Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

New Macbook Pros running Diablo 3

doh123 said:
sure it costs money... its also tons of extra work taking care of 2 OSes instead of one. It also takes up tons of space on the drive... plus its Windows. Most people that buy Macs do not want to use Windows. Plus you have to reboot to play a game, making your computer useless to do anything else while playing, unless you want to switch all your software over to Windows, and not just the one game... if that was the case I wouldn't have a Mac in the first place.
Click to expand...

There's no work taking care of Windows 7. MSE is all you need (or install Avast if you really care to) and Software Update as necessary - just like OS X.

You can put as little or as much HD space to the partition that you want. 40GB, 400 GB, or whatever you need to do what you want - just know how much space you're going to need depending on what you need when setting it up.

The vast majority of anyone that games on a Mac has Windows and OS X due to games either being only for Windows or running significantly better in Windows. Then plenty of people need virtual installations for work.

Also rebooting is a slight downside, but also a positive - it can limit how much you play when you have to reboot. I guess if you have no self control it would be the opposite. Probably most mid req games can probably be run via Parallels or VMWare, but those really intensive games need to be run natively to ensure optimal performance.
 
Got a 2012 Macbook Pro 13" yesterday with 8 gb memory.

Installed D3, the game runs fine on low settings. I could probably up a few to medium if I wanted. No lag problems whatsoever, and the computer didn't set off fans or get ridiculously hot after an hour of play in Act 1 Inferno.
 
Windgrace said:
Got a 2012 Macbook Pro 13" yesterday with 8 gb memory.

Installed D3, the game runs fine on low settings. I could probably up a few to medium if I wanted. No lag problems whatsoever, and the computer didn't set off fans or get ridiculously hot after an hour of play in Act 1 Inferno.
Click to expand...

so you are saying you didnt hear the fans (with no game volume obviously)? if this is true then maybe i got a lemon, because mine ramp up to 6000 rpm within the first 5 minutes.

unless you are in a very cold room.

Do you have temperature readings?
 
mintflex said:
so you are saying you didnt hear the fans (with no game volume obviously)? if this is true then maybe i got a lemon, because mine ramp up to 6000 rpm within the first 5 minutes.

unless you are in a very cold room.

Do you have temperature readings?
Click to expand...

Do you have the 8 gb upgrade?

I don't have temperature readings. Is there a program I can run to do so? It seems to run just fine.
 
Last edited:
malman89 said:
There's no work taking care of Windows 7. MSE is all you need (or install Avast if you really care to) and Software Update as necessary - just like OS X.

You can put as little or as much HD space to the partition that you want. 40GB, 400 GB, or whatever you need to do what you want - just know how much space you're going to need depending on what you need when setting it up.

The vast majority of anyone that games on a Mac has Windows and OS X due to games either being only for Windows or running significantly better in Windows. Then plenty of people need virtual installations for work.

Also rebooting is a slight downside, but also a positive - it can limit how much you play when you have to reboot. I guess if you have no self control it would be the opposite. Probably most mid req games can probably be run via Parallels or VMWare, but those really intensive games need to be run natively to ensure optimal performance.
Click to expand...

thats all subjective. If thats all acceptable to you, thats great... install Windows, but those things are NOT acceptable to everyone.
 
Windgrace said:
Do you have the 8 gb upgrade?

I don't have temperature readings. Is there a program I can run to do so? It seems to run just fine.
Click to expand...


13 inch 2.9 ghz model. comes with 8gb.


ya i got temperature monitor from app store for 5$ ( potentially a waste as it is probabaly not 100% accurate) but seeing as how i lost my last computer to heat from gaming i wanted to make sure i was one step ahead this time.

the back near the hinge gets hot to the touch, i put ice packs on the table which is ~1inch below it becuase its on a foam stand.
 
This sound encouraging. I'd love to know how it runs on the 13" MBP on an external monitor at high rez.

I have a 23" HD monitor now. If it runs reasonably well @ 1440x900 then this could be my next computer.

I'm a little spoiled running it maxed at full HD but, I would not miss Windows too much.
 
I don't think this is off topic, just asking about a different model MBP. I'm looking at the new 15" MBP (not the Retina display as I honestly wasn't that impressed with it) and I was wondering if anyone has any experience or insight as to how D3 would run using the NVIDIA GeForce GT 650M with 1GB of GDDR5 memory that comes on the new MBP. Also, in terms of gaming and an overall better experience, is it worth it to upgrade to the higher res display or is the 1440 x 990 more than enough? Would the 1680 x 1050 res prove too much to run Diablo 3 at with most settings at high? What I mainly use my computer for is music (listening and editing), word processing, spread sheets, web browsing, the occasional Adobe Suite, and of course Diablo 3. Any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
 
mintflex said:
13 inch 2.9 ghz model. comes with 8gb.


ya i got temperature monitor from app store for 5$ ( potentially a waste as it is probabaly not 100% accurate) but seeing as how i lost my last computer to heat from gaming i wanted to make sure i was one step ahead this time.

the back near the hinge gets hot to the touch, i put ice packs on the table which is ~1inch below it becuase its on a foam stand.
Click to expand...

there is a temp app for $5 ??? Wow.. I need to do that.. write some apps that already have free apps that do the same exact thing, but charge for them and make some money.
 
Following up here because the anecdotal evidence is starting to trickle in. Macbooks with HD4000 should be able to play Diablo 3 acceptably well.

I really wanted the new fictional 2012 iMac, but the lower cost and bonus mobility of the 13" MBP got me thinking. My feeling is the MBP 15's are just too big. I really prefer desktop mode but of course a laptop is handy.

But MBP 13's hit the sweet spot in price and size. I think the Dual Core i7 is fast enough for serious Photoshop work. And it's good enough to jack into an HD monitor (which I already own) and use two screens and get some real work done. USB 3.0 is a must-have which is turning me off the 2011 iMacs.

The last question is casual gaming.

1. Here's a YouTube video of the 2012 Air playing Diablo 3 pretty well. Same HD4000 video as the MBP 13", they should perform equally. Note that he left shadows enabled. Turning them off is the #1 way to speed up the game. This is at 1280x800. I would really like to see 1680x1050 but I doubt that's going to fly. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gc5FXiPUcFk

2. This is a good post from somebody who seems to understand how the settings affect game play. https://us.battle.net/d3/en/forum/topic/5870127100

3. The rMBP at full resolution Diablo 3 if you're into that. The reviewer didn't bother to lower the performance settings, what a pity. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sQx43mJJwBI

It still remains to be seen if bootcamping to Win7 will improve the game at all. That would be a last resort and not preferred but, I'd still like to see the numbers.
 
Windgrace said:
Really, now? Interesting. My mom's older 15" with the Nvidia card, duo core set-up has the settings on low and sometimes I still get lag problems. Hence my worry about going with a 13" Pro.

Edit- I'm also talking about the basic 2.5 ghz processor in the new MBP. Do I need to do the upgrades to the 2.9 (I think that's what it was)?
Click to expand...

All about the resolution change. One of, if not the biggest factor in how much graphic power is needed.
 
It doesn't matter.
They destroyed any remnants of fun in the Diablo franchise by destroying attack speed today.

It's literally unbearable.
Buy Diablo II or Hellfire.
 
Fandongo said:
It doesn't matter.
They destroyed any remnants of fun in the Diablo franchise by destroying attack speed today.

It's literally unbearable.
Buy Diablo II or Hellfire.
Click to expand...

This cracks me up for some reason.

I played Diablo 2 back in the day and I played it again in 2012 to get warmed up for Diablo 3.

I have to agree, Diablo 2 was a much better game. It was infinitely more complex in how you could build up your character. It's a shame it was dumbed down so much for 3. I haven't tried the attack speed 1.03 patch yet but I'll check it out tonight.
 
InlawBiker said:
Following up here because the anecdotal evidence is starting to trickle in. Macbooks with HD4000 should be able to play Diablo 3 acceptably well.

I really wanted the new fictional 2012 iMac, but the lower cost and bonus mobility of the 13" MBP got me thinking. My feeling is the MBP 15's are just too big. I really prefer desktop mode but of course a laptop is handy.

But MBP 13's hit the sweet spot in price and size. I think the Dual Core i7 is fast enough for serious Photoshop work. And it's good enough to jack into an HD monitor (which I already own) and use two screens and get some real work done. USB 3.0 is a must-have which is turning me off the 2011 iMacs.

The last question is casual gaming.

1. Here's a YouTube video of the 2012 Air playing Diablo 3 pretty well. Same HD4000 video as the MBP 13", they should perform equally. Note that he left shadows enabled. Turning them off is the #1 way to speed up the game. This is at 1280x800. I would really like to see 1680x1050 but I doubt that's going to fly. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gc5FXiPUcFk

2. This is a good post from somebody who seems to understand how the settings affect game play. https://us.battle.net/d3/en/forum/topic/5870127100

3. The rMBP at full resolution Diablo 3 if you're into that. The reviewer didn't bother to lower the performance settings, what a pity. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sQx43mJJwBI

It still remains to be seen if bootcamping to Win7 will improve the game at all. That would be a last resort and not preferred but, I'd still like to see the numbers.
Click to expand...

I have to agree... the Intel HD 4000 is very impressive. I have a Macbook Pro Retina, and I forced the Intel HD 4000 to stay on for some testing, and I can even get Skyrim to run at 1280x800 at ultra settings and remain fluid... and thats not even in Windows, but with Wineskin. Most games at low settings shouldn't even be a question if they'll work or not, but... yes they will.
 
I ran through most of Act 1 with some friends on an alt character today, I also briefly tested Acts 2-4.

I am running stock ram (4 GBs) and HD (5400 rpm). I do not know if this will make a difference.

My goal was to be able to play the game at native res (1280x800) with at least high textures even if I had to turn everything off or on low. Well, unfortunately, there's still some choppiness and jerky gameplay with those settings (this includes low fx enabled). The game still runs smooth for the most part, but you'll still encounter areas of choppiness, and this was most apparent in the 3 man party I was in today (none of which were Witch Doctors, which would make things worse).

Could this run smooth with low textures? Maybe, I guess I'll try that later, but I would be a bit disappointed if I had to do that. Either way, it runs well enough that it's not worth getting the slightly higher settings through boot camp. For the guy concerned about heat, my fans did rev up audibly, and my macbook did get a bit warm, but nowhere near as loud or hot as my old macbook playing D3.
 
InlawBiker said:
This cracks me up for some reason.

I played Diablo 2 back in the day and I played it again in 2012 to get warmed up for Diablo 3.

I have to agree, Diablo 2 was a much better game. It was infinitely more complex in how you could build up your character. It's a shame it was dumbed down so much for 3. I haven't tried the attack speed 1.03 patch yet but I'll check it out tonight.
Click to expand...

Obviously, people complaining about the demon hunter being overpowered got through. Ignoring that they easily get 1hit killed in inferno, they took away the fun behind hungering arrow, skills like rapid fire are less effected.
Monk still attacks fairly fast, so long as you double fist.
Barb, even at max frenzy - feels slow.

I don't understand, ruin the damage from super fast attacks - fine. Ruin the speed of all attacks, all classes become less fun. Life on hit bonuses are now completely useless, as is any hope to stun.

If you've been to inferno, you know everything is retarded fast.
To keep you from living...they made sure to implement (a while ago) a 25% movement speed cap.
Now attack speed is nothing.
What's next?
Vitality?
It makes the game too easy if you can just...survive a hit.

D2 made massive renovations with most patches too.
But it wasn't every day.
And it wasn't monetarily motivated.
And the only class they ever totally screwed was the sorceress.
Which happens to be the only class not totally boned by the 1.03 patch.

It was fun while it lasted.
At least I can still play the old 1.02 single player....
oh, wait.
 
I have not been to inferno yet. I have two chars in Nightmare, a Barbarian and Witch Doctor. I played the Barbarian for a couple hours.

He does feel a lot slower. Two-hand weapon is almost useless now it's so slow. My speed-up stuff is now cut in half so, I guess it's time to focus on some other stat.
 
Diablo3 runs really really good after the latest patch. No more stuttering at all.
 
mintflex said:
so you are saying you didnt hear the fans (with no game volume obviously)? if this is true then maybe i got a lemon, because mine ramp up to 6000 rpm within the first 5 minutes.

unless you are in a very cold room.

Do you have temperature readings?
Click to expand...

Hey guys i just want to help you guys out cause i feel your pain. I got a mbp 13" early 2011 and did a lot of research about d3 running on it. running at 6000 rpm while d3 is running is totally normal.. fan is suppose to kick in and your temperature low 90s to high 80s is normal (depending on the tempature of the room).

In my personal experience I was at 91-92c fans on constantly. To help reduce heat in the laptop and not messing up the expensive battery it came with I have removed the battery out of the mbp. By doing that it will prolong the laptop and my mbp been running around 70s. My fans do not even turn on whats so ever cause most of the heat is coming from the battery itself. How ever you do need a special screw driver to remove the battery if you are considering to remove it. the screw driver that is needed is the "Tri Wing Y1 screwdriver"

For me it was worth while removing it because i play a few hours a day and my laptop usually just sits on my desk. If I ever do need it to be portable it just a few screws to put that battery back in.. takes only 5 minutes.

About lag and graphics issue:

No matter what mbp you planning to get you will experience lag due to the integrated graphics card to the board. Mac is simply not made for gaming.. running win7 on your mac will dramatically increase the fps give or take double in mac os. But personally I bought a mac for the mac os and i tried to find alternative to make it run smooth with out win7.

Here is what i recommend you do from variety of sources I collected,in diablo 3 change the settings to this:

-Display full screen
-resolution 800 x 600
-letterbox uncheck
-vertical sync check or uncheck (test it out for yourself.. some people say its better with it and some people think likewise)
-max foreground fps 15
-max background fps 1
-texture low
-shadow quality low
-physics low
-clutter density off
-anti aliasing off
-low fx on

another way to boost ur fps:

go to spotlight type in "D3prefs" and open it
make the following changes:

Disabletrilinearfiltering "1"
Hardwareclass "1"

let me know if you guys got any questions. Hope this will help you guys
 
Does anyone happen to have a Diablo 3 guest pass that they'd be willing to give? I'll looking to try it out on my rMBP and would be willing to give detailed impressions in exchange.
 
SirShavesALot said:
I'm looking at the new 15" MBP (not the Retina display as I honestly wasn't that impressed with it) and I was wondering if anyone has any experience or insight as to how D3 would run using the NVIDIA GeForce GT 650M with 1GB of GDDR5 memory that comes on the new MBP.
Click to expand...

I'd like to know how Diablo 3 runs on the 15" 512Meg version.
 
DragonJade said:
I'd like to know how Diablo 3 runs on the 15" 512Meg version.
Click to expand...

It runs great, fully maxed at 1440x900. I play it at 1680x1050 (external monitor) at all High settings except I disabled shadows and it's fine. I might be able to turn on the shadows, but I haven't tried it yet.

There's a bug in this version of Diablo 3 so that I can't see the FPS, it always says 0. I expect they'll fix that eventually.
 
InlawBiker said:
It runs great, fully maxed at 1440x900. I play it at 1680x1050 (external monitor) at all High settings except I disabled shadows and it's fine. I might be able to turn on the shadows, but I haven't tried it yet.

There's a bug in this version of Diablo 3 so that I can't see the FPS, it always says 0. I expect they'll fix that eventually.
Click to expand...

That's good to know. Thanks. I don't spend too much time on games, just fits and starts, but it's good to know that it'll handle Diablo 3 when I get around to it.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back