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4850 Benchmarks Thread
- Thread starter jmpage2
- Start date
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Don't game actually run smoother under Window/Bootcamp than OSX?
At least WoW runs better for me under Windows XP/Bootcamp than OSX.
At least WoW runs better for me under Windows XP/Bootcamp than OSX.
Finally!!!
Thanks Barefeats!! This is what I've been waiting for. With these benchmarks and the freezing issue fixed, it's time to buy! Enough lurking!!
Thanks Barefeats!! This is what I've been waiting for. With these benchmarks and the freezing issue fixed, it's time to buy! Enough lurking!!
Barefeats only tests under OS X. However, you are correct that many games run better under Windows, primarily because of how they are ported FROM windows to OS X and also OS X doesn't have an equivalent to DirectX.
Does it matter though?
With the benchmark numbers posted I don't think Windows performance really matters all that much. The human brain has trouble distinguishing frame rates over 60 and, as long as they're fairly stable, when they're less than 60 it'll still look smooth.
Ordered mine with the 2.93 GHz and 4850 on Saturday, I can't wait 'till it comes in! I'll finally be able to dual boot and play some Sword of the Stars, couldn't do that on my G4 MacMini!
With the benchmark numbers posted I don't think Windows performance really matters all that much. The human brain has trouble distinguishing frame rates over 60 and, as long as they're fairly stable, when they're less than 60 it'll still look smooth.
Ordered mine with the 2.93 GHz and 4850 on Saturday, I can't wait 'till it comes in! I'll finally be able to dual boot and play some Sword of the Stars, couldn't do that on my G4 MacMini!
I test WoW last nite on my new imac i5. I cranked the settings to full and ran around Dalaran for awhile...I also tested this morning ran geekbench while doing so.. I held at 35+ fps. Geekbench score was 6117. No lag no hitches just beautiful smoooooooth sweetness!!
I would recommend a gaming PC if you already have a macbook pro. The gaming PC (if built) will out play any iMac by a long shot!
I haven't played Dragon Age, but my 2.93ghz iMac with the 4850 runs other 3D games (like Left4Dead and Orange Box) beautifully. I can't imagine your machine would have problems with Dragon Age. That said, I'd probably go for an i5 or i7 machine instead of the Core2Duo.
Of course you'll get even better performance if you get a PC, but then you're stuck with Windows (ugh). Me, I'd rather take a few FPS hits and have an iMac, on which I can run both Windows and OS X, than have a dedicated gaming PC.
The requirements for Dragon's Age are much higher than Steam based games (L4D and Orange Box)
Dragon's Age:
VISTA MINIMUM SPECS
OS: Windows Vista with SP1
CPU: Intel Core 2 (or equivalent) running at 1.6Ghz or greater
RAM: 1.5 GB or more
VIDEO: ATI Radeon X1550 256MB or greater
NVIDIA GeForce 7600 GT 256MB or greater
DVD ROM (Physical copy)
20 GB HD space
Left for Dead:
OS: Windows XP, Vista, Vista64
CPU: 3.0 GHz P4, Dual Core 2.0 or AMD64X2 (or higher)
RAM: 1 GB for XP / 2GB for Vista
Disc drive: DVD-ROM Drive
Hard drive: At least 7.5 GB of free space
Video: Direct X 9 compatible video card - Video card must be 128 MB or more and should be a DirectX 9-compatible with support for pixel shader 2.0 (ATI 9600 or high. Or, Nvidia 6600 or higher)
Sound: Direct X9.0c compatible sound card
Plus the poster already has a Macbook Pro
That doesn't assume he'll want to go PC for a gaming-only machine. I say if you want a gaming-only machine, get a console.
I did the same and got 30+. In Dalaran. It is great to be at max graphics and be in Dalaran.
Thats laughable to compare a console to a gaming computer, its not even close.
I'm just suggesting instead of spending $1500+ on an iMac (he already owns a nice Mac), the poster could spend $800-1000 and build himself a game destroying machine! The gaming PC wouldn't take the place of his macbook pro, it would just play computer games much better than a more expensive iMac.
I'm in the same boat, I have a 13" MBP but I want a desktop machine AND I want something capable of playing Windows games and don't want to clutter my desk with multiple screens and tons of cables.
I could get an external screen for the MBP and a gaming PC & another monitor for it but thats just messy. Plus I don't want a gaming PC that is going to sit off for most of the time apart from the few hours where I set and occasionally get to play Dragon Age, Mass Effect, Assassins Creed and so on
Well thats fine, if thats what you want. My main concern would be how much money you have to spend and which iMac you would have to buy to play Dragon's Age on good to great settings.
Just for the record. People who want to compare the 27" and the 21.5"
My 3.33Ghz ATI4670 21.5" scores with OpenGL Extension Viewer are:
(Settings: 1920x1080x32 , Fullscreen, Standard , Multisample 4x,
Anisotropy 8x, Fog on, Benchmark On , Transparency On)
1.1 260
1.2 262
1.3 248
1.4 177
1.5 169
2.0 170
2.1 147
My 3.33Ghz ATI4670 21.5" scores with OpenGL Extension Viewer are:
(Settings: 1920x1080x32 , Fullscreen, Standard , Multisample 4x,
Anisotropy 8x, Fog on, Benchmark On , Transparency On)
1.1 260
1.2 262
1.3 248
1.4 177
1.5 169
2.0 170
2.1 147
Console gaming does have some distinct advantages. First, you're competing on a level playing field. You don't have to worry about the guy who has a $10k rig who can frag you before you can even get a shot off. That's always frustrating. With consoles, everyone is using exactly the same hardware. I used to build my own PCs, and the endless quest for faster processor and video performance to be competitive in online gaming got to be a real chore (and an expensive chore at that).
Also, cheating is more difficult to pull off in console gaming. Hackers and cheats always seem to manage to ruin online games. Console gaming gives you some protection from that. Those who do manage to figure out how to cheat in a console game often wind up permanently banned from those services (Xbox Live or PSN), so they end up with a brick of a console and you end up with a more enjoyable gaming experience. Cheaters suck, and computer online gaming is full of them. Console gaming provides some level of assurance.
Console gaming also gives you a universal gaming network, where you can add all your buddies. Another nice perk.
And of course with a console you can sit down on the sofa with a friend or family member and play on the same screen. And you have access to some amazing games that are console-exclusive (Uncharted 2 (awesome), Little Big Planet (awesome), etc.) whereas most PC games these days also end up on the consoles. I used to game on a home-built PC that sat next to my Mac. Then I started gaming on my iMac using Boot Camp. Now I do most of my gaming on the PS3. It's quite a nice change, actually.
FWIW (YMMV).
Now, I'm just waiting for someone to figure out a way to connect a PS3 to one of the new iMacs with video-in since my wife is always hogging the plasma...