Mac Mini + Blizzard Games

[iriejedi]

I desperately need a new computer - my 2008 Mac Pro is just ready.

No longer an avid gamer but I'm still a fan of the Starcraft and Diablo games. They play well on my 2008 Mac Pro with the Radeon 5870 card..... mostly top settings.

I expect so much has changed in 10 years with stock components... what are the odd a decently spec'd Mini will play StarCraft 2 at highest graphic settings?


Considering the 6 core 3.2Ghz+32GB Ram

 

[jrlcopy]

They will def play, Starcraft 2 is playable on my 2014 13" Macbook Pro. However ... you won't get max settings, figure medium/medium/low. Get an eGPU if you want MAX settings.

 

[fokmik]

you can always , for better settings , get a eGPU down the line...thats the beauty of the TB3

 

[radiohead007]

I am in the same boat. 2008 Mac Pro 2.8 4 core here. It crashes randomly. Can’t tell what’s going on but family is irritated by it. Waiting on the user upgradeable ram question then Mac mini 2018 with max cpu, 1tb ssd. Will get an owc 4 bay enclosure.. and an egpu in 2019 when there are more options. that ought to cover games well.

I desperately need a new computer - my 2008 Mac Pro is just ready.

No longer an avid gamer but I'm still a fan of the Starcraft and Diablo games. They play well on my 2008 Mac Pro with the Radeon 5870 card..... mostly top settings.

I expect so much has changed in 10 years with stock components... what are the odd a decently spec'd Mini will play StarCraft 2 at highest graphic settings?


Considering the 6 core 3.2Ghz+32GB Ram

 

[pallymore]

Expect to play it in low-res + low settings only.

Out of curiosity I installed WoW on my 2017 13inch MBP. It runs OK if I change the resolution to 720p and turn pretty much everything off (or to lowest settings).

Now the GPU in the new mini (UHD 630) is about 25% - 50% slower than the one in 2017 13 MBP. (Iris plus 650)

It's not for gamers. If you really have to play games in macOS (and with this mini), you will want a eGPU - which doesn't work in Bootcamp windows BTW.

---

I assume you can play Hearthstone or Starcraft Remastered without any problems though.
SC2 is probably OK but I wouldn't count on it.

 

[iriejedi]

I am in the same boat. 2008 Mac Pro 2.8 4 core here. It crashes randomly. Can’t tell what’s going on but family is irritated by it. Waiting on the user upgradeable ram question then Mac mini 2018 with max cpu, 1tb ssd. Will get an owc 4 bay enclosure.. and an egpu in 2019 when there are more options. that ought to cover games well.

Ram is upgradable - watch the middle video review - but they say it 'tricky' and pro level. Needs a special tool and they Recommend still taking it to an authorized shop. I may bite the bullet. Honestly SC2 is a nice (have not booted it up in over a year for games... but kept thinking a new computer I'd pick it up again. My need to haves are OFFICE 365 and Quicken 2019 and of course safari - LOL.

 

[apolloa]

As I’m interested in this topic also, I was under the impression egpu’s DO work under Boorcamp especially if connected bu thunderbolt 3, because Apple supports it? I was thinking if the new Mac Mini next year as my new computer, but a key aspect would be an egpu working in Bootcamp.
One of my old games I play is also Starcraft 2

The Microsoft Surface Go can run a lot of games like Starcraft 2. And it’s Intel GPU is very low spec:

 

[Spankey]

As I’m interested in this topic also, I was under the impression egpu’s DO work under Boorcamp especially if connected bu thunderbolt 3, because Apple supports it? I was thinking if the new Mac Mini next year as my new computer, but a key aspect would be an egpu working in Bootcamp.
One of my old games I play is also Starcraft 2

I've been using Bootcamp on my MBP with pretty much no issues for the past few months. Plug and play. Only thing I did have to do is get the current drives from bootcampdrivers.com and follow all instructions for removing previous drivers and installing current.
[doublepost=1541537101][/doublepost]

It's not for gamers. If you really have to play games in macOS (and with this mini), you will want a eGPU - which doesn't work in Bootcamp windows BTW.

This is not true at all.

 

[apolloa]

I've been using Bootcamp on my MBP with pretty much no issues for the past few months. Plug and play. Only thing I did have to do is get the current drives from bootcampdrivers.com and follow all instructions for removing previous drivers and installing current.

Thanks, I thought so, I looked heavily into this in the Mac Pro forum when I was thinking of buying a trash can Mac Pro second hand, it seemed to be a nightmare from what I was told because of Thunderbolt 2, but ver3 is supported by Apple. So I thought it would be easier to get working.

 

[Spankey]

I've been using Bootcamp on my MBP with pretty much no issues for the past few months. Plug and play. Only thing I did have to do is get the current drives from bootcampdrivers.com and follow all instructions for removing previous drivers and installing current.
[doublepost=1541537101][/doublepost]

This is not true at all.

Also, Starcraft 2 plays VERY well with Metal in Mac OS

 

[pallymore]

I've been using Bootcamp on my MBP with pretty much no issues for the past few months. Plug and play. Only thing I did have to do is get the current drives from bootcampdrivers.com and follow all instructions for removing previous drivers and installing current.
[doublepost=1541537101][/doublepost]

This is not true at all.

I understand there are 3rd party workarounds but I don't think it is officially supported.

According to this:

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT208544

4. macOS High Sierra 10.13.4 and later don't support eGPUs in Windows using Boot Camp or when your Mac is in macOS Recovery or installing system updates.

No official support means 3rd party solutions might just stop working after one system update. So there are risks to be involved. When you are putting down $700+ for a eGPU that's something to consider.

 

[Razzerman]

It's not for gamers. If you really have to play games in macOS (and with this mini), you will want a eGPU - which doesn't work in Bootcamp windows BTW.

Wow, that would be a real deal-breaker for me if I was considering the new mini. No official bootcamp support for a egpu; may as well go hackintosh or stick with a cMP. Or wait for the mMP

 

[Spankey]

Not supported and doesn’t work are two entirely different things. Bootcamp actually works quite well and any past issues were more to do with Windows handling of a internal MBP GPUs than Bootcamp itself.

 

[apolloa]

Wow, that would be a real deal-breaker for me if I was considering the new mini. No official bootcamp support for a egpu; may as well go hackintosh or stick with a cMP. Or wait for the mMP

With the way Apple is pricing it’s things, next years Mac Pro for playing some games will be one seriously expensive machine!
The new Mini with egpu is kinda a good way to go, if you can make it work.