Guild Wars 2

I’m looking into purchasing a new laptop for studies and since I’m getting really tired of windows I’m open to try something new.

Which MacBook would I need to run GW2?

Would it run on the MacBook Air or do I need the extra power from the nvidia 650 GPU?
MacBook Pro 15" (The 13" doesnt seem to come with nvidia) is quite a bit more expensive compared to the non-nvidia versions and I’m more tempted toward a 13" laptop as they are easier to carry around.

Anyone tried running GW2 on a MacBook?

Mid 2010 MBP here. Expect permanently-high fan speeds, absurd temperatures, good performance and the occasional graphic hiccup/crash thanks to Cider.

vince.5937:

Mid 2010 MBP here. Expect permanently-high fan speeds, absurd temperatures, good performance and the occasional graphic hiccup/crash thanks to Cider.

Vince, there’s many version of the MBP which one do you have? The 13, 15 or 17 inch?

Prophet of Atlantis.7169:

vince.5937:

Mid 2010 MBP here. Expect permanently-high fan speeds, absurd temperatures, good performance and the occasional graphic hiccup/crash thanks to Cider.

Vince, there’s many version of the MBP which one do you have? The 13, 15 or 17 inch?

Good point! Here are my specs:

Mid 2010 Core i7 Macbook Pro 15"
8GB RAM
Nvidia 330M 512MB
500GB OCZ Vertex SSD

Not the top of the line but still formidable and a great workbeast.

Geez, ur computer is custom made by the look of it, most of Mid2010 Macbook Pro 15" won’t be able to run it smoothly.

Prophet of Atlantis.7169:

Geez, ur computer is custom made by the look of it, most of Mid2010 Macbook Pro 15" won’t be able to run it smoothly.

My big changes were the upgraded RAM and the SSD.

(SSD’s are amazing. )

Everything else is stock!

Will I be able to play GW2 on a MBP 13" with the Intel HD 4000 GPU or do I need the extra power from nvidia 650?

The 13" just looks sokittennice :|

Edit: Bahaha, nice profanity filter!

Hehehe correct just checked the specs
SSD are great I have one on my Mid 2009 MBP 13" but it’s not powerful enough to run GW2.

Slackware.4582:

Will I be able to play GW2 on a MBP 13" with the Intel HD 4000 GPU or do I need the extra power from nvidia 650?

The 13" just looks sokittennice :|

You’ll be able to play it, but it will probably chug. My friend tried to run his copy on an Intel HD chipset and it was very, very slow and very, very ugly and sometimes it flat out crashed. A dedicated GPU or high-end GPU will benefit you in the long run.

Yeah, mine luckily sports a NVIDIA chip
It’s blazing fast still though for other task but graphics comes short in some games.
Thank god I have my iMac though.

Guess I will have to visit the local Apple retailer and look at the different sizes. I dont really like the big 15" laptops.

Is the 2.3Ghz, 4GB ram, nvidia 650 512MB powerful enough or would I need the 2.7ghz, 8gb ram, nvidia 650 1GB setup? There’s a massive price difference :<

If you want to buy the MBP 13" I’d suggest to wait the new one with retina display is right at the corner of being unveiled.
As for which one to get, the faster the better, but consider that your MBP is not a gaming device and will strain with certain 3D game, if you are a big gamer I’d recommend the iMac which sports better processor and graphics than the MBP, but then again I’d wait as they are about to update them as well.

i’m running a 15" macbook pro (late 2011) w/ ATI 6770m, 4GB RAM, 2.4 i7. While bootcamping I can run with med. settings and some high (med shadows) and get 30-50 fps. During world events (big bosses) & lions arch it will drop to 20ish fps depending on how many characters on on the screen, etc… I’m hoping the Mac client will allow me a light bump in graphics but i’m guessing it will be about the same. No, it’s not the best gaming laptop but I much prefer Macs OSX to windows and us my mac for school, work, and some gaming so for me it gets the job done. So if you want some decent graphics settings I would look at picking up the newer 15" or the 15" from last year. I’m not sure how to integrated graphics will do, you might be able to get low/med settings to work fine. Looks like imacs are sporting the 6770m card.

Slack – the 15" are a little big/heavy but you get used to it. the 2.3 would be powerful enough to get med/high settings no prob.

Prophet of Atlantis.7169:

If you want to buy the MBP 13" I’d suggest to wait the new one with retina display is right at the corner of being unveiled.
As for which one to get, the faster the better, but consider that your MBP is not a gaming device and will strain with certain 3D game, if you are a big gamer I’d recommend the iMac which sports better processor and graphics than the MBP, but then again I’d wait as they are about to update them as well.

I would say that the imac don’t necessary have “better” processor and graphics, it’s actually the same thing – all mobile platform stuff. I could say that you get more for your money because they are cheaper than the MBPs at the same spec. the current imac line up needs a refresh and actually has the graphics and processors the MBPs had last year.

Just as a reference point a 2012 11" MacBook Air (1.7GHz, 4GB, Intel 4000) will run GW2 at around 20-25 FPS. It is not enough to play for long stretches, but plenty for a quick fix or trading/crafting.

cdunning.6815:

While bootcamping I can run with med. settings and some high (med shadows) and get 30-50 fps. I’m hoping the Mac client will allow me a light bump in graphic

It’s really unlikely, first directx games are usually always faster than opengl ones (drivers are far better and most games are developed for them), second this client is a port using a translation layer. If you’d get 70% of the Win perf that would already be a big win.

Taiyetos.3260:

Just as a reference point a 2012 11" MacBook Air (1.7GHz, 4GB, Intel 4000) will run GW2 at around 20-25 FPS. It is not enough to play for long stretches, but plenty for a quick fix or trading/crafting.

No kidding? Glad to hear it! After watching my buddy’s machine valiantly fail when using an Intel HD chipset I’m happy to hear it can run at all on an Air.

Actually Vince, I am running it on a 2011 13" Macbook Air, (1.83ghz i7, 4g ram, Intel 3000) and i get 20+FPS on low settings. Runs far better than the current WIne/Wineskin/Crossover solutions.

A bit of consumer advice when it comes to laptops. Buy ALL the CPU and GPU you can afford, and then some. Since laptops aren’t as upgradable, the more you spend now, the more life you get out of it. Go with the 15" MBP, the 13" are Macbook Not-Pros. Avoid Retina just yet, the pixel-doubling isn’t quite worth the price/performance yet. I’ve been running in Bootcamp on my 2008 15", and getting 30-40fps or so, but only because I picked the better specs back then.

Thomanson.4765:

A bit of consumer advice when it comes to laptops. Buy ALL the CPU and GPU you can afford, and then some. Since laptops aren’t as upgradable, the more you spend now, the more life you get out of it. Go with the 15" MBP, the 13" are Macbook Not-Pros. Avoid Retina just yet, the pixel-doubling isn’t quite worth the price/performance yet. I’ve been running in Bootcamp on my 2008 15", and getting 30-40fps or so, but only because I picked the better specs back then.

what processor etc does your macbook have? My friend got one in 2010/2011 i cant remember which, but he used to play wow on it (i know that doesnt mean much) and currently plays l4d2 and SC2 (sc2 on medium specs), he says he only has a core 2 duo though. Also, he has snow leopard i believe which probably isnt supported right?

I am able to get it running and playing on the below. Its about 12-15 fps, so doable for TP and small fights.

MacBook Pro (13-inch, Mid 2009)
Model Identifier: MacBookPro5,5
Processor Name: Intel Core 2 Duo
Processor Speed: 2.26 GHz
Chipset Model: NVIDIA GeForce 9400M
Type: GPU
Bus: PCI
VRAM (Total): 256 MB

I have the same model and info as Archaeneoso and am very worried. On Boot Camp my FPS wavers between 2-5 and 20-25 with no real rhyme or reason— it’s especially on the lower-end in dungeons. I understand the laptop is an old model with a subpar graphics card, but before I use the skin I’m hoping more with the same specs are able to run it with adequate results.

I am on a MBPRO early 2011 model. I get 30fps in less populated areas and 15-20fps on lions arch.

Intel HD graphics 3000 512mb for my GPU

and an SSD. (This is important for map loading times )

mak.9027:

cdunning.6815:

While bootcamping I can run with med. settings and some high (med shadows) and get 30-50 fps. I’m hoping the Mac client will allow me a light bump in graphic

It’s really unlikely, first directx games are usually always faster than opengl ones (drivers are far better and most games are developed for them), second this client is a port using a translation layer. If you’d get 70% of the Win perf that would already be a big win.

you are correct. thanks for the info.

I’m running it on a new MacBook Pro with Retina, jacked up to 2.6GHz i7 and 16GB of RAM. It’s ridiculously satisfying, and can get ~50fps in some areas, but it’s also gotta be about the most $$ you can spend on a laptop these days.

(thank you, work!)

I’M running it on a new MacBook Pro with Retina, Base model 2.3GHz I7 with 8GB of RAM. There is a bootcamp partition running Win7 specifically for GW2, as ccrazool mentioned it is ridiculously satisfying. I have also downloaded the Mac client, however fps is significantly less than via bootcamp. Its still a costly option so unless you specifically want a MacBook, an ASUS gaming laptop would still be a better option in the same price point.

My son is also running it on a base Macbook Pro 13" (4 years old) under bootcamp. Performs ok with low to mid settings.

I just purchased my Mid-2012 13". Can anybody tell me what to expect while I have the client downloading?

pudgybunnyBry.2315:

I just purchased my Mid-2012 13". Can anybody tell me what to expect while I have the client downloading?

I’m running the same model but I added 16gb RAM post purchase. I doubt that makes much of a difference in a gpu intensive game, but stating it anyways in case you do have a different experience than me.

My client runs very similar to my Windows 7 experience via Bootcamp in OS X 10.8.2. You will be running in very low video settings because there is no dedicated gpu in the 13" mbp as opposed to the nVidia in the 15" & 15" rMBP models.

So, if you are coming from a PC environment (native Windows on a PC machine) then you can expect a diminutive experience in comparison as most settings are knocked down to the minimum. You are welcome to bump them up at the expense of performance but expect those fans to start roaring like jet engines pretty fast and your frame rate do drop significantly.

Sounds good to me. I generally run most of my games on their lowest settings for performance anyway, even on my WIndows 7 PC..

Thank you.

I work as an Apple Product Professional. If you are looking for a Macbook that you will use to play games I strongly recommend getting a model that has a dedicated card. This means you should be looking at 15 inch varieties of MacBook Pro.

The Airs and the 13 inch models only have integrated graphics (HD 4000). While the game may “run” with this card, it won’t be optimal and you will have a noticeable frame rate drop. If you are looking for a 13 inch variety, I recommend going with a 13 inch Air instead of a 13 inch Pro. Similar internals… but the construct of the Air outperforms the Pro in several benchmarks. Just make sure you get a CTO model with 8 GB of RAM and at least a 256 HD.

Having run Diablo 3 on a dated early 2010 Core 2 Duo MacBook Air, I will attest that these machines do a lot more than standard constructs of similar internals are capable of delivering. I will also say that I much prefer gaming on my 15 inch MacBook Pro than on the Air, largely because of the FPS improvement.

Slackware.4582:

Guess I will have to visit the local Apple retailer and look at the different sizes. I dont really like the big 15" laptops.

Is the 2.3Ghz, 4GB ram, nvidia 650 512MB powerful enough or would I need the 2.7ghz, 8gb ram, nvidia 650 1GB setup? There’s a massive price difference :<

If you are going to be doing any kind of serious gaming, as another poster pointed out you are going to want to get the fastest processor and largest gpu you can afford (preferably one that is dedicated such as the Nvidia, not just with integrated alone).

I wouldn’t recommend anything but the 1GB card and the faster processor. I should also point out that the standard MacBook Pro 15" has slightly higher benchmark performance ratings than the Retina, for a substantially lower price. As a bonus, you can upgrade the RAM and even put in an SSD drive down the road to improve your performance even more. You’re looking at several hundreds of dollars worth of difference alone just going with the standard 15 inch MacBook Pro.

Retinas are fantastic machines for Videographers and Photographers. While games may look great on them, they aren’t optimized for gaming and you’ll get more Oomph out of a standard model with upgradability options down the road.