ATI 4850 vs the Power Mac cards

[24usedtorock]

Strictly for gaming, which is best suited to handle WoW, Crysis etc, assuming that Boot Camp may or may not be factored into the equation...

I'm getting fussy that this I-Mac 4850 fiasco is not resolved and want to order something this week..

My uses will be business, web, and gaming. Yes I know that's way too powerful of a machine per my needs but I don't care, I'm just tired of maintaining Windows PC's and want a stable beast to last me at least 7 years.....

 

[Omni Geno]

Strictly for gaming, which is best suited to handle WoW, Crysis etc, assuming that Boot Camp may or may not be factored into the equation...

I'm getting fussy that this I-Mac 4850 fiasco is not resolved and want to order something this week..

My uses will be business, web, and gaming. Yes I know that's way too powerful of a machine per my needs but I don't care, I'm just tired of maintaining Windows PC's and want a stable beast to last me at least 7 years.....

No idea what you're referring to with the "Power Mac cards" because the last Power Mac was a G5 and the last G5 was discontinued August 2006. It can't play Crysis for sure because it won't run Windows games.

Also if Boot Camp is not factored into the equation you can't play Crysis.

If you're referring to a Mac Pro, the best you can get is a 4870, which is better than the 4850 (source) but we don't really know by how much until we get further tests. The other option on the Mac Pro is the GT120, which is also offered as a base card on the 2.93GHz iMac. That said, the Mac Pro will probably be overkill for you processor-wise.

But to your point, I would actually beg to differ about the iMac. It's not "way too powerful a machine for your needs" if you're going to want to play high end games. If you're only playing WoW, I think (and others may disagree) the iMac with GT130 would suffice. If you want the very best performance you can get from a non-Mac Pro, go for the 4850 iMac. One of the other threads here seems to indicate that a software fix for the 4850 freezing problem is in the works from Apple.

I hope that helps!

 

[24usedtorock]

That is quite helpful thank you sir. Yes I meant to type Mac Pro.

I'm addicted to computers, truth be told I don't need another one right now but this new line of I-Macs just speak to me and I really want one to complement my living room as they're quite sleek and attractive.

I certainly don't play high end games often, but I do have urges here and there. I did read a post indicating from the limited testing done thus far that the GT130 might be as high as 40% worse FPS wise on WoW than the 4850, but obviously the 4850 fix is not yet in place.

This time has been quite helpful as I have gotten to do a lot of reading before compulsively placing an order, I think I'll just wait on the sidelines to see the results of the freeze-fest..

No idea what you're referring to with the "Power Mac cards" because the last Power Mac was a G5 and the last G5 was discontinued August 2006. It can't play Crysis for sure because it won't run Windows games.

Also if Boot Camp is not factored into the equation you can't play Crysis.

If you're referring to a Mac Pro, the best you can get is a 4870, which is better than the 4850 (source) but we don't really know by how much until we get further tests. The other option on the Mac Pro is the GT120, which is also offered as a base card on the 2.93GHz iMac. That said, the Mac Pro will probably be overkill for you processor-wise.

But to your point, I would actually beg to differ about the iMac. It's not "way too powerful a machine for your needs" if you're going to want to play high end games. If you're only playing WoW, I think (and others may disagree) the iMac with GT130 would suffice. If you want the very best performance you can get from a non-Mac Pro, go for the 4850 iMac. One of the other threads here seems to indicate that a software fix for the 4850 freezing problem is in the works from Apple.

I hope that helps!

 

[Omni Geno]

That is quite helpful thank you sir. Yes I meant to type Mac Pro.

I'm addicted to computers, truth be told I don't need another one right now but this new line of I-Macs just speak to me and I really want one to complement my living room as they're quite sleek and attractive.

I certainly don't play high end games often, but I do have urges here and there. I did read a post indicating from the limited testing done thus far that the GT130 might be as high as 40% worse FPS wise on WoW than the 4850, but obviously the 4850 fix is not yet in place.

This time has been quite helpful as I have gotten to do a lot of reading before compulsively placing an order, I think I'll just wait on the sidelines to see the results of the freeze-fest..

The 24" iMac is definitely a beautiful machine if I do say so myself. When it's not freezing it performs really, really well. I've been lucky in that mine hasn't frozen since I turned off wifi. If you don't need it now, it is probably a good idea to sit it out and see what Apple comes up with for a fix. I had to get mine, as I have a 5 1/2 year old Power Mac G4 and like you I love computers. It's just that I was overdue for an upgrade. Now I'm using 'em side by side. The thing that strikes me the most besides the size of the iMac's screen and its speed is that when I turn off the G4, almost all the noise in the room goes away. This iMac is whisper quiet.

I don't think it would be worth your money to impulse buy a Mac Pro.

 

[LagunaSol]

Based on one user's test, the Mac Pro with the 4870 barely edges out the iMac with the 4850 in Call Of Duty 4:

http://barefeats.com/imac09c.html