MacBook Pro and Games

Title I failed, just "war and the Germans, only the modified version. Generally, I have recently really like to be complacent, exactly up to that time, until sudbinushka not prishlepnet on the head cold palm. Like, not buried, son. It's still early. Cold palm can be materialized and reviews of high officials, and readers' letters, and in the words of friends, and so on. Well, I'll be intelligent, quiet and modest. And therefore represent your attention a small article about the new MacBook Pro and the games that I played with it.

In the very first day (or rather, night) I have installed on MBP with Bootcamp Windows Vista, where the process took about an hour, the second system to the needs identified thirty gigabytes. Use this place, I planned exclusively for games, and the idea to do the first article about the new laptop is a gaming division arose in the division of the hard disk. Immediately after installing I noticed that the system does not see a second video card, but I got a MBP in the most simple configuration:

• Processor: Dual Core Intel Core 2 Duo 2.4 GHz
• Cache L2: 3MB
• System bus: 1066MHz
• Memory: 2GB (2 x 1GB) 1066MHz DDR3 SDRAM (4 GB max.)
• Hard Drive: 250GB Serial ATA; 5400 rpm
• Optical Drive: 8x SuperDrive (DVD ± R DL / DVD ± RW / CD-RW)
• Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce 9600M GT with 256MB of DDR3 SDRAM; NVIDIA GeForce 9400M with 256MB of DDR3 SDRAM, shared with main memory
• Video: built-in camera iSight; port Mini DisplayPort that supports DVI, VGA and dual-link DVI (requires adapters, sold separately)
• Display: 15.4 "glossy widescreen TFT (1440x900, millions of colors) with LED backlight
• USB: two-port USB 2.0 (up to 480 Mbps)
• FireWire: one FireWire 800 port (up to 800 Mbps)
• ExpressCard: ExpressCard/34 slot
• Audio: Built-in stereo speakers, built-in omnidirectional microphone, combined optical digital audio input / audio line in, combined optical digital audio output / audio line-out
• Ethernet: built-in 10/100/1000BASE-T (Gigabit)
• Wireless: built-in AirPort Extreme Wi-Fi (802.11n); built-in Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR (Enhanced Data Rate)
• Modem: Apple USB Modem (sold separately)
• Input: full-size backlit keyboard, trackpad Multi-Touch
• Weight: 2.49 kg
• Dimensions: 36.4x24.9x2.41 cm
• Software: Mac OS X v10.5 Leopard (includes Time Machine, Quick Look, Spaces, Spotlight, Dashboard, Mail, iChat, Safari, Address Book, QuickTime, iCal, DVD Player, Photo Booth, Front Row, Xcode Developer Tools) ; iLife '08 (includes iTunes, iPhoto, iMovie, iDVD, iWeb, GarageBand)
• Completion: MacBook Pro; cloth to clean / polish display, power supply 85W MagSafe Power Adapter, plug the power supply cable, power adapter, lithium-polymer battery; DVD-disk space for installation and repair; printed and electronic documentation.

So. In Windows Vista, the hardware list shows only the GeForce 9600M GT, whereas in "Leopard" cards can work together, if the plants, Energy Saver, "you put a checkmark in the" Graphics ", by selecting the improved performance. That is, it turns a kind of SLI-system, with only two different graphics cards that support here is a 9400M. Especially need to highlight the word "peculiar", the fact that the twin graphics laptop manufacturers use quite a long time. Typically, the primary use of such solutions - it's gaming laptops.But there are exceptions, for example, a series of SZ and Z company Sony. There is applied, however, a more appropriate approach, "big" card is a Nvidia 9600 or 9400 (depending on the series), a "small" - a chip from Intel. Accordingly, if you want a long time (relatively long) work for this trinadtsatidyuymovym laptop turns on Stamina, works only Intel. If you want to play - turn off the "stamina" and use all the advantages of Nvidia. About the same solution used in laptops and the company Asus, it was an attempt to make the Sony VAIO SZ competitor. True, SZ had many other advantages, it is extremely small for a laptop weight, and excellent display quality and keyboard.

The new MBP is observed a different approach: a "big" card to her in addition a "medium". As a couple they have to show excellent results, especially when it comes to working with video. It is true that in our country home video enthusiasts are not so many as in the U.S.. This is a very subjective opinion, but if we have more advanced photo and everything connected with it, there and home video in high esteem. Will express such a thought, you're free to disagree with her: reading the angry reactions on the new MBP on Western forums, I'm just amazed why so much resentment is some kind of connector, from which refused? Why are people so fixated on connecting your camcorder to your laptop is using FireWare? It seems to me that we had this moment at all in units can cause anger or irritation - well, not his great loss. Especially since most of today's cameras can be connected via USB, or even remove the memory card. Here's what no card reader, confused. True, the issue is resolved penny external accessory.

In short, the video I Do not mount due to the fact that I have this thing does not attract. I have a secret dream: want to learn how to mix, I even take certain steps in this direction. But this dream with the video in no way related. Tried to look at the MBP movies in HD size for ten or fifteen gigabytes. And in sleep mode, and with improved performance, he plays them very well. This is particularly true of work on Windows Vista. As the saying goes, "vista does not envy." Just for the "Leopard" it was necessary to raise and Perian, VLC, and for the achievement of phantasmagoria. And there is only a collection of codecs K-lite. By the way, look at all sorts of MBP dvuhgigovye copies are not very good, especially if you do not understand how concisely - because of the resolution see the artifacts and other troubles. Same quality to watch movies a pleasure, very nice, this DVD concerns.

Well, little by little we came to the games. For a start, I installed Vista in their favorite game - Call of Duty 4. Favorite it because the multiplayer, I have long been the "father". And not because of special skills. That would be like: the actions become automatic when you know cards have a favorite set of weapons, favorite servers, favorite characters, who come there to play. In this case, it is a game with a capital letter, you already know how, what, where - it is still interesting. Well, put, began to play. The video driver is not changed, leaving the one that was bundled on a disk. Maybe worth it to do. In general, the first thing you notice - it's a hefty heating. Not as strong as the old MBP, but my knees fries still strong. Okay, I've got an entertaining cooler for laptops, used it. No brakes in a multiplayer only managed to play at medium settings, permissions 1024h800, that's when everything was fast, no lags and other troubles. Decided to put Fallout 3, played - again, on medium settings is fine, it is quite playable. At the maximum - the brakes. And then I visited an interesting thought. Namely, I have decided to definitely get games for Mac. And try as they "eat" a new and beautiful MBP.

It turned out that it is not so simple. Generally, games for Mac OS in the world is not so much. Quite active in this respect Electronic Arts, renowned titles come out for this operating system with a constancy worthy of respect. It is true that some have not updated the portfolio.Frightening is, perhaps, chose not to indulge "makintoshnikov? Are all enjoy "butkampom, there are those for which embed in your Mac is something akin to Microsoft's roast pork on the Sabbath for Jews. In general, I took care of the matter and bought the same number of "home" games for the MBP. I give a tip: Battlefield 2142 was bought for a thousand rubles in "White Wind" at Gorbushka, C & C 3 is also a thousand in the Mediamarkte on Rublevsky highway for Call of Duty 4 had to run, it brought me good people for free. I will say that if you want to achieve something, then it'll get, do not trust someone who talks about crushing the purchase of such games, in the same Ozon.ru they are. True, it is necessary to wait for delivery. Another thing I want to buy Spore, sold version Warfraft; set can pick up a nice, short. Play is in that, even without installing Windows. Of course, if you like shooters and strategy. It seems there are also races some interesting, but they interested me in the least.

In short, I began to set to start C & C3. Just need to drag a shortcut to the game in the "Program", all the usual. But after the problems began, flew a message that the DVD is wrong. Still, it did not go further. Well, that caught the eye of a message at the same Ozon.ru, they say, is a security bug, you just need a system to select the default language English. That is, win english in first place in the settings. Still, a miracle happened, began to play. In the "Enhanced Performance".

I must say that this game while not the first freshness, but it is demanding on hardware. Especially when the map appears a lot of objects. Need a fairly powerful computer, that there was no brakes. Alas, MBP is itself showed a standard notebook with these parameters. Yet built, fought the first attack a few enemies - OK, shustrenko. When starting a massive attack, start clear the brakes. No slideshows, no, just slow. Play with the touchpad is inconvenient, is not always possible to correctly press the left or right "button, and this, incidentally, is not exclusive to the game, needed a habit. Recommend using a mouse. After the "skirmish" I decided to recall the past and go online. There I was waiting for a big problem - poor connection speed, because to me that nobody wanted to play. And when the daredevil was found, then the game was over before it began - just a friend sent a message that such lags will not be able to enjoy the action. I note that with the Internet in my house all right, always use multiplayer, and "vindusovom" laptop and the PS3, where the problems of lags, delays do not happen. Besides, playing frequently at night, when the access point is connected to only one device I have. In general, began to install any patches, try again, but does not work, the speed is too low.

Well, I installed Battlefield 2142. Nakata latest patch for the "Macs", he does not differ by number of designed for the PC, the same cards are added and all that. First played in a single version, and at medium settings, no brakes, everything is in order. We go into network mode - well, that is, solid logs! How many times have not tried it - well, there is no speed and no. One disorder. But the most interesting is that a number of Toshiba X200 with the same game, and it has a multiplayer all clear. Download is fast, all literally "flies". Decided to conduct an experiment installed on MBP in Vista BF2142 with the latest patch and picked to play. Interestingly, the game went pretty quickly, and the multiplayer worked more than adequately. Even more to say - lags were, but not strong. Settings, however, had chosen a minimum.

The only thing that pleased me, it's Call of Duty 4. In fact, she acted on the MBP as well as to set it Vista. Selecting the graphics settings better, I was surprised by the fact that the speed of the game in the network is not affected, with Vista, this number is not passed.

Summarize. Of course, it might seem good idea to buy games specifically for the Mac OS.But you must understand a few moments. First, the range is limited, and prices on license versions bite (usually a thousand rubles, or slightly less). I will not talk about pirated versions, you are the creator of his karma. Secondly, not all games for the Mac have a normal optimization for games on the network. Anything else I can not explain this phenomenon relates to toys from EA. The "Leopard" multiplayer works very tightly. With Vista on the same laptop with the same game (for PC) all is normal. Creation of Activison generally behaves the same everywhere. Finally, there will be as follows: It is better to put bootcamp, if thought up into something to play. Third, the "youngest" MBP - not the most advanced solution. If you really want to play on his "beautiful" tag, order option with a processor 2.8 GHz. Expensive. But will be present comfort, and will not disturb the slideshow. Fourth, the new MBP, even for a game of strategy really, really need a mouse. For these "keys" not much navoyuesh.

That being said, only the first of the stories about Mowgli. In 2009, the year I will talk about other features of this wonderful laptop. Incidentally, in this article the other day we add more photos of the device with running games, CDs with games under Mac OS and so on (do not have time to do, holidays and all that, forgive me).