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Diablo 3 (MAC version): A bit laggy on mac mini

D

datie

macrumors newbie
Original poster
May 16, 2012
3
0
Dear all,

Diablo 3 (MAC version) is laggy when running on my mac mini (see the configuration at the end). But it performs quite well on my friend's iMac. We use the same default setting in D3 and the resolution is 1920x1080.

Is there any reason? How can I improve the graphical performance on my mac mini?

By the way, when running WOW on both machines, the performance on mac mini is better than on iMac.

Here are the configurations of my mac mini and my friend's iMac:

[mac mini]
21 inch Dell display
2.5GHz dual-core Intel Core i5
4GB memory
500GB hard drive1
AMD Radeon HD 6630M
OS X Lion

[iMac]
21.5-inch: 2.5GHz
2.5GHz Quad-Core Intel Core i5
1920 x 1080 resolution
8GB memory
500GB hard drive1
AMD Radeon HD 6750M with 512MB


Thank you very much.
 
datie said:
Dear all,

Diablo 3 (MAC version) is laggy when running on my mac mini (see the configuration at the end). But it performs quite well on my friend's iMac which has a weaker graphics card than mine. We use the same default setting and the resolution is 1920x1080.

Is there any reason? How can I improve the graphical performance on my mac mini?

Here are the configurations of my mac mini and my friend's iMac:

[mac mini]
21 inch Dell display
2.5GHz dual-core Intel Core i5
4GB memory
500GB hard drive1
AMD Radeon HD 6630M
OS X Lion

[iMac]
21.5-inch: 2.5GHz
2.5GHz Quad-Core Intel Core i5
1920 x 1080 resolution
8GB memory
500GB hard drive1
AMD Radeon HD 6750M with 512MB


Thank you very much.
Click to expand...

afraid not, the imac's graphics card is considerably more powerful... go into video settings within diablo 3 and turn all the settings down/off, turn off shadows, turn off ground clutter, and turn off anti-aliasing to start....see if that gives it enough of a boost, if not turn down textures etc.... lastly, try a lower resolution or windowed mode and make the window smaller... only so much ya can do gaming wise w/ a mini so, you're gonna have to make some sacrifices.
 
cosmicjoke said:
afraid not, the imac's graphics card is considerably more powerful... go into video settings within diablo 3 and turn all the settings down/off, turn off shadows, turn off ground clutter, and turn off anti-aliasing to start....see if that gives it enough of a boost, if not turn down textures etc.... lastly, try a lower resolution or windowed mode and make the window smaller... only so much ya can do gaming wise w/ a mini so, you're gonna have to make some sacrifices.
Click to expand...

Thanks. that's what i'm doing now... one thing i don't understand is that the iMac's AMD Radeon HD 6750M is actually weaker than mini's AMD Radeon HD 6630M, according to their performances on a number of PC games.
 
I have a Dell Vostro with the same exact graphics card, and I can assure you it's not the card. More likely than not, you're just experiencing lag related to high latency from the server. What's your latency numbers look like?
 
thejadedmonkey said:
I have a Dell Vostro with the same exact graphics card, and I can assure you it's not the card. More likely than not, you're just experiencing lag related to high latency from the server. What's your latency numbers look like?
Click to expand...

Oh, i forgot the numbers. I'll check it again when i get back home. but my friend and i share the same WiFi. so it should not be the problem from server latency.

----------
throAU said:
If the benchmarks show reduced performance, it isn't the fault of the video card. The 6750 is quite a bit more powerful.
Click to expand...

I see. thanks. but which benchmarks can I trust? http://www.notebookcheck.net is one of the best, isn't?

Someone says that D3 is optimized for DirectX under Windows, rather than OpenGL under Mac OS. maybe i shall try Windows on my mini instead.
 
Another reason the Mini _may_ be giving lower performance is the fact the 6630M is the 256MB version. The game's not massively texture heavy as far as I'm aware, but the 6750M in the iMac will have a bit more legroom in terms of texture swapping etc.

Definitely give it a shot dropping the settings a bit I'd say.

Could be worse.... you could have taken a smack round the head from the wife for trying to play it in bed on an Air! Fan annoyed her....
 
I'm still rather blown away by what the Mini can handle - never expected that when I got it. Tried Star Wars The Old Republic with a high level of success, and the only minor annoyance was the fan noise.
Diablo 3 is the first game that I got to try in both OSX and Bootcamp Windows 7. With identical resolution and settings, Windows gives me around 10 FPS more. That means that I went from a slightly annoying laggy feel, to a perfect gaming experience.

So if you can, try it out in Bootcamp.
 
OP, I'd go the bootcamp route. Windows is still better optimized for gaming.
 
Skoopman said:
There is no need for bootcamp. The Mini simply can't handle 1080p gaming. Turn it down to 720p and the lag should be gone.
Click to expand...

What if I told you that I'm running D3 in 1080p - without problems and with everything on high except shadows, which is disabled?

But as I wrote earlier, I need bootcamp to have a smooth experience.
 
Last edited:
mjcharlton71 said:
Another reason the Mini _may_ be giving lower performance is the fact the 6630M is the 256MB version. The game's not massively texture heavy as far as I'm aware, but the 6750M in the iMac will have a bit more legroom in terms of texture swapping etc.
Click to expand...

I forgot about that in my assessment of the 6630, as mine has a gig of vram.

But also, wifi can cause latency. I get lag when I play in my bedroom, simply because I'm far enough away from the router. I don't know if that's an issue, but it can really kill the experience, to the point where i have a more enjoyable experience playing on battery power in the living room, just as there's no latency.
 
Soilage said:
What if I told you that I'm running D3 in 1080p - without problems and with everything on high except shadows, which is disabled?

But as I wrote earlier, I need bootcamp to have a smooth experience.
Click to expand...

What if the thread starter does not have a Windows license or does not want to install it? I know I wouldn't since the game runs on OS X.
 
Skoopman said:
What if the thread starter does not have a Windows license or does not want to install it? I know I wouldn't since the game runs on OS X.
Click to expand...

I said: "So if you can, try it out in Bootcamp"..
The mini can handle 1080p gaming (in Diablo 3). Period.
 
Here's your answer:

3DMark 06 (higher is better):
iMac (HD 6750M): 8843
Mac Mini (HD 6630M): 6908

However, it runs fine on my GeForce 9600M GT, which is even slower than the 6630M. But then again, I currently play at 1440x900, so 1920x1080 might be a bit much for 256 MB VRAM.
 
I have been playing D3 with a resolution of 1600 by 1050 on lowest setting. I do not mind the low graphics since the gameplay of D3 rocks already :D But the framerate is constant at +30fps, no lag experience from hardware at all.
 
callmerui said:
I have been playing D3 with a resolution of 1600 by 1050 on lowest setting. I do not mind the low graphics since the gameplay of D3 rocks already :D But the framerate is constant at +30fps, no lag experience from hardware at all.
Click to expand...

Gamestar had a comparison where they showed most graphic settings (except textures and shadows) don't do anything. They won't affect your fps or the graphics itself, so there's not much to turn to low anyways. ;)
 
Poki said:
Gamestar had a comparison where they showed most graphic settings (except textures and shadows) don't do anything. They won't affect your fps or the graphics itself, so there's not much to turn to low anyways. ;)
Click to expand...


Uuh resolution, texture and shadows settings are primary graphics options in D3... They other ones are clutter and physics. Pretty important uuh, derp...
 
callmerui said:
Uuh resolution, texture and shadows settings are primary graphics options in D3... They other ones are clutter and physics. Pretty important uuh, derp...
Click to expand...

Ever tried a more graphic intense game? In a modern game, many think there should be at least some AA and antistropic filtering, which decrease your fps quite significantly. The graphic options in D3 are simply non-relevant, so you just got a "it runs" or "it doesn't run" smoothly.

I think they should have added at least a "Ultra" option to everything like in SC2, even though my MacBook wouldn't be able to play it in those settings. Always nice to have room to grow.
 
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