Can I game competently on a Core i5?

Question

I'm going to buy the lowest spec 15 inch MacbookPro (2010 edition) with a:

~ 2.4Ghz Core i5 (Turbo-boost to 2.93Ghz)
~ 4 GB DDR3 Ram (1033Mhz)
~ Geforce 330M GT (256MB GDDR3)
~ 320GB HDD (5400rpm)

I'm not buying it with gaming in mind, but as an added bonus, I would hope it can play games such as GTA-IV, DiRT 2 and Napoleon: Total War?

Can you give your opinion on the specs and it's relative gaming performance?

thanks!

mike_21 · Accepted Answer

suffice to say a macbookPro would suffice for your needs seeing as you're going to use it more on productivity, but the current price point of a macbookPro 15 is $1799 + $199.99 (Windows 7 Professional) total of $1999.99 or $2000, at that price point, seeing that you'll be using the laptop for business I would strongly recommend the Sony Vaio Z series:

http://www.sonystyle.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/CategoryDisplay?catalogId=10551&storeId=10151&langId=-1&categoryId=16154&SR=nav:electronics:computers:notebook_computers:shop_compare:ss&ref=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.sony.com%2Findex.php#/overviewTab

Starting Specifications:
Intel Core i5-540 2.53GHz (Turbo-boost 3.06GHz)
4GB DDR3-RAM 1066
Geforce 330M GT switchable graphics (1GB dedicated)
128 GB SSD
13.3" LED 1600 x 900 screen

performance-wise the Sony Viao Z is 5-10% faster compared to that mac running Windows thanks to the SSD and faster processor, but the greatest factor that I recommend Sony Vaio Z is that it's a super-feather weight weighing at a  measly 3.04lbs it's almost half the weight of that macbook making easy to carry during those business travels

? · Answer

Windows is better for gaming (and cheaper) but if you are set on a Mac you will be able to play most games, maybe not on highest settings though.

Trending News

Can I game competently on a Core i5?

2 Answers