StarCraft II on my BlackBook

Hey guys I just found another post with a diffrent view point, thought it might help:

Mac Model: 2008 Macbook - black one - 13.3'

Operating System: OS x 10.5.8

Processor Speed: 2.4 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo

RAM: 2

Video card: Intel GMA X3100:

Screen resolution: not sure :\

Default settings: everything low

Modifications to default settings:

Playability: pretty bad. I have all the graphic settings set to low and it gets pretty laggy. Kind of ***** and I didn't want to get a new comp just for SC2 but I really like this game. Is there anyway to upgrade my graphics card? I'm pretty sure that's the culprit. Could I send my macbook into apple and have them upgrade it for me? Or would it be a better idea to get a cheap desktop, like a dell for a few hundred?

http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=978222&highlight=

Hey ,
I just got SCII, and am running it with a decent game speed ( on low graphics of course) on my white macbook with integrated graphics X3100. It works pretty well. No regrets on the purchase.

Hi killer Ame, I do wonder about the discrepancies between the experiences since I thought the Black MacBook was superior to the White One-- something about more the black one having more memory or Hard Drive but I don't quite remember. Have you particularly played SC2 on your MacBook?

Hi tigr003, could you please provide more detailed specs? As well as the OS you are using to play the game?

i have a black macbook and SC2 wont run on it, but it runs on via windows 7 bootcamp tho it runs but only just

Hey Carlos. I'm glad my post helped! Let me just first reiterate for other people: running SC2 on this model macbook (x3100) is not all peaches and cream, but it is playable (in my opinion).

I have a late 2007 white macbook with 2.2GHz Core2Duo. I also put 4GB of RAM into it and a 320GB hard drive (still 5400rpm though).

I run it on the absolute lowest settings (2D character profiles and everything). I also turned the sound quality down to 'low' and turned the reverb option off. I play it at the native recommended resolution as well. (Same settings apply when I play it in Windows)

My experience so far has been like this. Biggest issue is by far an annoying mouse lag when dragging the cursor to select units; it's slight, but still annoying. The other big thing is in-gameplay cut scenes - they get very choppy. But on the bright side, the movie style cinematics run OK. Multiplayer over Battlenet is OK too, which I found surprising. The last thing is that occasionally during gameplay I get a little popup that says "close other applications to improve performace" - except there are no other applications running.

So thats been my experience so far. Not ideal, but playable. At least, until I get a newer computer. 🙂

Also, as a side note, I was surprised I found gameplay under OSX better too. I also thought Win7's use of more graphics memory would improve performance. And, to be fair, for the short amount of time I played it under Win7, the in-game cinematics seemed a good deal smoother. But my main issue while running in windows was that any attempt to manage graphics or sound options while in gameplay resulted in a total application crash and I had to ctrl-alt-delete and restart to fix it. So thats why I prefer to run under OSX.

Hope that helps!

@Killer Ame,

Hmm, yeah that is a definite discrepancy. I could be the fact that this person only had 2GB of RAM, but I can't be sure. Everything else seems pretty inline with what I'm running.

On the other hand, it could simply be a discrepancy in what I consider 'playable'. I'm really just interested in the core gameplay; and for me that part runs fine. My main advice for people like me who want to run SC2 on this model computer would be this: Have realistic expectations. There is good reason Blizzard says that this card is unsupported.

Matt,

Thanks for your input. Although I am slightly worried now, my only other option is to invest $650 and build my own computer through this link: http://starcraft2forum.org/forums/showthread.php?t=6052

I am a big fan of WC3 and even played Wow for a few months but I am not sure if the price will be worth it to play SC2 on medium settings. I am currently running on 2gb of ram, so we'll find out tomorrow.

Yeah, I'm in the same boat as you - trying to decide if I should get a new computer. But that is quite a complicated decision for me. I REALLY like the new macbook pro's. The all aluminum body and glass screen are really awesome. (plus they're great laptops). But do I want to spend $1500 on a new computer just so I can play games?

I'm also considering building my own PC, like you. It makes more sense for the money. Macs are great, but even the most expensive ones don't have the greatest video cards.

Decisions, decisions...

I have a 2x2.26 Quad core G5 with 6GB RAM. The game slows down on almost every level and I have the res set to 1280x and game on all medium graphics in options.

You get one good level and then randomly the video sequence will slow to a chug chug speed and the only solution is to go into options change resolution (even selecting higher res) and it appears to work. I played a zerg infested level last night and it chugged like steam train on even all-low settings.

I thought I had a stonking computer that could cope.

I think it must be some sort of apple related software issue for Blizzard though, so I hope they release a patch soon because I can play one level on max settings with no slow down and then it dies when you start the next level.

Okay so I got the game! It runs pretty much without any lag and I only have 2gb of ram. Battle Net is awesome and if you guys are a fan of Wc3 or SC1, the graphics wont have that big of a discrepancy. Though the game is still fun and definitely worth the money. Im going to follow that link and build my own pc. Playing it on my macbook is definitely not a long term solution and I wish to enjoy future Blizzard Games such as Diablo 3, and I have a feeling that game will demand a even higher quality graphic card. Anyone who is doubting if it will work or not should definitely take the risk of buying SC2 today!

Same here...not playable after a starting a new match.

I found that by installing it on my windows XP side (boot camp) it does work! Even with the GMA 950~
Good lucks