Comments | wow_ladies: Educate a PC user, Mac ladies...

astralvulpes in wow_ladies

Educate a PC user, Mac ladies...

Jun 13, 2011 14:11

I'm considering in getting a Macbook for the use of more recreational things, like gaming. I know a desktop would be better for gaming, but I'm addicted to laptops and refuse to break this comfort/habit of mine. *face-palm ( Read more... )

hardware: computer purchase advice

Comments 23

the__ivorytower June 13 2011, 19:15:03 UTC

I have a MacBook Pro, and it's quite nice. I'd just make sure to always have it on a solid surface where it can be well ventilated. Also? Get a separate mouse for it, while playing WoW with a trackpad is certainly possible, it's by no means fun, and a cheap mouse isn't that hard to get.

The only thing to remember is that there are some, very specific, things that may not run on a Mac (Rawr, I believe, is a windows .exe file and not a normal addon).

reservoir June 13 2011, 19:21:15 UTC

I played on a MacBook Pro (and that's what I'd recommend, honestly, imo Macbooks don't have the oomph for gaming) for a long time. Basically what was said above - keep it well ventilated, run a fan app to keep it cool and use a mouse. You CAN play with the trackpad (I did - even raided that way) but a mouse is obviously always going to give you more control.

astralvulpes June 13 2011, 21:14:43 UTC

Out of curiosity, what graphics card did your Pro come with?

I'm comparing the graphics cards between the Macbook and the Macbook Pro at the moment.

lady_kymoon June 13 2011, 19:31:28 UTC

I have a MacBook Pro and had a MacBook before and played WoW on them without problem.

Like it was said in earlier comments, you'll get better game enjoyment with a mouse and will need to make sure it's well ventilated when you play. You can buy some sort of stand for it, or (like me) go for the cheapest way and put two books under it so air can circulate all around.

Also, aside from WoW, you have to know that there are not many games available on Mac. Blizzard makes its games working on most platforms, but other companies don't always bother. If you play other games now, check that a Mac version exist before changing, you might be disappointed otherwise.

astralvulpes June 13 2011, 21:17:54 UTC

Was either one superior for playing WoW?

I'm debating on if I should spend a little extra and get a Pro, but it will boil down to the feedback I receive here as well as what research I do on the difference in graphics cards. :) I'm looking for the 13" model of the Pro, for reference.

lady_kymoon June 13 2011, 21:54:45 UTC

Well the MacBook I had was of an earlier generation (I bought it in june 2006 I think) and when it died (to be honest it didn't exactly die, it still works, but can't read any CD/DVD anymore so I just keep it for backups and storage) I bought the newest MackBook Pro at that moment (which is 9 months ago), so it's difficult for me to compare ( ... )

rowanf June 13 2011, 22:28:46 UTC

Get a Macbook Pro. Better graphics card is better. Also you can get more RAM as I recall. And I always try to afford as much computer as I can since I keep them for awhile.

I use a cooling pad but I suck at taking care of them so it is mostly something to keep between my lap and the insanely hot laptop (when playing WoW, doesn't get that hot doing other things). The Antec notebook cooler is my fave (after going through 2-3 plastic ones) because it is metal and quite sturdy. I still lose the USB cord though and use it unpowered.

I have a 15" and like it very much.

Thread 5

spectral June 13 2011, 19:39:03 UTC

I'm playing on a Macbook Pro from summer 08 and it's been holding up well. Ever since Cata dropped, I haven't been able to run Chrome at the same time as WoW, but that's also because I have a hundred million tabs open in Chrome! I would suggest upgrading the RAM if you can - I just have the "basics" that it came with but you can run WoW on higher settings with more. I have to run mine on pretty much the lowest settings ever or I'll have fps issues in busy fights ( ... )

archangelbeth June 13 2011, 19:41:46 UTC

My spouse uses a MacBook Pro and likes it. I strongly suggest getting a trackball or mouse for the thing, though -- he has a hard time using mouseover macros for healing, which means he's Not So Good for, say, healing in 5-mans.

(Who, me, feeling mildly grouchy at dying twice t'other day? >_> Okay, we were trying to 3-man Hellfire Ramparts with 3 level 61s...)

Edit: Oh, and I have done some minor stuff on my MacBook Air, but if it gets its vents blocked at all, it crashes, poor thing, and the rest of the time it spins the fans like a jet prepping for takeoff.