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Gaming on the 27" iMac with the 4850
- Thread starter MacApple21
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It really is. I though this switch to Intel was going to bring more games about, but I guess not. It comes down to market share really, most companies do not think it is worth the time and money to develop for Mac. Can't wait though for Starcraft 2 (been waiting for like 10 years at least). Hell, I don't even play video games anymore but I want to really try it.
+1 for bootcamp. It's really the only way to go for gaming on a Mac. This is especially true when playing on a LAN since most Mac games can't play with/against a gamer running the windows version of the game.
Cheers,
Apple is confused. It is putting so much emphasis on multithreading and GPU computing yet it allots so little of its machines thermal envelop for the GPU.
It's quite embarrassing actually.
I'm afraid I must hold out yet again on these IMacs. I require a beefier GPU than a 4850 at that insane resolution. What the hell were they thinking?
In a years time, if it isn't already the case now, you won't be able to smoothly scroll the itunes store front page if you make the itunes window size anywhere close to full screen. The IMacs at the store which I tried last week already couldn't do it.
It's quite embarrassing actually.
I'm afraid I must hold out yet again on these IMacs. I require a beefier GPU than a 4850 at that insane resolution. What the hell were they thinking?
In a years time, if it isn't already the case now, you won't be able to smoothly scroll the itunes store front page if you make the itunes window size anywhere close to full screen. The IMacs at the store which I tried last week already couldn't do it.
yup it should be fine playing the sims 3 *laughs in the background*
hahaha.... yeah yeah yeah... laugh all you want. Its just one of those games that hooks me for some reason. I enjoy real games too (cod4, GTAIV, TF2... etct) i guess the Sims is my guilty pleasure?
hahaha.... yeah yeah yeah... laugh all you want. Its just one of those games that hooks me for some reason. I enjoy real games too (cod4, GTAIV, TF2... etct) i guess the Sims is my guilty pleasure?
nah im only kidding, i would get addicted to it as well - i was addicted to Sims1 for a while there. why dont you check the requirements for the game? that would give a great indicator.
system requirements are too vague.... Im sure it meets the minimum and even recommended specs... but i was hoping someone could chime in with first hand experience.
also... since im new to this whole mac thing... do they sell specific "apple" versions of games?
Im really only getting sims 3 for the imac, all other games will go on the ps3.
blast. sorry i cant be of more help.
there are "mac" games. you must ensure that you buy the mac version otherwise it wont run! you can buy the PC version and install bootcamp onto your computer, bootcamp lets you install any windows OS, as you probably already know. the reason for this is that the PC games are often coded better and have better performance then their mac counterparts.
I was absolutely thrilled when I saw the specs for the 27" iMac, but when my Quad core enthusiasm settled, I began to think about the one mistake Apple have made with this otherwise amazing machine. They committed the one mistake that feared they would, they neglected the GPU
The 4850 is a fine card for something like the consumer 21,5" iMac, or the prior 24", but I seriously fear that the 4850 will come short when it comes to throwing around HD 3D content on that gorgeous 27" screen
I know you have little chance of answering this question, but do you think it would be possible for a person with technical skills to, swap the 4850 with a future 5850, if Apple should choose to implement in future iMacs. Will it be theoretically possible
I don't expect it will, but I hope for a miracle
Okay, simple answer no you cannot upgrade the GPU.
The 4850 mobility is a nice GPU but not at 2560x1600 its going to struggle gaming. Look at the link below, it compares the new 5850 to other cards. Think of the 4850 as being equivalent to a GTX 260. As you can see at the max resolutions it gets a belting.
http://www.anandtech.com/video/showdoc.aspx?i=3650&p=4
To run games at the native resolution of the 27" Imac, you need a new 5870 or 5850. The other option is getting slower GPUs but running them in SLI or xfire (imac cannot do that).
To be blunt the 4850 at 2560x1600 is going to struggle, and lets not forget the 4850 is the mobility version.
If you want a really sexy imac the 27 is it. If you want a gaming computer, its a fail. Build a i7 with a 5870 and it will blow the imac out of the water in gaming.
WOW runs better win 7 then it does on OS X. If have run both on a 17" MBP 2.8. Windows was a clear winner, windows wins by default cause GPU manufacturers actually bother to fine tune the drivers to compete against each other. OS X drivers almost never change. If anything apple down tunes the GPU performance to make it ultra stable, no such consideration by nvidia/ATI on windows side, each driver release trys to get the most out of the cards.
Also in regards to Blizzard and WOW, apple support has always been second to PC support, if you go to the wow forums you will see how much mac users complain about performance issues. Blizzard is just catering to the biggest user group.
i agree with you on the gaming. and it sucks. but there is nothing we can do (apart from what i will say below
). i will be happy gaming at lower resolutions or less quality (medium) - i am not fussy, as long as the game doesnt lag. 1920xwhateverthe16:10respartis is fine for me.now, WRT the upgrading of the GPU. on some past imacs it has been possible. but because the imac uses a mobility GPU the options are not that great to expand to (and bloody expensive!). i only hope that the 4850 is not soldered onto the motherboard otherwise its a real hassle.
I went to an Apple store here in Toronto a few days ago and one the employees told me that it is possible to upgrade the video card. He mentioned a local store that does the upgrading. I don't know if he knew what he was saying but i just wanted to share that
also, i read that ATI is releasing 5000 series mobility cards very soon, too bad they weren't available for the new imacs.
also, i read that ATI is releasing 5000 series mobility cards very soon, too bad they weren't available for the new imacs.
its apple, they never offer the top model - even in the MacPro!
i guess heat also plays a big part in their decision.
And costs, and physical dimensions needed (if any), and chip availability...
the list goes on
i wonder what the real reason is. availability of the chip played a big role.It will run World of Warcraft just fine at max resolution. Running other games at lower resolutions has been required of many anyway and I doubt running at 16x12 or such on that 27 will be bad
WOW is 4 years old. Kinda bad game to judge a new system on. I am sure anyone spending good $$$ wants something that is future proof. If you going to run 16x12 just get the 21.5
And costs, and physical dimensions needed (if any), and chip availability...
the list goes on
I think availability played a huge role. If you configure the base 27inch with the 4850, the ship date goes from 3-5 days to November. But I don't think apple had much of a choice for mobile cards as the 5xxxx does not have a mobile version yet. I bet in March, we will see the 5770 or 5850 in one of the imacs.
While it's true that wow might be a bad reference game you can't really say that wow has 4 year old graphics. With each expansion it has gotten a face lift, for example more complex shadows and higher polygon count.
Anyway the game is a bit poorly optimized because of it's age. I can't understand how my fps drops to ~20, in the new main city with my fairy cutting edge gaming PC.
edit: punctuation
I will be using bootcamp to install either Windows XP or 7, I will boot into that and the only 2 games I intend to run are Mass Effect 2 and Dragon Age: Origins - both at medium to high settings. How screwed do you think I am?
(this will be either and i5 or an i7, default loadouts)
(this will be either and i5 or an i7, default loadouts)