2017 5K iMac and online gaming

[markbraithwaite6]

Hey guys

I currently have a 2009 27inch iMac I use for work (photoshop, illustrator etc.) that's in dire need of an upgrade. Happy to see they've finally updated the iMac lineup and looks like a good time to jump in. Wondering if the base model (3.4GHz quad-core i5, Radeon Pro 570) would be good enough to run Elder Scrolls Online without any hiccups or if I should aim for a higher model? I'm currently playing the game on Xbox One and its literally all I use the Xbox for, so if I can use the iMac for gaming as well I can sell it. On paper it looks like it would be able to run no problems, but I hear so much that you can't game reliably on a Mac so I thought I'd check with those who know more than I do.

Thanks!

 

[fokmik]

i think the 575 is the way to go if you dont want the 580

 

[BuCkDoG]

Hey guys

I currently have a 2009 27inch iMac I use for work (photoshop, illustrator etc.) that's in dire need of an upgrade. Happy to see they've finally updated the iMac lineup and looks like a good time to jump in. Wondering if the base model (3.4GHz quad-core i5, Radeon Pro 570) would be good enough to run Elder Scrolls Online without any hiccups or if I should aim for a higher model? I'm currently playing the game on Xbox One and its literally all I use the Xbox for, so if I can use the iMac for gaming as well I can sell it. On paper it looks like it would be able to run no problems, but I hear so much that you can't game reliably on a Mac so I thought I'd check with those who know more than I do.

Thanks!

The two words of Mac and Gaming don't traditionally go together but if your going to do it I would recommend the i7 and 580 hands down. It's a joy to game on this panel and finally we have desktop class CPU and GPU so gaming is finally a great experience on the iMac.

 

[markbraithwaite6]

The two words of Mac and Gaming don't traditionally go together but if your going to do it I would recommend the i7 and 580 hands down. It's a joy to game on this panel and finally we have desktop class CPU and GPU so gaming is finally a great experience on the iMac.

Cheers. Only issue is I'm on a tight budget, I was going to get the base model iMac but upgrade to 512gb SSD. If I were to go with the i7 580 model I'd probably have to stick with the stock Fusion Drive. Is the trade off worth it? Been hearing a lot on these forums that the SSD is far superior to the Fusion.

 

[BuCkDoG]

Cheers. Only issue is I'm on a tight budget, I was going to get the base model iMac but upgrade to 512gb SSD. If I were to go with the i7 580 model I'd probably have to stick with the stock Fusion Drive. Is the trade off worth it? Been hearing a lot on these forums that the SSD is far superior to the Fusion.

SSD is far superior than Fusion. Fusion is just a HDD with a large cache on it and you really need to go with the 2 TB Fusion to get a 128 SSD when a 256 SSD is cheaper than the 2 TB Fusion so I would absolutely go all solid state.

 

[Solomani]

The new 2017 iMacs can be CTO'd to very strong hardware specs. I'm also considering buying one. The problem with gaming is: 1) probably a small handful of OSX games support 4k/5k and 2) an even smaller number of games support Metal at this point.

 

[SaSaSushi]

The problem with gaming is: 1) probably a small handful of OSX games support 4k/5k and 2) an even smaller number of games support Metal at this point.

Since only a few games supporting 4k and 5k can be played on the 2017 iMac (even with the Radeon 580) with comfortable frame rates anyway, I disagree that this is a problem.

That's what 1080p and 1440p are for.

 

[Appleaker]

If you want to go for the SSD on the 570 model instead, then it’s always possible to add external graphics in the future. Although that can be very costly for what you’re getting.