NotebookForums.com › Forums › Notebook Manufacturers › Apple Forums › Apple Notebooks › Future proof MBP...
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:

Future proof MBP...

post #1 of 9
8/8/07 at 7:25pm
Thread Starter 
Here's my situation:

My needs -

1) CS2 for Mac
- for font compatibility with my dayjob work as a graphic designer. I must be able to open up my design files and be able to use all of the fonts I use on my G5 at work.

2) 3D Studio Max for Windows

3) Heavy Gaming

4) Future proof
- I refuse to spend 2-3 grand on a laptop that won't be able to run DX10 games when they are released later this year.

5) 17" 1920x1200 glossy screen

All signs point to the higher end SR MBP, EXCEPT that I've read that the 8600M GS, while DX10 compatible, isn't powerful enough to run DX10 games which defeats the purpose and leads back to my requirement of not paying 2-3 grand for a laptop that won't be able to run games that are already being released at anything less than their full potential.

My other option is a Dell XPS M1710 or 1720. The obvious flaw there is that I wouldn't be able to open up any of my work files due to the font compatibility issues between Mac fonts and PC fonts. Work provides many, many fonts... many of which are not OpenType or TrueType and, thus, I can't simply copy the fonts over to the PC. The Mac won't read some PC font types and vice versa. I can't spend most of my time changing fonts on a design that is already done... just isn't an option.. too impractical. I've previously owned a Dell XPS M170 Gen 2 w/ 7800GTX and was extremely impressed with it's power, however, the CS2 / font issue was always a deal killer.

If the MBP had a video card such as the 7950GTX Go found in the XPS1710, it'd be exactly what I need except that the 7950GTX is not DX10 compatible. As it stands, I see no real viable options for me except to buy a laptop now expecting to replace it within a year, which... seems ridiculous for 2-3 grand. Buying a "cheap" Macbook to run CS2 isn't much of an option because I need the 3D Studio Max / gaming to be portable as I had with the XPS170. There are no "cheap" Macbooks with 17" 1920x1200 screens either. In looking more closely at the current 1710 offering from Dell, I don't quite understand why the top of the line XPS1710 is only offered with a 667FSB while even the "lower" level Inspiron 1710 offers 800MHz FSB, but the 1710 has no high end video card option... just the same 8600M GS that the MBP has.

Essentially... what I want is a MBP w/ a DX10 Compatible 7950GTX power... but I also want a toilet made of solid gold and that's just not in the cards now is it.

Any ideas? Thoughts and input are much appreciated.
Reply
Reply
post #2 of 9
8/8/07 at 7:29pm
you are stuck doing what you said or getting two notebook.....possibly building a desktop at home.....IDK, either way you are going to have to have two home computers.
Reply
Reply
post #3 of 9
8/8/07 at 9:46pm
One thing to note, the MBP has the 8600M GT, not GS.

Seablade
Reply
Reply
post #4 of 9
8/9/07 at 2:31am
another thing to note is that the 8600, especially the 256mb version is a mid-range card and the OP has #3 as "heavy gaming" ...#4 says run new DX10 games. well... there lies the problem. yeah you will be able to run DX10..obviously, but don't expect great eyecandy/framerates with that card for the long haul. gotta wait for the 9xxx series to come out in teh fall.

derailment: when nvidia releases the 9xxx series, won't there be some kind of confusion/trademark violation in regards to the ATI Radeon 9xxx series? I guess the same could be said for 8xxx and 7xxx series i guess....
Reply
Reply
post #5 of 9
8/9/07 at 2:34am
Yeah, your best option seems to be a cheap MacBook (is there such a thing?) and a top of the line XPS. Looks like you'll be spending a little more than you expected if you go that route. Either that or you deal with the font issues you explained.

It is extremely unlikely the Macbook Pro will get the kind of graphics card you are after, and definitely not anytime soon. The Macbook Pro was just refreshed this summer so that probably won't happen again until next summer. And Mac's never come with a truly high end graphics card even in the best desktops, so the likelyhood of finding one with a 7950gtx or DX10 equivalent seem very low.

On the other hand the XPS M1710 seems like it is about to be replaced by a M1730. That one at least might solve your problem of high end DX10. At the very least you should be able to get two 8700m GT cards in SLI which by the best guesses woudl out run the 7950gtx and be DX10 just like you want. Best case senario, the M1730 will even launch with an as of yet unanounced 8800m. Still you would have the compatability issues to hassle with and the M1730 looks downright ugly in comparison to the Macbook.

Don't know if that really helps at all.
Reply
Reply
post #6 of 9
8/9/07 at 4:35am
Heavy gaming + mac don't tend to go all that well together. As was mentioned above, your best bet would be the supposedly soon to be released M1730. It'll serve all your power needs, particularly when it comes to gaming. Either way it'll run laps around a MBP when it comes to doom and such, and like you said it doesn't make sense to spend 3k if you're not getting everything you want for it. Of course the MBP does have it's appeals, but when it comes down to it, there can be only one. I'd say it's a matter of weighing out how important the unique features the Dell XPS brings vs. the MBP's for what you need. One obvious decision is you'll need to pick between gaming vs. occasional medium/light gaming.
Reply
Reply
post #7 of 9
8/9/07 at 9:14am
You are either going to have to buy 2 machines, or sacrifice either your CS2 compatibility, or your ability to game on your laptop. That is how it has to be, there is no way around this.

Apple doesn't seem to put incredibly high end cards into their systems. Furthermore, given the size of the MBP, it is unlikely that they could fit a 7950GTX equivalent in there.

Windows doesn't give you the font compatibility that you need.

CS2 runs slow on IntelMacs.

You have many many quandries to face.
Reply
Reply
post #8 of 9
8/9/07 at 9:26pm
You could just get a macbook, then build yourself a gaming pc.. thats pretty much what Im using with my macbook and my old dell laptop.
Reply
Reply
post #9 of 9
8/12/07 at 3:15am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Smooth317 View Post
4) Future proof - I refuse to spend 2-3 grand on a laptop that won't be able to run DX10 games when they are released later this year.
That's the kicker. Even on desktops, whatever you get now may be able to handle the DX 10 games later this year, but that's usually adequately and not exceptionally. Once the DX10 games hit their stride the next gen GPUs will be the ones that can hack the DX10 releases at full bore. So if you want to have desktop upgradability that pretty much leaves you with Alienware or Dell. If you know that you won't have $500-700 to blow on a high end notebook GPU upgrade every 6-9 months, then I'd say just go w/ the Mac cuz you'll be in the same boat with any other notebook that doesn't allow for GPU upgrades. Aside from GPUs, consider CPUs. Will intel's quad core true mobile solution due out next year be pin compatible with the current hardware? If not then you'd be stuck w/ an upgradeable GPU that would be bottlenecked by the CPU. Personally I'd go w/ a more mobile notebook and worry about gaming on a DIY system or a Mac Pro. For the cost of the $3700 Dell you'd have yourself a Mac Pro and a base 15" MBP through academic or recertified pricing. FWIW, going from a 4:3 19" desktop monitor I'd be nuts trying to game on a 17" widescreen. 20" might get me by, but ideally I'd like a 24" WS to keep the eyestrain down. This is why I personally don't advocate gaming on a notebook unless it's for casual purposes or for someone who can only afford one all purpose system. No disrespect to the Strafe Right ppl, but I don't know of anyone in my clan/team based circles of acquaintances that would choose to go into a match on a laptop over a desktop rig.
Reply
Reply
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:
  Return Home
  Back to Forum: Apple Notebooks
NotebookForums.com › Forums › Notebook Manufacturers › Apple Forums › Apple Notebooks › Future proof MBP...