They'd be in the same boat they are now if they had used a low-end 2008 Dell with integrated graphics. If OP had by chance ponied up for a 2008 MacBook Pro instead of a 2008 MacBook, they'd have a dedicated GPU that they'd be able to overclock using NVIDIA tools to bump them up to medium/high settings on the games they typically play. It's pretty and powerful and it'll last me at least 5 years. The money I saved not buying into 'Retina' got me a 2.7GHz quad-core i7, 16GB of cas9 RAM, a Samsung 840 Pro Series SSD and a 1680x1050 display on my mid-2012 MBP.

Luckily there's still options such as the Mac Pro and the non-Retina MacBook Pro for those of us who like to pop open the case and do our own aftermarket upgrades. For the people that don't know the difference between integrated graphics and discrete GPUs, Macs are a perfect well-built machine. That's what the Mac ecosystem thrives on. For some people though, having their machine work 3 years is enough and they just want the latest technologies in the simplest package. Due to non-standard sized SSDs, surface-soldered RAM and an overly liberal use of industrial glue, I personally wouldn't buy either one. If you look through my post history, I'm very vocal in this sub about my opposition to the internal design practices for the Retina MacBook Pro and MacBook Air.

Just like any line of computer, you need to do your research before purchasing. People can have pretty AND power if they pay for it. The trend in the industry is thin and light, and companies are willing to cut corners in order to give consumers what they want. Apple isn't the only company using integrated graphics in their low-end machines either. Yes, Apple has been using more and more solder to permanently attach RAM/GPU/CPU to their logic boards, but they're not the only major player in the industry doing it. PC' debate, which everyone hates hearing. I mean ultimately you're trying to bring back the 'Mac vs. Since yours was a gift, all you can do is make the most of it and save your pennies for a better machine someday. What's really important though is to realize your lifestyle is not that before buying one, and getting the machine that best meets your needs. It's also great that Apple's marketing department has made that lifestyle seem really trendy. Seriously, they do fit some lifestyles quite well, and it's great that they're available to those people. If a nice experience as far as carrying your laptop to the coffee shop, and having a long battery life for marathon blogging sessions, or video editing is what you're after, then an Apple laptop is just what you need. If raw numbers are what you're looking for, then the Apple will lose most every comparison. I'm really surprised I didn't get downvoted, but speaking negatively of Apple products in this sub reminds people that they chose pretty over performance, and that doesn't fit the mindset too well.

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