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iMacPro for gaming?

iMacPro as gaming rig

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    128
  • Poll closed .
The retina display is one of the nicest things about gaming on the iMac. Going back to a low-res screen is just not an option once you're used to it.
 
tillsbury said:
The retina display is one of the nicest things about gaming on the iMac. Going back to a low-res screen is just not an option once you're used to it.
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The 580 in the 2017 27" can run a very limited number of games at 5120x2880. 90% of what one would run in Boot Camp (if you can get the drivers to play nice) is 2560x1440 at best. Native Mac games have a better chance at 5K if they are CPU intensive.

Apple is going to eventually do away with Boot Camp anyway. The writing is on the wall. "Apple OS" is coming for all devices in 2019-2020. If you're a serious hard core gamer, skip the Mac. :apple:
 
If you want a by product of spending that cash, sure, it will work

If you buy it for gaming, you are nuts, Actually if you got deep pockets get a razer core + 1080ti and plug that into the iMac pro..... happy times
 
MH01 said:
If you want a by product of spending that cash, sure, it will work

If you buy it for gaming, you are nuts, Actually if you got deep pockets get a razer core + 1080ti and plug that into the iMac pro..... happy times
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How is the eGPU experience? Any stuttering or uneven framerate, or similar to internal GPU - only a bit slower?

That said, I’m skeptical of the slow CPU base speed, 3.2ghz. CPU speed is quite important for the framerate. The question is how well does the turbo boost work for sustained load - ie. gaming, since the turbo boost difference is extra large, 1ghz. Looking forward to see some benchmarks.
 
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When ProMotion arrives to Mac, then maybe... before that no.

My guess is, next model will come with ProMotion.

Input lag is important just for those bazooka tag players.
 
Mac32 said:
Do you know any specific numbers as far as difference goes? Thanks!
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I don't know, Apple doesn't disclose official specification, maybe because their hardware ain't for "tech" people ;)
 
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Another important issue is the new display technologies expected to go mainstream next year. Both QLED displays and HDR support will become more mature and common next year (look for CES 2018 in January), and both technologies give significant improvements to colour and contrast.

Apple plans on releasing a new stand-alone display, and the iMac hasn't received any big updates (monitor, design) for several years now. 2018 could be one of those years with big improvements for the iMac line, incl. the new standalone display. Buying the iMac Pro not primarily for gaming, but being an important aspect, could give you serious buyers remorse a few months down the line.

The low-clocked 8 core CPU at 3.2ghz would most likely have a significant impact on framerates. The CPU has 1ghz of turbo boost, but i've yet to see any gaming benchmarks on how effective turbo boost would be. (Maybe turning off hyperthreading could help a bit, with Process Lasso.)
 
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Mac32 said:
Another important issue is the new display technologies expected to go mainstream next year. Both QLED displays and HDR support will become more mature and common next year (look for CES 2018 in January), and both technologies give significant improvements to colour and contrast.

Also, we know Apple plans on releasing a new stand-alone display, and the iMac hasn't received any big updates (monitor, design) for several years now. 2018 could be one of those years with big improvements for the iMac line, incl. the new standalone display. Buying the iMac Pro not primarily for gaming, but being an important aspect, could give you serious buyers remorse a few months down the line.

Imagine buying an iMac Pro, and then 5-6 months later Apple releases an updated iMac with 6-core i7 8700k, and HDR-supported QLED screen, and possibly better thermal/fan system? Auch... These things make me nervous about such a big longterm investment. Don't know how easy it would be to resell such an expensive machine either.

The low-clocked 8 core CPU at 3.2ghz would most likely have a significant impact on framerates. The CPU has 1ghz of turbo boost, but i've yet to see any gaming benchmarks on how effective turbo boost would be. (Maybe turning off hyperthreading could help a bit, with Process Lasso.)
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QLED is only 60Hz so meh.... 120Hz IPS will be nicer
 
06tb06 said:
Oh. Those kind of benefits.

It's hard to say why Apple hasn't used Nvidia chips for a while now (last model I remember was the GT 750M found in the MacBook Pro Retina before the M370X). Maybe Apple likes the performance model of AMD silicon, especially in OpenCL applications? I think it's just the fact that AMD offers a better price to performance ratio.

It's weird if you think about it. Nvidia is dominating the consumer desktop and notebook space while AMD's graphics technologies are found in every major console since 2013, every Mac since 2015, and now they're developing chips in collaboration with Intel.
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Actually, Nvidia is a horrible partner.

Just ask Microsoft (original xbox), Sony (PS3).
Or how they blocked their own customers of using their gpus via driver if you also had an AMD gpu in your system.
Or how, again, will block usage of their gpu in a gpu pass through configuration.
Or installing telemetry software without telling the user and not asking if you want to opt in.
Or forcing you to create an account with them just to get notifications of new drivers.
Or the latest, changing their eula to prohibit the usage of the new titan cards in data centers.

I give apple a lot of flak for their disconnection with their customers, but applaud taking a stance to a growing bully.
 
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LucasLand said:
I'd like to see a video of someone playing world of warcraft on it
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I don't have a video but I play it with the slider at 9 out of 10 at 2560x1440 Windowed Fullscreen and get 60FPS (I play with my FPS capped at 60FPS). If I play at 10 out of 10 I get around ~50 FPS.

Fortnite also plays really well on this thing. Also at 2560x1440 Windowed Fullscreen with most settings maxed.

Bootcamp situation is less rosy -- we're waiting on Windows drivers still for the Vega 64.
 
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