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Games on Mac mini

B

boechat

macrumors member
Original poster
Mar 28, 2011
42
3
I would like to know about your gaming experience on you Mac mini. It would be great to know which game runs smooth and it's appropriate settings on each system.

We can use this topic to share our printscreens, benchmarks and even videos.

I'll start the matter with one question: does the Magic Mouse works good for gaming? Is it any smart for FPS games? I'm not much a gamer but I need a new mice that is acceptable for gaming.

Thanks!
 
No, the magic mouse is not suitable for "serious" games games in any way, shape or form (and particularly FPS games). There are 2 major issues with it:

1) you cannot left-click and right-click simultaneously. In games this is actually a pretty common occurrence, and in order to right click you have to lift your index finger off the left hand portion of the mouse in order to register a right click. This works okay in browsing or general computing but in a fast paced game environment it's a disaster.

2) The scrolling is messed up. Because there are no defined clicks on a scroll wheel, you cannot accurately scroll a desired amount to for example switch a weapon. It is too easy to scroll too far and end up moving 2 weapons down the line or something. I'm not 100% positive but I also believe that the inertial scrolling feature interferes and makes the scrolling even more wild in games.

I tried gaming once with a magic mouse when I was on vacation and it was all I had- it was not a workable experience. If you really want to get the magic mouse, you can always pick up a cheap $10 2-button mouse with scroll wheel and use it when you want to game. Otherwise there are more serious gamer-oriented mice available as well.

Ruahrc
 
Ruahrc said:
No, the magic mouse is not suitable for "serious" games games in any way, shape or form (and particularly FPS games). There are 2 major issues with it:

1) you cannot left-click and right-click simultaneously. In games this is actually a pretty common occurrence, and in order to right click you have to lift your index finger off the left hand portion of the mouse in order to register a right click. This works okay in browsing or general computing but in a fast paced game environment it's a disaster.

2) The scrolling is messed up. Because there are no defined clicks on a scroll wheel, you cannot accurately scroll a desired amount to for example switch a weapon. It is too easy to scroll too far and end up moving 2 weapons down the line or something. I'm not 100% positive but I also believe that the inertial scrolling feature interferes and makes the scrolling even more wild in games.

I tried gaming once with a magic mouse when I was on vacation and it was all I had- it was not a workable experience. If you really want to get the magic mouse, you can always pick up a cheap $10 2-button mouse with scroll wheel and use it when you want to game. Otherwise there are more serious gamer-oriented mice available as well.

Ruahrc
Click to expand...

I see.. but im not a serious gamer. I mean, those who want serious gaming sessions would never go for a wireless mice. I mean, wired mouses are recommended for their faster response.

Ill check other model of mouse - I need a wireless one. Im inclined to buy the apple keyboard after all.

@Starcraft 2: can anyone post screenshots of this game running on 799 MM?
 
I found this link last night http://www.notebookcheck.net/AMD-Radeon-HD-6630M.43963.0.html if you got the version with the radeon 6630m, it looks like it does pretty well gaming wise! :D (check out about 1/2 way down the page for various games).

As for a gaming mouse, it really depends how much you want to spend.

Beings you bought a mac mini, I guess you arnt too hard up lol. So if you want a kickass mouse, the Razor Mamba is great!. Heres a random review http://reviews.cnet.co.uk/mice/razer-mamba-review-49303086/

I'v had 1 for a year or 2, and the only thing I can find even slightly wrong with it is it's a bit fiddley to plug and unplug the cable if your mouse runs out while playing. Also you get soo used to using it wireless, that it feels annoying having to use a wired mouse again lol. Saying that, unless you spend all day playing world of Warcraft (like I used to...), you probably won't run out of battery while gaming. Just stick it on the charge cradle thing when not using it. :cool:

Saying that, I ain't 100% sure the mouse works on a mac mini, I'v yet to get 1 lol. As far as I know, you can use any mouse on a mac mini. (hopefully I'll be buying a mini soon!)

As for the "wired is better for gaming" these days there ain't much difference unless you are a pro fps player who goes to competitions lol. The mamba is apparently polled at 1ms! (sais here) http://store.razerzone.com/store/razerusa/en_US/pd/productID.169418100

*edit* if you get a cheap wireless mouse, then it probably will have alot slower response time lol.

Oh yeah, I watched a Starcraft 2 video on a mac mini on YouTube, it seemed to look great!, I didn't notice any slowdown. (I'll find a link to the vid if you can't find it) :)

*edit*
here's the youtube vid of Starcraft 2. It's using the mac mini with the i5 and radeon 6630m http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mhTwoDNL3Ps I guess it'd run even better with an i7!
 
Last edited:
FWIW Grand Theft Auto III runs great on the mid-level Mini with dedicated graphics at 1920x1080 with only the rare split second hang.
 
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