MacBook & MacBook Pro Buying Questions

[COglesby]

Ok, so I am making the change to Mac for a notebook. I have a nice Desktop PC that I game on but I would like to be able to possibly play WoW on a MacBook when travelling. I don't really have the money to spend on a MacBook Pro so I was wondering if a MacBook 1.83GHz Duo with 1GB Ram would be enough to to run WoW on some low settings. I mainly want to use this PC for school/IT purposes so I'd also like to install Windows XP on it since I have a copy here to avoid repurchasing Office for Mac.

So I guess my question is, will a MacBook just not push the things I'm wanting to do to the point if I don't get a MacBook Pro I'll just be disappointed? Can't seem to find many reviews of the MacBook, only the MacBook Pro. Thanks

 

[ericmjl]

Ok, so I am making the change to Mac for a notebook. I have a nice Desktop PC that I game on but I would like to be able to possibly play WoW on a MacBook when travelling. I don't really have the money to spend on a MacBook Pro so I was wondering if a MacBook 1.83GHz Duo with 1GB Ram would be enough to to run WoW on some low settings. I mainly want to use this PC for school/IT purposes so I'd also like to install Windows XP on it since I have a copy here to avoid repurchasing Office for Mac.

So I guess my question is, will a MacBook just not push the things I'm wanting to do to the point if I don't get a MacBook Pro I'll just be disappointed? Can't seem to find many reviews of the MacBook, only the MacBook Pro. Thanks

Definitely, if you want a guarantee of a good gaming experience, then get the MacBook Pro. However, there is an alternative, and that lies in the MacBook.

As you should know, the MacBook gives you an integrated graphics card, which shares memory with the RAM. Apple says it'll use 64MB, but then it may use more, when it comes to graphic intensive applications. So my main point here is that you're not really getting just 64MB of graphics memory, because the graphics system can use more RAM if it needs to.

Now, after clarifying this, you should then read this article:
http://www.macworld.com/2006/06/firstlooks/macbookgames/index.php

If you've read it, all the better.

My own conclusions from the article are as such:
1. The MacBook will run games fine. 3D games should do fine too, given that you have enough RAM inside.
2. Get 2GB of RAM on the cheap. Forget about getting it from Apple, for they're too expensive. Post another thread asking where to get cheap RAM. I've heard of Canada RAM if you're in the land of maple leafs like me, and other online stores that have some cheap RAM that's compatible.
3. What is WoW classified as? A "latest" game? Or a less "new" game? If it is not one of the "latest" 3D games, I'm pretty confident that with enough RAM, you should be able to run it well on a MacBook.

Hope this helps!

 

[Unspeaked]

I've heard WoW runs bad in general on the Intel Macs; it'll run even worse on the MacBook.

If you're used to using it on a PC, you'll probably notice a stark difference.

Personally, I don't play games, so if I used it on a MacBook, it'd probably look fine to me - but only because I don't know what I'd be missing.

If you're going to game, invest the extra and get a MacBook Pro. Games would run better on a vanilla MacBook Pro than a MacBook that's been souped up with RAM, etc.

 

[psziel]

I installed WOW on my 1.83 white macbook for my son to try, he plays it on a regular basis. He said he turned the graphics down slightly and it ran fine (no lagging at all). all i did was upgrade to 2 GB ram and all is well! I had the same problem with deciding between the macbook and the pro, i havent second guess my decision yet.

I've heard WoW runs bad in general on the Intel Macs; it'll run even worse on the MacBook.

If you're used to using it on a PC, you'll probably notice a stark difference.

Personally, I don't play games, so if I used it on a MacBook, it'd probably look fine to me - but only because I don't know what I'd be missing.

If you're going to game, invest the extra and get a MacBook Pro. Games would run better on a vanilla MacBook Pro than a MacBook that's been souped up with RAM, etc.