MBP vs. iMac for gaming within BootCamp/Windows
I'm curious how the best iMac compares to the best MacBook Pro for games running through BootCamp/Windows. Though they have the same 7200 rpm sata drive, 4 GB memory, 512MB of GDDR3 video memory, and 6MB L2 cache, the important differences I see are:
MBP (iMac)
---------------
Processor: 2.6GHz (3.06GHz)
FSB: 800MHz (1066MHz)
Memory: 667Hz (800MHz)
Video: 8600M GT (8800 GS)
I'm sure these differences are noticeable in high end games at max settings, but would you even notice it on games like World of Warcraft?
I need a laptop for sure, so I'm trying to decide whether or not to get a two mac setup or one. An iMac (for majority of work from home + gaming) plus a MBAir (for travel only), or just split the difference with a single MBP to do everything. And it must be Macs due to the software I use for work.
This question isn't really about the costs involved in iMac+MBA vs. MBP, since I know the former is much more expensive. The iMac and MBP would both be totally fine for my work purposes, so it basically comes down to the question of gaming and work flow and mobile weight (sync logistics and "annoying" factor of keeping iMac+MBA sync'ed vs. everything on a MBP at all times vs. extremely appealing 3 pound MBA).
I'm not a hard core gamer and typically don't play the games with the insane demands. I play things like NWN2, World of Warcraft and Star Wars/Star Trek games. I also don't mind games being less than max settings, but I like it to look nice and run smooth (WoW on my mac mini does not look nice to me, while WoW on 2007 MBP looked very good).
I mostly work from a desk in one spot, but do find myself needing a mobile for travel, house guests and meetings a decent amount. I don't mind the games being ugly on the MBA for the occasional remote gaming downtime.
Any advice would be welcome. Though I suspect the MBP would be the choice, unless the iMac (for some reason) blows away the MBP's game performance.
FYI, I've recently been spoiled borrowing a bud's AW area-51 m15x (8800 GTX) for gaming, so those are the eyes I'm looking with at the moment too.
MBP (iMac)
---------------
Processor: 2.6GHz (3.06GHz)
FSB: 800MHz (1066MHz)
Memory: 667Hz (800MHz)
Video: 8600M GT (8800 GS)
I'm sure these differences are noticeable in high end games at max settings, but would you even notice it on games like World of Warcraft?
I need a laptop for sure, so I'm trying to decide whether or not to get a two mac setup or one. An iMac (for majority of work from home + gaming) plus a MBAir (for travel only), or just split the difference with a single MBP to do everything. And it must be Macs due to the software I use for work.
This question isn't really about the costs involved in iMac+MBA vs. MBP, since I know the former is much more expensive. The iMac and MBP would both be totally fine for my work purposes, so it basically comes down to the question of gaming and work flow and mobile weight (sync logistics and "annoying" factor of keeping iMac+MBA sync'ed vs. everything on a MBP at all times vs. extremely appealing 3 pound MBA).
I'm not a hard core gamer and typically don't play the games with the insane demands. I play things like NWN2, World of Warcraft and Star Wars/Star Trek games. I also don't mind games being less than max settings, but I like it to look nice and run smooth (WoW on my mac mini does not look nice to me, while WoW on 2007 MBP looked very good).
I mostly work from a desk in one spot, but do find myself needing a mobile for travel, house guests and meetings a decent amount. I don't mind the games being ugly on the MBA for the occasional remote gaming downtime.
Any advice would be welcome. Though I suspect the MBP would be the choice, unless the iMac (for some reason) blows away the MBP's game performance.
FYI, I've recently been spoiled borrowing a bud's AW area-51 m15x (8800 GTX) for gaming, so those are the eyes I'm looking with at the moment too.
mac mini until I decide, Mac OS X (10.5.4)
