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You are here: MacNN Forums > Enthusiast Zone > Gaming > WOW and MacBook optimization help

WOW and MacBook optimization help
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webb3201
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Oct 18, 2006, 10:10 AM
 
So a guildie who made it to PVP rank 13 with his iBook and maybe 5fps (cone of cold always hit behind peeps lol), just got a new MacBook.

He got the white machine with stock configuration. He claims very little improvement in his performance, and nothing like the 20 fps I have seen reported. Other than the obvious memory upgrade, what can we do to help him boost his performance.

Did reinstalling and patching from his orginal mac disks take care of him or does another "version" of the client exist for Macintel?
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- - e r i k - -
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Oct 18, 2006, 07:07 PM
 
MacBooks don't have video cards. Sorry, but they are just not made for gaming.

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lookmark
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Oct 18, 2006, 07:16 PM
 
Yeah, unfortunately the MacBook uses the GMA950. Fine for most stuff, but mediocre (at best) for 3D games.

If he's using the stock config of 512MB RAM, it's going to be really bad, because the MacBook eats up a chunk of RAM for video RAM for the integrated graphics, putting it below the minimum WOW requirement, meaning WOW is swapping out RAM.... and that makes things miserable.

What he can do:

- Bump up the MacBook to *at least* 1GB of RAM, and ideally 2GB of RAM (this helps a great deal), put the settings on fairly low and turn off full screen glow.... and then wait for the upcoming MTGL (multithreaded OpenGL) WOW update, which should be arriving in the next post-1.12.x patch, and will reportedly provide a nice boost.

or

- Sell the MacBook and get a Mac with a video card -- a $1199+ iMac, MacBook Pro, or Mac Pro.
( Last edited by lookmark; Oct 18, 2006 at 07:23 PM. )
     
s0litude
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Oct 19, 2006, 11:45 AM
 
Rank 13 with 5fps? That's incredible.
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Big Mac
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Oct 19, 2006, 12:24 PM
 
It's so incredible I'm incredulous.

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lookmark
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Oct 19, 2006, 12:30 PM
 
Methinks he exaggerates for dramatic effect.

An iBook G4 w/ Mobility Radeon 9550 + a good amount of RAM would run better than 5fps.
     
Chuckit
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Oct 19, 2006, 03:21 PM
 
Originally Posted by lookmark View Post
wait for the upcoming MTGL (multithreaded OpenGL) WOW update, which should be arriving in the next post-1.12.x patch, and will reportedly provide a nice boost.
Multithreaded OpenGL probably won't help MacBooks too much, as I understand it. Multithreaded OpenGL doesn't help the GPU at all, and it's the GPU that's so much weaker in the MacBook than in the MacBook Pro. In a computer with a good GPU and multiple processors, it can speed up the CPU's part of OpenGL. In this case, the GPU is generally the holdup.
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lookmark
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Oct 19, 2006, 05:01 PM
 
Originally Posted by Chuckit View Post
Multithreaded OpenGL probably won't help MacBooks too much, as I understand it. Multithreaded OpenGL doesn't help the GPU at all, and it's the GPU that's so much weaker in the MacBook than in the MacBook Pro. In a computer with a good GPU and multiple processors, it can speed up the CPU's part of OpenGL. In this case, the GPU is generally the holdup.
I'm afraid you're right. Just read that myself.
     
webb3201  (op)
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Oct 19, 2006, 05:54 PM
 
Originally Posted by lookmark View Post
Methinks he exaggerates for dramatic effect.

An iBook G4 w/ Mobility Radeon 9550 + a good amount of RAM would run better than 5fps.

lol..no its really true. The reason he was getting 2-5fps was a problem with the vid card (which is why he got a Macbook from Apple. they screwed up the repair three times).

Look up Xarkash on the llane server and see his highest rank. We used to laugh on vent as he would:

a: never be able to see anyone more than 20 yards away from him
b: his channeled spells always hit behind everyone else. The only reason he hit 13 was we had a PVP team and were able to score crazy amounts of honor per day. I think we ended our major rank run with 5 hwls, 13 warlords, 10 generals, and a crap load of other ranks.
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- - e r i k - -
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Oct 19, 2006, 08:32 PM
 
Besides WOW isn't a First Person Shooter and not as reliant on 'twitch' and high FPS to do well.

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esXXI
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Oct 20, 2006, 06:16 AM
 
Originally Posted by - - e r i k - - View Post
Besides WOW isn't a First Person Shooter and not as reliant on 'twitch' and high FPS to do well.
I'd argue that - obviously depending on which classes you're fighting - high ranked PVP does require decent performance and good response time. Although obviously if he was fighting a warrior or something, a lower FPS isn't going to effect the fight much.
     
   
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