Sadly, their video cards are not supported--Intel Iris 540 or Iriss 550.
That's the 13" models. Definitely don't buy one of them for Civ6 (or gaming in general). The 15" models also have a AMD Radeon Pro which are good enough for Civ6.
15-inch Space Grey
• 2.9GHz quad-core Intel Core i7 processor, Turbo Boost up to 3.8GHz
• 1TB PCIe-based SSD
• Radeon Pro 460 with 4GB memory
Same as what I'm (probably) getting, except for the SSD. I'll get the 512GB instead because I simply can't justify how much Apple are charging for the larger ones. If I run out of space I'll use external storage.
Just out of interest the 2 graphic cards on offer on the 15inch - Radeon Pro 455 and Radeon Pro 460 (+£90 more).
Are both graphic cards very powerful? Could they both handle Civ 6 with ease?
These MBPs are first machines they've appeared in so it's too early to know for sure. Spec comparisons with other available laptop GPUs suggest they're fairly mediocre though. Massive improvement over all existing MBPs but not as good as existing iMacs.
Also is there really any difference between the two... I mean could you even notice a difference of is it just the case of upgrading because in the grand scheme of things £90 isn't very much.
I would definitely get the upgrade to the 460. Of all the upgrades available for the 15", it's easily the best (relative) value for money. ~30% faster and it has 4GB VRAM, the others only have 2GB.
I've been waiting a long time to upgrade my Macbook Pro however I wouldn't mind hearing your thoughts as to whether the high price genuinely justifies the hardware users are getting? I am not a technical guy so I apologise for my ignorance in advance but is the new MB Pro genuinely very powerful?
No. They are powerful for a laptop so thin, impressively so, but there are more powerful laptops out there that are much cheaper. With Mac, we've always paid a premium for superior OS, hardware/software integration, etc. Most of us Mac users will agree that it's worth it. But with this latest release, Apple have declared we are to pay an additional premium for thinness and 'experience', even in the Pro line. Not just in terms of dollars, but in terms of missed opportunity for more power. Whether that's worth it is a lot more divisive.
Personally I think the new 15" MBPs are fantastic. They're powerful enough for me, I like the new touch bar, and I'm not losing any ports I care about. But they are overpriced, painfully so. I'm probably still going to buy one because I desperately need an upgrade (not just for Civ6) and I'm too invested in the Mac ecosystem to jump ship right now. But if Apple continues on this trajectory, it may well be my last Mac.
Thank you for your feedback, but this is for the new 15" model. I have edited my post to highlight that the new 15" models, sadly, are out of my price range.
Will I still be ok with the 13"?
If playing modern 3D games like Civ6 is a priority for you, in my opinion you'd be better spending your money on something else that has a dedicated GPU (AMD or NVIDIA). If staying with Mac is important to you, get a 15" or an iMac instead.
