Gaming on 2011 Airs verse 2010 Airs - Good, Bad, Ugly, or it Depends?

[acastic]

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Do we have a general consensus on whether the new Airs are better, worse, or on par with the old Airs when it comes to gaming? I saw a few threads about Wow and Call of Duty, but what about games like Dragon Age I & II, Two Worlds II, Civ IV & V, Borderlands, etc? I'm most curious about gaming in OS X, but Windows 7 experiences would be appreciated as well. Thanks!

 

[Oppressed]

I was very optimistic until I bought my 2011 and sat it down next to my 2010 and ran games side by side. Long story short I may return this 2011.

IMO we need less theoretical benchmarks and more real world results.

 

[babymor81]

I was very optimistic until I bought my 2011 and sat it down next to my 2010 and ran games side by side. Long story short I may return this 2011.

IMO we need less theoretical benchmarks and more real world results.

i have the MacBookAir3,1 (11")

when i saw this MacBookAir4,1 (11") with it's i5 versus my core 2.. i nearly cried cause i havent even owned the 3,1 for a year... you mean you find 2011 pointless to upgrade? isnt it 2.5 times faster?

 

[Oppressed]

i have the MacBookAir3,1 (11")

when i saw this MacBookAir4,1 (11") with it's i5 versus my core 2.. i nearly cried cause i havent even owned the 3,1 for a year... you mean you find 2011 pointless to upgrade? isnt it 2.5 times faster?

My results.

 

[acastic]

My results.

Wow... that's a big difference, especially on the first set of screenshots. I have a 2010 11 inch ultimate and can easily play Dragon Age II, Borderlands, etc without an issue. I play single player only and don't mind graphics on low or medium.

I'm thinking about getting the 2011 11 inch, but I don't want to compromise my ability to play games. I like the updated CPUs, backlit keyboard, and Thunderbolt additions, which is why I'm considering the upgrade.

 

[Flagg]

Wow... that's a big difference, especially on the first set of screenshots. I have a 2010 11 inch ultimate and can easily play Dragon Age II, Borderlands, etc without an issue. I play single player only and don't mind graphics on low or medium.

I'm thinking about getting the 2011 11 inch, but I don't want to compromise my ability to play games. I like the updated CPUs, backlit keyboard, and Thunderbolt additions, which is why I'm considering the upgrade.

Some games are reported to run better on the 2011's. WoW is not one of them, at least by Oppressed's tests.

 

[major7]

The only way to find out is easy....you people start sharing your fps values.

I posted these results for 13"ultimate when i was having issues with the updates:

https://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?p=12369653&#post12369653

with all settings on medium/high and native res. (just followed the recommended) i got around 25fps for Killing Floor and 40 for CSS (Steam gaming). Also on SL 10.6.7

@oppressed

Are you using Lion on the 2010 13"? Do you notice any difference in gaming?

 

[Oppressed]

@oppressed

Are you using Lion on the 2010 13"? Do you notice any difference in gaming?

I was using Lion on both computers. They were a clone of one another. Not too much difference one way or another in terms of the effect of Lion on games.

 

[major7]

I was using Lion on both computers. They were a clone of one another. Not too much difference one way or another in terms of the effect of Lion on games.

Lion is an update(10.7)...it could show different fps values....i had better values on KF with 10.6.6 that with 10.6.7.

 

[flycats]

My results.

Wow, your server is dead. No SW chat at all in a minute?

 

[Oppressed]

Wow, your server is dead. No SW chat at all in a minute?

Ha, actually it was my feeble attempt to hide my GMotD by scrolling down, but I forgot to do so in other shots.