily. The integrated graphics chip leaves alot to the processor, and the MBA CPU just doesn't match the MB's. Plus there is the issue of RAM, of which the MBA has 2GB and cannot be expanded with more. Subtract the RAM shared with the graphics chipset and you have something like an epileptic seizure as the frames go by one by one. I don't think it would really be all that playable, though it should run. On lowest settings, at least.


Well, i have the low end macbook with 2.1 Ghz and 1 gb ram so it should not be that much of a difference at all... But my point is it will work 100% on an MBA...

 

[chrules]

Not necessarily. The integrated graphics chip leaves alot to the processor, and the MBA CPU just doesn't match the MB's. Plus there is the issue of RAM, of which the MBA has 2GB and cannot be expanded with more. Subtract the RAM shared with the graphics chipset and you have something like an epileptic seizure as the frames go by one by one. I don't think it would really be all that playable, though it should run. On lowest settings, at least.

Actually my macbook has 1 GB ram, and 2.1 Ghz CPU, so the difference is not that big at all.. The CPU part doesn't really make a huge difference from 2.1 to 1.8.. But my point is that it should indeed be very playable..

 

[w00tini]

CS came out almost ten years ago. 1.6 is basically a hopped up Quake I engine. it will run fine. load times will be a bit slow, so you might miss the pistol rounds :-0

 

[deputylove8]

The MBA and MB has similar specs in terms of graphic cards. If one were to solely base the playability of CS (taking in account 2gb Ram that the MBA has)...then theoratically it should work.

However, being thin, MBA overheats very quickly, especially when one runs energy/power hungry applications. Overheating in the MBA may lead to a core shutdown in which yr MBA suddenly just dies while you are happily shooting away. Core shutdowns do not affect all MBAs. However, many have complained about it. Mine does die off when it is overly hot and I dont play games. I just use mine for net, work etc.It shuts down after being used for a loooong time.

 

[BornToMac]

My two cents, MBP. The MBP is a better machine for graphics intensive applications, period. Also, if you look at the forums, you can expect new, and probably cheaper laptops in the near future. My advice, wait til the end of the summer and get the revised MBP, set it up to your HDTV with an HDMI cable, and go to town.

 

[waffle911]

i understand where you are coming from but it's really irrelevant with counterstrike. that game was released 5 years ago. the actual system req for the game are 500MHZ and 96MB of RAM for crying out loud!

in short-

the game will run perfectly. 100% certain.

But those were the minimum requirements, which rarely reflect what is needed to actually be decently playable.

I used to run 1.6, source and CZ on a computer that was a hell of a lot less powerful then a MBA. eg. Radeon X300 128mb, 2.5ghz processor, 512mb ram.
Back in the days when these games first came out that was pretty much the standard config. Sure this setup may have been a desktop and not a laptop but the MBA is still alot more powerful.

Not where it counts. CS 1.6/CZ is single-threaded, so no bonus points there for dual-core, plus the clock is higher than a MacBook Air. That Radeon X300 is more powerful than the X3100 because it is a discrete graphics card and Intel integrated graphics are totally gutless; plus the X3100 is forced to share system RAM rather than dedicated on-board GRAM, even though it has 144MB available rather than 128MB (16MB doesn't make a whole lotta difference).

I haven't yet heard of anyone actually playing CS on a MBA; as for gaming in general, if you're willing to shell out for a MBA, then go for a MBP like the guy above said.