Help i need to get a gaming mac fast .

brucepbrucep
Posted:
in Current Mac Hardware edited January 2014
HELP I NEED TO GET A GAMING MAC FAST .

DAMN I am going on vac . For a week . And I want to play top graphic intensive games .



my choice will be

13"MBP>>>>>>



2.53GHz Intel Core 2 Duo

4GB 1066MHz DDR3 SDRAM - 2x2GB

500GB Serial ATA Drive @ 5400 rpm

SuperDrive 8x (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW)

Backlit Keyboard (English) / User's Guide

Apple Remote

>>>>>>>>>>>

OR



15'



$2149



2.66GHz Intel Core 2 Duo

4GB 1066MHz DDR3 SDRAM - 2x2GB

500GB Serial ATA Drive @ 7200 rpm

SuperDrive 8x (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW)

MacBook Pro 15-inch Glossy Widescreen Display

Backlit Keyboard (English) / User's Guide



>>>>>>>>>>



OR

15"



$2368



2.8GHz Intel Core 2 Duo

4GB 1066MHz DDR3 SDRAM - 2x2GB

500GB Serial ATA Drive @ 7200 rpm

SuperDrive 8x (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW)

MacBook Pro 15-inch Glossy Widescreen Display

Backlit Keyboard (English) / User's Guide

Apple Remote

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

OR



15"



$ 2668.



3.06GHz Intel Core 2 Duo

4GB 1066MHz DDR3 SDRAM - 2x2GB

500GB Serial ATA Drive @ 7200 rpm

SuperDrive 8x (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW)

MacBook Pro 15-inch Glossy Widescreen Display

Backlit Keyboard (English) / User's Guide

Apple Remote





>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>





Of course I am not rich but I would want to have this laptop at least 4 yrs .



Does the 7200 rpm drive mean that much ?

Is the 3.06GHz that much better or will I need it down the road ?



I do lean towards the middle two choices and I do want to play some fast games .





thank you in advance

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 16
    winterwinter Posts: 1,238member
    I am leaning towards the 15" MBP 2.66 GHz model. That should be enough seeing as how you have a lot though are not rich. The 9600 GT with 256 MB VRAM should be good. If you want to play it safe then go with the 512 MB RAM 15".



    Please delete this post. I didn't mean to double it.
  • Reply 2 of 16
    winterwinter Posts: 1,238member
    I am leaning towards the 15" MBP 2.66 GHz model. That should be enough seeing as how you have a lot though are not rich. The 9600 GT with 256 MB VRAM should be good. If you feel 512 MB is better than go with that.
  • Reply 3 of 16
    MarvinMarvin Posts: 15,434moderator
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by brucep View Post


    Does the 7200 rpm drive mean that much ?

    Is the 3.06GHz that much better or will I need it down the road ?



    The 7200 rpm drive means faster game loading - I reckon it's about 25% faster overall. I do think you can live without it but I prefer 7200 rpm drives.



    3.06GHz is a good upgrade but I don't think it's necessary and not worth the price over the 2.66GHz.



    I don't think any of the above options look good when you can get a refurb 9600M GT MBP for just $1349:



    http://store.apple.com/us/product/FB...mco=MjE0NDk5Mw



    If you want the 2.66GHz with 4GB Ram installed, this one is only $1699:



    http://store.apple.com/us/product/FC...mco=MjE0NDk5Mw



    For a quick buy, I'd go for the second one and you probably won't have to upgrade it.
  • Reply 4 of 16
    brucepbrucep Posts: 2,823member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Marvin View Post


    The 7200 rpm drive means faster game loading - I reckon it's about 25% faster overall. I do think you can live without it but I'm glad I prefer 7200 rpm drives.



    3.06GHz is a good upgrade but I don't think it's necessary and not worth the price over the 2.66GHz.



    I don't think any of the above options look good when you can get a refurb 9600M GT MBP for just $1349:



    http://store.apple.com/us/product/FB...mco=MjE0NDk5Mw



    If you want the 2.66GHz with 4GB Ram installed, this one is only $1699:



    http://store.apple.com/us/product/FC...mco=MjE0NDk5Mw



    For a quick buy, I'd go for the second one and you probably won't have to upgrade it.



    w



    thank you so much

    the newer models have only 2 usb ports ? right .



    http://store.apple.com/us/product/G0...Dk5Mw#overview



    i found a 2.8 MGz for 1699 . ....i think its the newer model

    9
  • Reply 5 of 16
    brucepbrucep Posts: 2,823member
    i am on the phone right now with a mac rep now
  • Reply 6 of 16
    MarvinMarvin Posts: 15,434moderator
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by brucep View Post


    the newer models have only 2 usb ports ? right



    Yes, all Mac laptops have at most 2 USB ports.



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by brucep View Post


    i found a 2.8 MGz for 1699 . ....i think its the newer model



    That looks like a pretty good deal - that's odd that it's the same price as the 2.66GHz model with the same spec except a faster CPU. That must be about $600 off the original price.



    I'd buy it before they realise the mistake.
  • Reply 7 of 16
    brucepbrucep Posts: 2,823member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Marvin View Post


    Yes, all Mac laptops have at most 2 USB ports.







    That looks like a pretty good deal - that's odd that it's the same price as the 2.66GHz model with the same spec except a faster CPU. That must be about $600 off the original price.



    I'd buy it before they realise the mistake.





    do the new MBP HAVE lower quality stuff ?
  • Reply 8 of 16
    MarvinMarvin Posts: 15,434moderator
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by brucep View Post


    do the new MBP HAVE lower quality stuff ?



    Well, they removed the ExpressCard slot in favor of an SD card slot and it could be argued that ExpressCard is more versatile but in practice, SD is just more useful.



    The battery in the new one is internal (still replaceable though) but it gives better battery life.



    Overall, I wouldn't say the new ones are downgraded in any way.
  • Reply 9 of 16
    brucepbrucep Posts: 2,823member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Marvin View Post


    Well, they removed the ExpressCard slot in favor of an SD card slot and it could be argued that ExpressCard is more versatile but in practice, SD is just more useful.



    The battery in the new one is internal (still replaceable though) but it gives better battery life.



    Overall, I wouldn't say the new ones are downgraded in any way.



    Thank you

    The apple rep was weird he directed me away from refub and suggested this by email ?? he says 8 percent off. ??



    i wonder why .









    start email >>>>>>>>





    MacBook Pro, 15", Aluminum\tMB985LL/A\t1\t$ 1839.00\t$ 1839.00

    MacBook Pro, 15", Aluminum\tMB986LL/A\t1\t$ 2115.00\t$ 2115.00

    MacBook Pro (w/ or w/o Display) - AppleCare Protection Plan\tMB588LL/A\t1\t$ 307.00\t$ 307.00

    *Subtotal\t$4261



    Please note our quote is provided under the Apple Store Program policy as of 2009-06-25.



    Thank you for choosing the Apple Store.





    *Please note that prices do not include sales tax or rebates.



    SQ_US_Int_EPP_OSV



    >>>>>end email





    well i will call back now and try again. Today is thur not friday like i thought so i have an extra day .



    this time limit is one i made up . I just want to play some high end games .

    the 7200 rpm looms back maybe .
  • Reply 10 of 16
    brucepbrucep Posts: 2,823member
    I am done

    .

    I will go refub 15" 2.8 ghz route ,Thank you so much dude . You helped a lot



    peace



    9
  • Reply 11 of 16
    brucepbrucep Posts: 2,823member
    ALL the refub are old models

    alas i will get the 2.66 MGz 7200 rpm model $2049 plus tax minus 8 percent



    thanks again



    9
  • Reply 12 of 16
    MarvinMarvin Posts: 15,434moderator
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by brucep View Post


    ALL the refub are old models



    Yeah, they will all be one generation old but they have the same spec. What they changed this time round is the battery and ExpressCard slot.



    So the 2.8GHz model is the same performance as the new one, it just doesn't have the longer lasting battery.



    Either one is good. I would personally have saved the money and gone for the refurb but it does mean buying a $50 7200 rpm drive yourself and upgrading it but you get to keep the stock 5400 rpm drive. Concerning battery life during high end gaming, it would be good to see how long the new batteries last. i imagine you'll want to run it on the power adaptor in both cases.



    This refresh is actually one of the best kinds because as I say, there really wasn't a spec change so performance-wise you get the same machine but they drop the price of the older ones quite a lot.
  • Reply 13 of 16
    brucepbrucep Posts: 2,823member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Marvin View Post


    Yeah, they will all be one generation old but they have the same spec. What they changed this time round is the battery and ExpressCard slot.



    So the 2.8GHz model is the same performance as the new one, it just doesn't have the longer lasting battery.



    Either one is good. I would personally have saved the money and gone for the refurb but it does mean buying a $50 7200 rpm drive yourself and upgrading it but you get to keep the stock 5400 rpm drive. Concerning battery life during high end gaming, it would be good to see how long the new batteries last. i imagine you'll want to run it on the power adaptor in both cases.



    This refresh is actually one of the best kinds because as I say, there really wasn't a spec change so performance-wise you get the same machine but they drop the price of the older ones quite a lot.



    Yes i agreed until i saw that i was stuck at 4g ram and the new ones can go to 8 g

    the apple rep found me an 8% discount so that will ease the pain and i lowered my specs to 2,66 HGz

    and a 7200 RPM .



    Also the 2.8 and the 2.66 old models may be 2 gen back . The apple rep said that the screen brightness is better now also. I think he said . He talked faster than me .





    thank you



    brucep

    lostplay
  • Reply 14 of 16
    MarvinMarvin Posts: 15,434moderator
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by brucep View Post


    Yes i agreed until i saw that i was stuck at 4g ram and the new ones can go to 8g



    I guess if you want it to last a long time, it's good having that. The 8GB costs $900 just now but in maybe 3 years, it will be more cost-effective if you find you need it.



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by brucep View Post


    Also the 2.8 and the 2.66 old models may be 2 gen back . The apple rep said that the screen brightness is better now also. I think he said . He talked faster than me.



    Could be, the Macbook certainly got a better display but the Macbook was in far more need of it. There's not much between them so whichever you get, it will be a decent machine.



    Hopefully one day they will turn on Hybrid SLI. Microsoft claim it's unstable and don't support it but they probably just need to get the drivers/firmware right.
  • Reply 15 of 16
    brucepbrucep Posts: 2,823member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Marvin View Post


    I guess if you want it to last a long time, it's good having that. The 8GB costs $900 just now but in maybe 3 years, it will be more cost-effective if you find you need it.







    Hopefully one day they will turn on Hybrid SLI. Microsoft claim it's unstable and don't support it but they probably just need to get the drivers/firmware right.



    Well yes 2x4g will be cheap one day .



    What is this Hybrid SLI ??



    9
  • Reply 16 of 16
    MarvinMarvin Posts: 15,434moderator
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by brucep View Post


    What is this Hybrid SLI ??



    The MBP has two graphics chips - the integrated 9400M and the dedicated 9600M GT. The latter is about double the speed of the former. The MBP only uses one or the other but hybrid SLI is a feature that allows you to use both together as you would two Nvidia GPUs in SLI. This would mean around a 30% boost in graphics performance.
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