ATI Radeon HD 2600 really that bad?

[flopticalcube]

So, if mobility modder has that functionality already, why do you need the ones ATI makes specifically for the laptop GPU? Higher performance? Designed around wattage?

Mobility Modder is not a driver but a program that converts desktop drivers to look like laptop ones. Windows doesn't like drivers that are not specifically set up for the video card you have but underneath, both desktop and laptop drivers are the same (since laptops tend to be underclocked, low power versions of the desktop cards). ATI has graciously "modded" their own desktop drivers to look like laptop ones for Apple. Mobility Modder is not an ATI program, btw, so ATI does not support its use.

 

[compL33Tazn]

The HD2600, in my opinion, certainly performs much worse than other modern cards.
http://www23.tomshardware.com/graphics_2007.html?modelx=33&model1=1066&model2=1057&chart=297
The blue bar near the bottom is the HD2600. The one near the top is of the new Geforce 8800GT. There are now sub $1000 computers with this card, which makes the iMac's graphics seem really bad.

 

[SaSaSushi]

The HD2600, in my opinion, certainly performs much worse than other modern cards.

The blue bar near the bottom is the HD2600. The one near the top is of the new Geforce 8800GT. There are now sub $1000 computers with this card, which makes the iMac's graphics seem really bad.

I don't use my iMac to play benchmarks.

I do occasionally use it to play some games in Boot Camp and as others have said before me in this thread it does so admirably on all of the current games I am playing including Call of Duty 4, Half-Life 2, Counter-Strike: Source, Crysis and Bioshock.

Search Youtube for iMac gaming videos if you want to see for yourself what it is capable of.

Is it a gaming machine? No. Is it capable of playing many current games at the native screen resolution with decent framerates even at medium graphics settings. Yes.

This entire thread (and all the countless others on the same topic) are much ado about nothing. If you want a top of the line gaming experience build a gaming machine.

Oh, and by the way you've omitted the link associated with your Tom's graphic, not that it matters.

 

[alphaod]

Although I don't have an iMac, from experience the HD2600 is a good CPU. The AVIVO HD is spectacular and the occasional gaming should not be affected by the GPU.

 

[AlexisV]

The HD2600, in my opinion, certainly performs much worse than other modern cards.
http://www23.tomshardware.com/graphi...1057&chart=297
The blue bar near the bottom is the HD2600. The one near the top is of the new Geforce 8800GT. There are now sub $1000 computers with this card, which makes the iMac's graphics seem really bad.

You're not looking at the Pro are you?

 

[TallManNY]

I got the 2.8 iMac and it plays WoW with all settings on high. I get between 35 and 100+ FPS depending on where I am. To the extent I play other games, I do so on my console. So for my purposes, this card is perfect.

 

[FleurDuMal]

Would the top line iMac 24" be able to play games like Sim City 4, Sims 2, AoE 3, Civ IV and X-Plane or FSX at native res?

This is in Bootcamp btw, as I've been burned too many times by OSX versions of games

 

[mslide]

Would the top line iMac 24" be able to play games like Sim City 4, Sims 2, AoE 3, Civ IV and X-Plane or FSX at native res?

This is in Bootcamp btw, as I've been burned too many times by OSX versions of games

For what it's worth, my wife and I play the Sims 2 in bootcamp on the upper end 20" Al iMac. I'd say it plays good, but not perfectly. I can't remember the exact resolution I play on (1024x720 or something like that), but I remember 1680x1050 was too slow for my tastes. I also don't turn all the detail on. The part where it gets jerky is the little flyby movie when you first enter a neighborhood. Once I'm actually in my house, it's very fast and responsive. As far as computer games go, I'd say I'm a casual gamer and I'm very satisfied with its performance.

I also used to play WoW on this. It runs great at high resolutions and detail on max, except maybe when you're at a very populated area during prime time hours. This was in OSX.

 

[Globetrotter]

Would the top line iMac 24" be able to play games like Sim City 4, Sims 2, AoE 3, Civ IV and X-Plane or FSX at native res?

This is in Bootcamp btw, as I've been burned too many times by OSX versions of games

I think in general, it performs well enough. Have a look at this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y4wvsehdyOk

If you wait for the product refresh, you should be able to buy without fear for most games for 2-3 years.

 

[AlexisV]

For what it's worth, my wife and I play the Sims 2 in bootcamp on the upper end 20" Al iMac. I'd say it plays good, but not perfectly. I can't remember the exact resolution I play on (1024x720 or something like that), but I remember 1680x1050 was too slow for my tastes. I also don't turn all the detail on. The part where it gets jerky is the little flyby movie when you first enter a neighborhood. Once I'm actually in my house, it's very fast and responsive. As far as computer games go, I'd say I'm a casual gamer and I'm very satisfied with its performance.

Should be able to run Sims 2 very easily.

Are you using the latest drivers?