Yes, it should be able to run them smoothly.
Alex, I do wish to try a Mac, and need a good screen/specs.
Minecraft is a little odd with requirements. I also want to get Portal 2 with Steam, as I have it for the PS3 & give that a try. I will be exploring new stuff, but these are the primary requirements.
If it can't meet these, I won't buy it.
Also, thank you Mr. E
I would get the $1,499 13" instead. The 15 and 17" are HUGE in person.
You would better invest in a HP laptop. I have 4GB RAM + 1GB dedicated video memory + 500GB space + HD screen + 17.3" screen, many extra features for a similar price.
It has very good cooler so it's good for gaming. (I never ran a game of it since I bought it but 3D simulation runs perfectly!)
I will check out the 13 inch, but for now I am stuck on the 15 inch.
Don't listen to them I wouldn't get anythign smaller than the highend 15" for mac book just for the higher resolutions I love the extra screen space especailly when doing editing.
5400 RPM HDD
i7/8GB RAM for minecraft
Laptop
$2000+
Please tell me you're joking? If you were going to use it for something like video rendering or something I would be okay with this, but not for minecraft. If you intend to game, spend the money on a desktop. If you don't have space for one, at least downgrade a bit. $2000 is ridiculous for any laptop going to be used for Minecraft, no exceptions. You could build 2 computers with pretty much the same power for that price. If you must have a Mac, at least don't spend that much on one for your usage. The previous gen MBP 13" with a 220m GPU runs minecraft fine ffs.
I say get the 13". And I'm sure you'll find other uses for it thoughout it's long life other than Minecraft.
Good luck with your purchase. Definitely something I'd buy if I could afford it.
I want the 15" because I need a bigger screen. :p