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DEMinSoCAL

macrumors 603
Sep 27, 2005
5,067
7,285
He is right on some level. My family members are constantly dealing with malware. As a gamer, I constantly need to deal with constant driver updates. Sometimes bad drivers that I need to uninstall and use drivers two, three, or four releases ago in order for my card to work. That is not specifically a Windows issue. But when I run games on OS X, I do not need to deal with that stuff.

That is hardly a fair or complete statement. As a "gamer" on Windows, I'm sure you appreciate the granularity of tweaking and optimizing your rig for maximum frame rates. A by-product of that is some degree of instability and constant driver updates. That's part of the fun. On OS X, you can't do the same thing. You get what you get and you game with it. Hardly an apples-to-Apples comparison, so let's be clear on that.
 

Ethosik

Contributor
Oct 21, 2009
8,141
7,119
That is hardly a fair or complete statement. As a "gamer" on Windows, I'm sure you appreciate the granularity of tweaking and optimizing your rig for maximum frame rates. A by-product of that is some degree of instability and constant driver updates. That's part of the fun. On OS X, you can't do the same thing. You get what you get and you game with it. Hardly an apples-to-Apples comparison, so let's be clear on that.

No that is not part of the fun. As a gamer, I want to game. I do not care about running on medium settings or low settings. I want to GAME. I do not want to spend hours tweaking settings. That could be hours where I could be gaming.

And it does not matter when, on Windows, games fail to load or my NVIDIA driver crashes because it is a bad version. I can run the game on Ultra low settings, but there are some games, on some NVIDIA driver versions, that crash within 30 minutes.

On OS X, I do not have that issue.
 

762999

Cancelled
Nov 9, 2012
891
509
He is right on some level. My family members are constantly dealing with malware. As a gamer, I constantly need to deal with constant driver updates. Sometimes bad drivers that I need to uninstall and use drivers two, three, or four releases ago in order for my card to work. That is not specifically a Windows issue. But when I run games on OS X, I do not need to deal with that stuff.

WHQL certified drivers are updated through Windows Updates, there is absolutely no need to update any of them manually unless you have a specific problem or want some specific game optimisation and don't want to wait the whole WHQL certification process. If you constantly deal with malware you should:
- use other web sites
- use ghostery or ublock like add-on
 

ITguy2016

Suspended
May 25, 2016
736
581
No that is not part of the fun. As a gamer, I want to game. I do not care about running on medium settings or low settings. I want to GAME. I do not want to spend hours tweaking settings. That could be hours where I could be gaming.

And it does not matter when, on Windows, games fail to load or my NVIDIA driver crashes because it is a bad version. I can run the game on Ultra low settings, but there are some games, on some NVIDIA driver versions, that crash within 30 minutes.

On OS X, I do not have that issue.
Then why are you? If your system was stable why did you update the drivers?
 

beaker7

Cancelled
Mar 16, 2009
920
5,010
I mean he has a point. Since Apple never updates video drivers then by definition you are less likely to find a problematic version.
 

DEMinSoCAL

macrumors 603
Sep 27, 2005
5,067
7,285
No that is not part of the fun. As a gamer, I want to game. I do not care about running on medium settings or low settings. I want to GAME. I do not want to spend hours tweaking settings. That could be hours where I could be gaming.

And it does not matter when, on Windows, games fail to load or my NVIDIA driver crashes because it is a bad version. I can run the game on Ultra low settings, but there are some games, on some NVIDIA driver versions, that crash within 30 minutes.

On OS X, I do not have that issue.
If OS X is just a perfect gaming platform, then why do you even bother with gaming on Windows? So far, I haven't heard you give one benefit to gaming on Windows, so I wonder why you even do it?
 

ITguy2016

Suspended
May 25, 2016
736
581
I mean he has a point. Since Apple never updates video drivers then by definition you are less likely to find a problematic version.
You can achieve the same result on Windows by not updating the video drivers. Or for that matter any other drivers.

The only time you should upgrade drivers is to solve an existing problem or add new functionality you want / need. Otherwise leave them alone.
 

riviera74

macrumors member
Jul 18, 2015
79
16
Fort Myers FL
Windows is the largest non-console gaming platform, period. While it is nice that some game publishers write games for Mac, Windows will be where most of the games will be developed.
 

beaker7

Cancelled
Mar 16, 2009
920
5,010
You can achieve the same result on Windows by not updating the video drivers. Or for that matter any other drivers.

The only time you should upgrade drivers is to solve an existing problem or add new functionality you want / need. Otherwise leave them alone.

I think you missed my intent but no problem.
 

ITguy2016

Suspended
May 25, 2016
736
581
I think you missed my intent but no problem.
I took your post to mean OS X based systems have fewer problems because Apple doesn't provide updated drivers which can cause problems. If that's not your intent what was your intent?
 

beaker7

Cancelled
Mar 16, 2009
920
5,010
I took your post to mean OS X based systems have fewer problems because Apple doesn't provide updated drivers which can cause problems. If that's not your intent what was your intent?

Well I suppose that is technically true but not the spirit of what i was poking at.

It's like NASA using 1970's computers on space shuttles. Sure, technically, statistically, there is less chance of a problem when you never update something known to work. Probably makes sense when a system crash means someone dies.

But in a gaming context, the stakes are lower.

The glacial pace of driver updates on OS X isn't driven by an intense desire for NASA-like stability. It's because the OS X gaming market is microscopic and thus Apple does, at best, a drive-by update twice a decade and has 1/100th the number of graphics cards to worry about. Since the gaming performance demands are so low on the platform, they are not motivated to spend time wringing another 10 fps out of every title like nVidia and AMD are on the PC platform.
 

Ethosik

Contributor
Oct 21, 2009
8,141
7,119
If OS X is just a perfect gaming platform, then why do you even bother with gaming on Windows? So far, I haven't heard you give one benefit to gaming on Windows, so I wonder why you even do it?

Direct X? Gaming performance wise, Windows still beats OS X and Linux hands down. And yes, you do need to update your drivers. Have a problem running a brand new game? Ooohh you need to install the Game Ready driver for it. Doom actually kept crashing for me. So I HAD to update my drivers to the Game Ready one for Doom.

Games on OS X work. They might be slower (I could never run WoW past medium settings, but on Windows I could run maxed out and still get 120 FPS). You don't need to deal with game ready drivers, or bad driver versions, or whatever.
 

DEMinSoCAL

macrumors 603
Sep 27, 2005
5,067
7,285
Direct X? Gaming performance wise, Windows still beats OS X and Linux hands down. And yes, you do need to update your drivers. Have a problem running a brand new game? Ooohh you need to install the Game Ready driver for it. Doom actually kept crashing for me. So I HAD to update my drivers to the Game Ready one for Doom.

Games on OS X work. They might be slower (I could never run WoW past medium settings, but on Windows I could run maxed out and still get 120 FPS). You don't need to deal with game ready drivers, or bad driver versions, or whatever.

I understand all that. People here who use "I'm always updating drivers in Windows" as a reason why they like OS X and dislike Windows are using it just as an excuse as if they spend hours a week installing drivers! Updating drivers takes mere minutes (on the rare occasion you have to do it manually) and usually fixes and/or enhances performance and stability.

I guess if you've always rode a bike and then bought a car then complained how a bike is so much better because you always have to stop and put gas in your car for it to work right! Pick your poison...limited game selection and mediocre performance or best game selection and bleeding edge performance.
 
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ITguy2016

Suspended
May 25, 2016
736
581
Well I suppose that is technically true but not the spirit of what i was poking at.

It's like NASA using 1970's computers on space shuttles. Sure, technically, statistically, there is less chance of a problem when you never update something known to work. Probably makes sense when a system crash means someone dies.

But in a gaming context, the stakes are lower.

The glacial pace of driver updates on OS X isn't driven by an intense desire for NASA-like stability. It's because the OS X gaming market is microscopic and thus Apple does, at best, a drive-by update twice a decade and has 1/100th the number of graphics cards to worry about. Since the gaming performance demands are so low on the platform, they are not motivated to spend time wringing another 10 fps out of every title like nVidia and AMD are on the PC platform.
I'm still not clear on what it is you're trying to say. If you want a stable Windows system one way to ensure that is to continue using the existing drivers. Just like you would on OS X. Nothing is forcing someone to upgrade to later drivers.

I get the impression those railing against Windows because of driver updates are creating the problem themselves. Perhaps that's why I have fairly trouble free experiences with my Windows systems. I obtain them, install the software I need, and just use them. I'm not of the mindset I need to install the latest drivers just for the sake of being on the latest versions.
 

yaxomoxay

macrumors 604
Mar 3, 2010
7,439
34,276
Texas
It's like NASA using 1970's computers on space shuttles. Sure, technically, statistically, there is less chance of a problem when you never update something known to work. Probably makes sense when a system crash means someone dies.

Well, it's also a matter of design freeze. Making a spacecraft or an aircraft requires several years, therefore at a certain point the design has to freeze at the cost of missing some tech.
 

H2SO4

macrumors 603
Nov 4, 2008
5,828
7,100
That is hardly a fair or complete statement. As a "gamer" on Windows, I'm sure you appreciate the granularity of tweaking and optimizing your rig for maximum frame rates. A by-product of that is some degree of instability and constant driver updates. That's part of the fun. On OS X, you can't do the same thing. You get what you get and you game with it. Hardly an apples-to-Apples comparison, so let's be clear on that.
Also, you have a choice to downgrade. U don’t always get that with OSX.
 

s-hatland

macrumors regular
Feb 4, 2014
149
97
I mean he has a point. Since Apple never updates video drivers then by definition you are less likely to find a problematic version.

i think you forgot to close this post with </sarcasm>. i read it as a lighthearted rousing but i think some thought you were serious.
 

toke lahti

macrumors 68040
Apr 23, 2007
3,293
509
Helsinki, Finland
The move to Intel processors in 2006 gave Apple the leverage it needs to make some very nice workstations. They were very innovative with the Mac Pro 1,1 introduction, just as they were with the G5. The G5 was liquid cooled - a far cry to what they would be willing to introduce today. Apple could make yet another revolutionary workstation if they desired - a highly upgradable Mac Pro tower with extreme upgadability. Look at how serviceable to previous Mac Pro was. If they don't re-enter this market soon, the software options for professionals will start drying up and there will be little incentive to keep this market going. But I think it's clear that there is currently pent-up demand for such a machine. They are going to have to do what they did with the G4 Cube and kill off the 6,1 early and make a true workstation for the people that want to use OS X and have professional needs.
What if... Apple would just let go of osx? You could install it to boxx, hp or dell workstations. Everybody would be happy...
 
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DEMinSoCAL

macrumors 603
Sep 27, 2005
5,067
7,285
That didn't work out so well last time around...
Why's that? Because Apple cared about their computer business back then and worked hard to protect it? Times have changed.

I see a time when Apple doesn't sell computers any longer, and releases their OS X to the public domain. Seems that would be the perfect combination.
 
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AidenShaw

macrumors P6
Feb 8, 2003
18,667
4,677
The Peninsula
What if... Apple would just let go of osx? You could install it to boxx, hp or dell workstations. Everybody would be happy...

That didn't work out so well last time around...

Why's that? Because Apple cared about their computer business back then and worked hard to protect it? Times have changed.

I see a time when Apple doesn't sell computers any longer, and releases their OS X to the public domain. Seems that would be the perfect combination.
Someone mentioned that his friend DarkKnight talked about Apple using TPM to allow Apple OSX to run on certain server configs. The problem with the "clone wars" wasn't the idea of licensing Apple OS - the problem was that the clones were better and/or cheaper than Apple computers.

I can't see Apple dropping the laptop business anytime soon - so I can't see them open sourcing Apple OSX and letting it fork from Ios. Eventually perhaps, but by that time the high end tablets would have (optional, detachable) keyboards and essentially be laptops.

The higher end (I can't bear to use the adjective "Pro" anymore - Apple and others have made it mean nothing more than "shinier") workstation and server market, however, would be perfect for Apple to drop out of the hardware design realm and rebadge a few honest-to-Gord workstations and servers as Apple systems. They'd have complete control over everything (something that they've never forgotten from the Jobs eras), and be selling hardware built by people who can look beyond the phone platform.

Another option would be to let HP and Dell sell "Apple Certified" configs for Apple OSX. Less control, but TPM would keep piracy down and block unsupported configs. (And if Apple charged $699 extra for the certified config they probably wouldn't care what you did after Apple cashed the check.)
 

flat five

macrumors 603
Feb 6, 2007
5,580
2,657
newyorkcity
Eventually perhaps, but by that time the high end tablets would have (optional, detachable) keyboards and essentially be laptops.
check this thing out:

http://rense.com/general69/future.htm

unffown.jpg
 
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