Oh yeah, I should also say - the Apple service is the best. But service is irrelevant if the OS cannot play games from 5 years ago at full settings. Mind you Bootcamp fixes this issue... The decision is hard for sure.
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Torn between MBP or alienware m17x!
- Thread starter piazon79
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You will be fine, it will play the game fine. What size screen are you after for the MB Pro? The M17X is MASSIVE, it is really a beast of a machine and IMO looks damn ugly, a McBook Pro is like a exquisite piece of jewellery next to it.
And the MacBook Pro is NOT about to be updated either!!
I was torn between the m15x and the MacBook Pro in my signature. Actually, I would have a m15x right now if they didn't have problems with their PayPal checkout the night I almost bought it. Wow, that would have been a big mistake. I do not regret my MacBook Pro at all. Mac OS X is an amazing operating system, it looks gorgeous, and Mac OS and Windows run very well on it. Plus, the m15x wasn't a particurally well-built machine, though it looked nice. Notably, the m17x is much bigger in person than you would imagine,
Unfortunately, I don't really game anymore, but I can tell you that my MacBook Pro is impressive when I tried a few games on it. Native games I've tried in OS X:
Portal - Except for AA and AF, I completely maxed out all of the settings at 1680x1050. Plays above 30 frames per second usually, though audio will occasionally cut out for a few seconds.
World of Warcraft - Everything maxed out at 1680x1050, 40-80 frames per second typically
In Windows:
Age of Conan - Very demanding MMO. It played 20 frames per second and up maxed out at 1440x900 aside from the AA and AF before the DX10 and performance updates.
Crysis - High settings and 2x AA weren't a problem at 1440x990, the game ran above 25 frames per second.
Modern Warfare 2 should have no problem running on medium settings at the very least on the new MacBook Pro with better hardware than mine. I'm confident I could come close to maxing out Modern Warfare 2 on my year and a half old model. The MacBook Pro is a much more solid machine than the m17x, though the m17x has a much more powerful video card setup.
You can find good videos of the current-generation MacBook Pro playing Modern Warfare 2 on YouTube, along with other games.
Unfortunately, I don't really game anymore, but I can tell you that my MacBook Pro is impressive when I tried a few games on it. Native games I've tried in OS X:
Portal - Except for AA and AF, I completely maxed out all of the settings at 1680x1050. Plays above 30 frames per second usually, though audio will occasionally cut out for a few seconds.
World of Warcraft - Everything maxed out at 1680x1050, 40-80 frames per second typically
In Windows:
Age of Conan - Very demanding MMO. It played 20 frames per second and up maxed out at 1440x900 aside from the AA and AF before the DX10 and performance updates.
Crysis - High settings and 2x AA weren't a problem at 1440x990, the game ran above 25 frames per second.
Modern Warfare 2 should have no problem running on medium settings at the very least on the new MacBook Pro with better hardware than mine. I'm confident I could come close to maxing out Modern Warfare 2 on my year and a half old model. The MacBook Pro is a much more solid machine than the m17x, though the m17x has a much more powerful video card setup.
You can find good videos of the current-generation MacBook Pro playing Modern Warfare 2 on YouTube, along with other games.
Well, if you're set on maximizing your gaming experience for the life of the mobile game machine.
Alienware has been around for ages so they should know what they are doing. That's what they do.
MBP is good with graphics but their primary focus is in the artsey fartsey market. It's almost like designing for 2D graphics vs. 3D graphics performance. 3D graphics is the realm of PC's and Alienware focuses on this, as well as selecting their other components to match. Also, I would imagine Alienware considered that your laptop will be run near max for a good portion of on-time. The MBP may not have expected that most ppl will peak it constantly. So things like heating, etc. may play a factor.
Alienware has been around for ages so they should know what they are doing. That's what they do.
MBP is good with graphics but their primary focus is in the artsey fartsey market. It's almost like designing for 2D graphics vs. 3D graphics performance. 3D graphics is the realm of PC's and Alienware focuses on this, as well as selecting their other components to match. Also, I would imagine Alienware considered that your laptop will be run near max for a good portion of on-time. The MBP may not have expected that most ppl will peak it constantly. So things like heating, etc. may play a factor.
Couple of thoughts ...
- Video Out on the m11x is true 1080p over HDMI ... so I've played stuff like Alpha Protocol on my 55" TV with no issues at all.
- The newest m11x comes with i5 or i7 in the UM (ULV) series which is lower on the Core food chain than the MBP's 620M ... but it also consumes *much* less power.
- I can get ~3 hours of solid AAA gaming or ~10 hours of low-power standard netbook-ish usage out of my 1st gen m11x ... much more than any Mac I've ever owned.
I have a new m11x coming, due to ship just after 4th of July ... will see how that works when it arrives.
Get the MBP, it'll play MW2 awesome in Bootcamp. No cooling/heat issues either. Very portable, and you get OS X. With a MBP you get the best of both worlds, you can run Windows 7 and OS X.
I play games in Bootcamp everyday, and it always gives me a good laugh when I see someone say Mac's aren't for gaming. Search YouTube for MW2 running on new MBP's and/or iMac's and see for yourself.
I play games in Bootcamp everyday, and it always gives me a good laugh when I see someone say Mac's aren't for gaming. Search YouTube for MW2 running on new MBP's and/or iMac's and see for yourself.
Just hope in their wisdom, Apple does not decide to pull the plug on Bootcamp at least for a couple more years if ever. 
Just hope in their wisdom, Apple does not decide to pull the plug on Bootcamp at least for a couple more years if ever.
They wont. One of the major reasons why the Mac is "relatively successful" is because they went with Intel/Bootcamp. Otherwise they will still be stuck at like 2% or maybe 3% because of iPod trafficing. That's like half their computer business. And at the markup they charge for the "standard parts" that everyone else uses...they sure make a killing on that custom aluminum case!...with ZERO design on it! I' don't care what ppl say about it, but years from now, everyone will look back and say...OMG, that case has NO design whatsoever!
why not an acer 5740G? Sorry I just got one not to long ago and really like it. I guess I'm a 5740G fanboy but it's $750 and gets 51 fps on MW2 on medium an 43 fps in crysis on medium.
http://www.notebookcheck.net/ATI-Mobility-Radeon-HD-5650.23697.0.html
http://www.notebookcheck.net/ATI-Mobility-Radeon-HD-5650.23697.0.html
Well, the MPB is 128-bit GDDR3 512 MB.
The AlienWare is 256-bit GDDR5 1GB.
Thats at least a generation leap on ALL accounts. It's a HUGE difference. It can mean the difference between playing low settings and maxing it to get equivalent performance for some games.
The first one is a very WEAK video card by modern standards. Nice for a laptop, but these games are designed with Desktops in mind. Maybe when MW3 comes out or whatever, you will feel it even more.
Yeah, this is what's important to a "gamer". You may think all you want to do is play COD4/MW2 or whatever but when the new Crysis 2/MW3 comes out and you find yourself dropping all settings to low on your MBP - well, you might be kicking yourself.
I'm a design professional and as such I chose a MBP and never again thought twice about it. Playing games is something of interest to me but definitely not my primary purpose. If it was I would go with a high performance, purpose built, non-Mac, gaming laptop of some sort.
In saying all of this - I play COD 4 MW on maxed settings in OSX and play MW2 (OSX port) on low to medium settings (medium in Windows) - all on a 2008 MBP (in signature). I can run Crysis on Low - Medium through bootcamp. BUT - I don't expect to be able to run the new Crysis 2 or Metro 2033 or the new DEUS EX prequel and to be honest this does piss me off. So much so that I'm looking to resurrect my PC workstation (which I had hoped was in the cupboard for good).
Maybe this will help. My expensive m15x is BRICKED after less than a year of owning it (Refurb) the warranty ran out and it shuts off randomly I am so f#*%(*& mad at this POS and alienware customer support wont call me the hell back.
Get the mac Alienware is a POS
Get the mac Alienware is a POS
Agreed
Alienware is a brandname for gaming. You are paying huge premiums just for it. Go for Asus, MSI, Gateway, mySN or other gaming laptop choices
To find them, go to http://www.notebookcheck.net/Comparison-of-Graphic-Cards.130.0.html and select any of the top cards. There are links to laptops with the particular GPU at the bottom of each page. They do have reviews of them as well.
As for MBP vs. Alienware, these machines are pretty much impossible to compare. MBP is stylish, perfectly made and has a lovely battery, whereas m17x (and all others) is a powerhorse in gaming and everything else. Even quite outdated gaming rigs smoke all i7 MBPs.
by far the only decent alienware is the m11x because of its foward design (size, price, and no optical drive) the other systems are massive plastic beasts of $1500-5000! there huge, clunky, horrible battery life, and lets face it you would look ridiculous in public with one. Get the 17" MBP its still like half the weight of the m17x with the adapter. Trust me if you going to spend thousands on a laptop don't get an alienware, the specs may be nice, but the actual product is definataly no worth more than even the base 13" MBP imo. Were past the point of needing a gaming laptop to play games. Now with steam on OSX, onlive, bootcamp, and the consumer purchases trends, I suspect a mac gaming revolution. The 330m overclocked can max like 90% of games nicely apple is serisouly on the right track.
Well if the main reason for your laptop is to game then get an Asus laptop, so much better than Alienware from what I hear. If you're doing anything else and commuting with it then get a MBP. I game on mine almost daily and it's fine. Plus I can take it school for hours without a charger since it's light and portable with great battery life. Try and find that in another "gaming" laptop.
"The 330m overclocked can max like 90% of games nicely apple is serisouly on the right track." That was the dumbest statement i have ever heard of. The mbp CANT max out any game passed 2007 with respectable frame rates period. Everyone knows this.
Are you trying to "look cool" by some standard with your laptop on the street? Or play games looking cool? I don't know what computer world you are in, but a little alien on the laptop does catches eyes and says something much greater than the abundant grey computers out there.
I think you're also overesitmating the "revolution in online gaming". Onlive will take a couple of years before it penetrates a large base and area. Then your laptop is obsolete for other reasons.
Overclocking increases performance by a few percent. It's not like double/tripple from a modern video card.
You can believe all the marketing hype that got you to say what you just did. But take a hint...that reality is much different.
The MBP is a more economical choice. Alienware is probably the best choice for serious/hard core gamers but are you going to be able to get work done on it? For just gaming, the Alienware wins in all areas hands down. But is it going to be a dedicated gaming machine? Or are you planning this to be your main/work machine? If the latter, then the MBP is a better option. It's not the best for gaming, but it balances work and gaming purposes. If you have the money, then by all means go Alienware because I would rather play games on that instead of my MBP but I personally don't have that much to shell out.
Are you trying to "look cool" by some standard with your laptop on the street? Or play games looking cool? I don't know what computer world you are in, but a little alien on the laptop does catches eyes and says something much greater than the abundant grey computers out there.
I think you're also overesitmating the "revolution in online gaming". Onlive will take a couple of years before it penetrates a large base and area. Then your laptop is obsolete for other reasons.
Overclocking increases performance by a few percent. It's not like double/tripple from a modern video card.
You can believe all the marketing hype that got you to say what you just did. But take a hint...that reality is much different.
heh, love how NON owners/ inexperienced users trying to respond to that. i am maxing all my games on my i5 17" overcloked. 1920 x 1200 FULL HD. (2 x aa) 30 fps+ anything higher and its pointless/overrated/sad.... seriously everything is maxed excpext a couple. I got L4D, L4D2, FALLOUT 3, MASS EFFECT, MW2, COD4, GEARS OF WAR, CoD WaW, Unreal 3, SO many "high end" games maxed or running on high its not funny. Sure it cant max crysis, tropico 3, etc but what im getting in place of that is WELL worth it. Seriosuly video games are so trivial and i love how far people go to play them. Its also amazes me that people need 60 fps + and 16 aa. Have fun comparing your 3d mark scores on the forums dudes.
Last time I checked games are supposed to be FUN and it's FUN to max it past your half-max standard! If you call that "trivial" then maybe you shouldn't even play games at all and just type a Great American Novel that beats out Harry Potter. Oh, wait....that's pretty "trivial" too!
I loved my UMB when I had it. THen I got hooked back into PC gaming and the MB couldn't hold up. So I went back to PC and now have an M11x. Great little computer and games very well. 11.6" can be small though and the screen isn't as nice as in the MBP's.. but if you want to do any serious gaming, get the Alienware.. if you want/need OSX then that choice is obvious.
Only really "demanding" game you mentioned was Fallout 3 (even than, it's not that demanding); Rest are decently aged or are based on engines that are pretty low key to begin with. Would love for you to take benchmarks and videos to go along with your claims (you know, to prove them). Until you do that they're just claims and no one should believe them. Burden of proof is on you. Also, no, anything above 30+fps is not "pointless/overrated/sad".
As far as MBP gaming; wouldn't get one if gaming is your main priority. 330M already struggles with games released recently (Bad Company 2 being a good example).