Man , that pitch-dark MacBook is really sexy - looking . Too bad it is n’t better for gambling , but I opine I ca n’t have everything . It give me more ground to consider upgrade to a MacBook Pro when the time is right , though .
All the proof I needed came from James Galbraith ’s recent benchmarks for the new MacBook — less than 18 skeletal frame per secondment , playing Unreal Tournament 2004 , compared to more than 63 human body per second for the 17 - inch MacBook Pro .
That ’s mainly the outcome of Apple ’s decision to equip the MacBook with structured Intel graphics instead of going with a discrete graphics processor and separate VRAM as they did with the MacBook Pro and iMac . Instead , Apple went the same itinerary with the MacBook ’s art as it did when it introduce the Mac miniskirt in Intel form .
I do n’t fault Apple for this conclusion — the MacBook is still very well - equipped and extraordinarily well - designed for a laptop computer in its Mary Leontyne Price range . But that graphics hardware really make the system ill - equipped at deal with OpenGL - intensive 3 - D games — which make up the majority of the high - visibility games on the marketplace today , even games with mainstream entreaty like The Sims 2 , for deterrent example . It ’ll also hurt the MacBook ’s plot - play carrying out if you plan on running Windows games using Boot Camp . Intel merged nontextual matter do n’t form much better on Windows than they do on Mac OS X.
That does n’t think of the MacBook is n’t a good daily gamer ’s fishing tackle . In fact , it should bring less - demanding plot just fine and may even be able to play some older , PowerPC - optimize games using Rosetta .
A spate of Mac users honestly do n’t manage if their systems can play 3 - five hundred game — they’re more concerned in using their Macs to surf the Web , check e - mail , run productivity computer software , use iLife and maybe , just mayhap , play the occasional puzzle plot or perfunctory arcade secret plan . For that , the MacBook will be a superlative organisation . Apple does n’t organize its systems poorly these days — it plan them quite well for its objective market . It just seems that the MacBook ’s target market does n’t include folks who like to play the late games well .
compare Apples to … uh , well , apple , many PC laptops that are available at similar prices to the MacBook also utilize structured graphics chips . So please do n’t reckon you ’re getting cheated here . I also require to accentuate that Apple ’s decision to use integrated graphics has n’t dramatically reduced the MacBook ’s 3 - 500 graphics performance compared to the last- generation iBook . In fact , it ’s a teensy-weensy bit better—3 frames per 2nd or so , according to our examination . That ’s just not the same spectacular triple jumping in skeletal frame rates we ’ve seen going from the PowerBook G4 to the MacBook Pro .
So trading up from the iBook G4 to the MacBook , you ’re going to get a widescreen , nifty keyboard , all sorts of additional benefit and , from what I ’m seeing , a heck of a lot better carrying out if you ’re editing movies using iMovie , encode MP3 files and other things that a lot of us take for cede with our Macs .
And if what we ’ve find with the Mac miniskirt holds lawful for the MacBook , you ’ll even be capable to play some older 3 - D games using Rosetta just fine . It ’s just that you wo n’t see dramatically better 3 - D game performance for new game . And I ’m uncoerced to bet that the MacBook wo n’t radiate when it comes to using features in certain other applications that leverage OpenGL and Tiger ’s Core Graphics and Core Video technology , because both of those can put a passably heavy lode on the system ’s picture processor .
Already some game are being unloosen that implicitly debar the Mac mini , and by file name extension , the MacBook , from their supported system requirement . Aspyr Media announce earlier Friday that Call of Duty 2 will ship shortly — that ’s one such game . Aspyr ’s latterly - released Quake 4 is another .
So , my purchasing advice for you gamers looking to try the latest and greatest games is to paraphraseHunter S. Thompson : “ When the going fuck off weird , the uncanny turn Pro . ”
