Was just wondering what you all thought about the chances of us getting a Nvidia 7800 or a card in the category in the iMac. The enclosure could certainly hold it, and I can't imagine heat being a issue since many company's put the mobile versions in their laptop's.
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
High level video card in iMac???
- Thread starter toomuchstereo
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
tutelary said:
which is a little silly now that Windows is easily installed on Macs. Semi-hardcore gamers might be more willing to switch if a high end card option was available
Although I agree with you, I find this situation annoying. The iMac is an expensive computer - it's not "mid range" at all compared to PCs. A PC user's idea of "mid range" ends where the iMac's price point begins. When people say "if you want to play games, get a Mac Pro," the same people then say "the Mac Pro isn't a gaming computer, it's a pro machine." What Mac model is one who wants to play games on the Mac supposed to buy? There are currently 3 tiers of Mac graphics:tutelary said:
1) Crap non-upgradeable graphics starting at $599 on the Mini, $1099 on the MacBook
2) OK non-upgradeable graphics starting at $1299 on the desktop, $1999 on a laptop
3) Good graphics starting at $2300 and only available on the desktop, in a quad Xeon "pro machine," - the only graphics in any Mac that are upgradeable/chooseable.
You have to spend a minimum of $1999 on the Mac platform just to have a choice wrt graphics.
It would be easy for Apple to add a PCI Express slot to the iMac, and put a custom white plastic bezel cover on a standard Mac graphics card so as not to spoil the appearance. Or better yet, give us a Mac Pro Mini.
Nermal said:
But they were supposed to make AGP cards based on Nvidia chipsets for G4 Powermacs. Doesn't sound like an expensive tower to me. I'd buy a 6600 GT for my Sawtooth anyday.
I just run a thread on 'upgradable iMac' and 'games for integrated grahics or not'.
As an ex PC switcher I understand where you're coming from - I love my iMac but then I'm fairly flush at the moment.
PC users can't comprehend a relatively expensive desktop that can't be easily upgraded - so if Apple follows its market share growth strategy to the hilt, perhaps there will be a mid-range Mac Pro.
Also there will be alot of switchers perhaps making their first Mac a MacBook lap top or a Mac mini who will be searching for playable games.
As an ex PC switcher I understand where you're coming from - I love my iMac but then I'm fairly flush at the moment.
PC users can't comprehend a relatively expensive desktop that can't be easily upgraded - so if Apple follows its market share growth strategy to the hilt, perhaps there will be a mid-range Mac Pro.
Also there will be alot of switchers perhaps making their first Mac a MacBook lap top or a Mac mini who will be searching for playable games.
I have an iBook, but plan to get an iMac when leopard/Core2duo come out. I'd love a high end card option in it, but have come to live with the idea that it'll never happen.
So I bought a xbox 360 for all my gaming needs, only thing I'd miss is RTS games but LOTR on the 360 was so good I'm happy with no games on the iMac.
So I bought a xbox 360 for all my gaming needs, only thing I'd miss is RTS games but LOTR on the 360 was so good I'm happy with no games on the iMac.
im a pretty hardcore gamer you might say... im planning on moving to apple once the new MBP lineup comes out... im moving to apple becouse i have other interest, like playing guitar(garageband) and like to do photography, and like to edit video, and all sorts of things that macs are good at. but i also like to game... so i would like apple alot more if they would step up to the plate with there graphics cards.
I would definitely consider the iMac if it had something with a little more punch, it doesn't even have to be high end, just give us a 7600GT and we're golden, the X1600XT is such a pathetic card its being shafted to the low end (as X1300), why Apple went with that and not the 76xx cards is beyond me...
It definetaly causes a giant hole in apple's lineup. If you're not a Pro, but want a gaming machine, what choice do you have but Alienware? 
macgeek2005 said:It definetaly causes a giant hole in apple's lineup. If you're not a Pro, but want a gaming machine, what choice do you have but Alienware?
Agreed, right now the only choice is a Mac Pro and 4 cores is overkill (though the Xeon for all intents and purposes is the best gaming processor, basically a faster Conroe, excluding memory subsystems that is...) not to mention non ECC non buffered RAM would be cheaper and faster (for games at least), a good mac for games would have to be full size tower (same size as Mac Pro or maybe a tad smaller like the G4 towers but make it ATX and "high profile card" compatible), they could have a decent base system and be customizable like the Mac Pro, see for example:
Base System:
Core 2 Duo "Conroe" E6600 (upgradeable, as in, "buy from newegg and drop in" upgradeable)
1GB DDR2
GeForce 7600GT (quite good for midrange)
SLI\Crossfire chipset
250GB SATA HDD
500-1000 modular dual 12v rail PSU (for upgradeability)
Options:
E6400, E6700, X6800
2GB, 4GB
7300GS, X1300 Pro (you know for the non or casual gamers), 7900GT, X1900XT, 7900GTX, X1950XTX, 7900GTX SLI\X1950XT Crossfire
+all the other stuff like HDDs, optical, wireless, etc, etc
In my opinion that wouldn't be too expensive and it would sell like hotcakes, if you want a headless mac with more punch than mac mini but you are not a gamer (or a casual one) you can get the E6400, low end card, etc to keep costs down but still have the option to upgrade with a good PSU and upgradeable CPU & GPU, and the gamers can, depending on their wants and budget, get whatever they want (you have everything, a good midrange card as base, a good mid-high range card, alternative, high end, high end alternative, ultra high end)
Sorry I got excited
in my opinion the next imac upgrade(which will determine if im buying the imac or not) should have the following 3 things:
1. New processor chip
2. Some sort of minor design change
3. Includes a very high end graphics card, or a somewhat decent graphics card and the option to upgrade at a later time
That would be the perfect imac
1. New processor chip
2. Some sort of minor design change
3. Includes a very high end graphics card, or a somewhat decent graphics card and the option to upgrade at a later time
That would be the perfect imac
Chone said:Agreed, right now the only choice is a Mac Pro and 4 cores is overkill (though the Xeon for all intents and purposes is the best gaming processor, basically a faster Conroe, excluding memory subsystems that is...) not to mention non ECC non buffered RAM would be cheaper and faster (for games at least), a good mac for games would have to be full size tower (same size as Mac Pro or maybe a tad smaller like the G4 towers but make it ATX and "high profile card" compatible), they could have a decent base system and be customizable like the Mac Pro, see for example:
Base System:
Core 2 Duo "Conroe" E6600 (upgradeable, as in, "buy from newegg and drop in" upgradeable)
1GB DDR2
GeForce 7600GT (quite good for midrange)
SLI\Crossfire chipset
250GB SATA HDD
500-1000 modular dual 12v rail PSU (for upgradeability)
Options:
E6400, E6700, X6800
2GB, 4GB
7300GS, X1300 Pro (you know for the non or casual gamers), 7900GT, X1900XT, 7900GTX, X1950XTX, 7900GTX SLI\X1950XT Crossfire
+all the other stuff like HDDs, optical, wireless, etc, etc
In my opinion that wouldn't be too expensive and it would sell like hotcakes, if you want a headless mac with more punch than mac mini but you are not a gamer (or a casual one) you can get the E6400, low end card, etc to keep costs down but still have the option to upgrade with a good PSU and upgradeable CPU & GPU, and the gamers can, depending on their wants and budget, get whatever they want (you have everything, a good midrange card as base, a good mid-high range card, alternative, high end, high end alternative, ultra high end)
Sorry I got excited
Just go and build a PC already.
IMHO, The next version of the iMac will have a much better card than the current x1600. But I wouldnt expect magic.
I am hoping to see a Mobile GeForce 8300 Series, 384MB for the TOP end iMac. This chip provides minimum Direct X 10 support for those who want to run Vista with DX10.
I am hoping to see a Mobile GeForce 8300 Series, 384MB for the TOP end iMac. This chip provides minimum Direct X 10 support for those who want to run Vista with DX10.
Agreed, right now the only choice is a Mac Pro and 4 cores is overkill (though the Xeon for all intents and purposes is the best gaming processor, basically a faster Conroe, excluding memory subsystems that is...) not to mention non ECC non buffered RAM would be cheaper and faster (for games at least), a good mac for games would have to be full size tower (same size as Mac Pro or maybe a tad smaller like the G4 towers but make it ATX and "high profile card" compatible), they could have a decent base system and be customizable like the Mac Pro, see for example:
Base System:
Core 2 Duo "Conroe" E6600 (upgradeable, as in, "buy from newegg and drop in" upgradeable)
1GB DDR2
GeForce 7600GT (quite good for midrange)
SLI\Crossfire chipset
250GB SATA HDD
500-1000 modular dual 12v rail PSU (for upgradeability)
Options:
E6400, E6700, X6800
2GB, 4GB
7300GS, X1300 Pro (you know for the non or casual gamers), 7900GT, X1900XT, 7900GTX, X1950XTX, 7900GTX SLI\X1950XT Crossfire
+all the other stuff like HDDs, optical, wireless, etc, etc
In my opinion that wouldn't be too expensive and it would sell like hotcakes, if you want a headless mac with more punch than mac mini but you are not a gamer (or a casual one) you can get the E6400, low end card, etc to keep costs down but still have the option to upgrade with a good PSU and upgradeable CPU & GPU, and the gamers can, depending on their wants and budget, get whatever they want (you have everything, a good midrange card as base, a good mid-high range card, alternative, high end, high end alternative, ultra high end)
Sorry I got excited
Though that would be great why not just start it at a Core 2 Duo e4300 and G965 chipset. Then the base price would be very low and people could upgrade from there. Really any Core 2 Duo would be great for gaming it's the Video card that matters the most.
Since this has turned into a hope list for gamers. What I dream of Apple doing would be to just release a motherboard with firewire, 8-channel Audio, Gig ethernet, 2 PCI Express x16, 3 PCI Express x1, 2 PCI, 6 Rear USB 2.0, 4 x 240 pin DDR2 slots, 4 or 6 SATA II (RAID 0,1,0+1,5), that we could buy in the $150 to $200 +$129 for Mac OS X with a nForce 600 series northbridge for SLI (though I would find Intel 975 utilizing crossfire acceptable), then we could simply build our own system.
Oh wait we can already do this if you look at OSx86project
. I just want to be able to do it legally, and have all motherboard drivers supported plus an easy OS install. I'm not too worried about them supplying video cards as the people have already gotten PC cards working with quartz extreme and core image on there machines.
Unless I'm missing something you can get the 24" iMac with a GeForce 7600 GT with 256MB on it for $125 extra.
How about they just upgrade to an x1650 xt
also why do these discussions keep coming up just be happy with what you got.
also why do these discussions keep coming up just be happy with what you got.
What is the best laptop GPU these days (assuming the next iMac will still use laptop and not desktop GPUs)?
The only thing I don't like about the current arrangement is that although the 24" has the best GPU by far, it also has the most pixels to push. I'm guessing it's still pretty useless for gaming (or will be in the very near future if you look at some of the games that are coming out about now...Supreme Commander and STALKER, for example).
The only thing I don't like about the current arrangement is that although the 24" has the best GPU by far, it also has the most pixels to push. I'm guessing it's still pretty useless for gaming (or will be in the very near future if you look at some of the games that are coming out about now...Supreme Commander and STALKER, for example).
I'd love a highend card option. Honestly what does apple have to lose? They just have to take your cash and swap the card...i dontgetit