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Is it Wrong to Buy a MacPro for Gaming?

S

SirWilliam

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Sep 5, 2008
29
0
I really want a new computer...I have a 5 year old laptop which still works perfectly but it has been years since it could play modern games. I like first person shooters and I like the keyboard and mouse inputs much better than any controller on a gaming system. I am thinking of buying the base Mac pro with the quad core processor...I have get 0% financing for 12 months which is pretty darn appealing.

I am I crazy? I got 5 years (still going perfectly fine) out of my laptop...how much usability can I expect to get out of a Mac Pro? I also know they retain there value pretty well too. My father has a 27" iMac which is beautiful but the graphics card is not upgradable which makes the Mac Pro more appealing.
 
If you have the money to spend go for it, but if you are only wanting it for games, you would probably be happier with a cheaper home built gaming PC.
 
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Have you investigated the possibility of a hackintosh?
 
If you are a Mac user, no.

I need a machine I can do both real work on, and game. Yes, I could buy a Windows machine, but then I could only game on it. Windows is pretty useless for doing actual work.
 
if you can afford it - buy it - i also have a mac pro 6-core besides my gaming pc.
i am a freak... i am unlucky if i have only a pc under my desk - AND - i am unlucky if i have only a mac under my desk. ( i need something to work on by changing fans, graphics cards, hard drives etc... you know - i am a freak haha).

so finally i decided not to decide between the two. i bought a nice kvm switch and use both :) but for a lot of money.

so all in all i would say: it´s your decission. do it if you like it. i see no problem at all.

btw: the actual ati 5870 is more than fast enough to drive the actual games on a 24-inch screen. in my pc i have a nvidia gtx 570. in most of the games you won´t see any difference between the two.
 
It's a waste of money.

You'll get a better games rig by building.buying a customised PC. You'd probably save enough to finance a Mac mini as an additional purchase!
 
If it's only for gaming, don't buy a Mac.

It's not only a complete waste of money, Windows on a Mac Pro (native via BC or whatever) is a complete PITA.
The BC drivers are horrible, resulting in problems all over the place.

I really can't recommend it. You can build a very fast gaming PC with the latest graphics cards for about $1500 and it will blow away the $2500 Mac Pro.
And if you pick a decent mainboard you wont have most of the driver issues the Pro has under Windows.
 
Transporteur said:
If it's only for gaming, don't buy a Mac.

It's not only a complete waste of money, Windows on a Mac Pro (native via BC or whatever) is a complete PITA.
The BC drivers are horrible, resulting in problems all over the place.

I really can't recommend it. You can build a very fast gaming PC with the latest graphics cards for about $1500 and it will blow away the $2500 Mac Pro.
And if you pick a decent mainboard you wont have most of the driver issues the Pro has under Windows.
Click to expand...

That says it all
 
quasinormal said:
This.

Was your 5 year old laptop a Mac?
Click to expand...

No it is a business class HP. I know I want a Mac...but if I am just going to be using it for word processing and browsing the Internet I have no use for it because my current computer does that beautifully.
 
totally nuts, even with the finance option. I have lots of games on my late model MacPro, but alway bootcamp into windows 7.
 
It's not "stupid" but there are better options. First all, the Mac Pro is really expensive. You can build a killer gaming PC for $1000-$1200. You can also buy a Mac notebook too (Macbook, MacBook pro 13, MacBook air) for about the same price that one mac pro would cost. And the pc could beat the mac pro in gaming because there are a large variety of videocards for PC that are cheaper than buying the Mac variant.
 
if your going to use it for other things besides gaming, like video editing and other like graphic design i would say no its not a waste of money
 
wordoflife said:
It's not "stupid" but there are better options. First all, the Mac Pro is really expensive. You can build a killer gaming PC for $1000-$1200. You can also buy a Mac notebook too (Macbook, MacBook pro 13, MacBook air) for about the same price that one mac pro would cost. And the pc could beat the mac pro in gaming because there are a large variety of videocards for PC that are cheaper than buying the Mac variant.
Click to expand...

So if I were to just buy an Xbox what Apple would you recommend? I like the 15" and 17" mac book pro...although those are listed as a "don't buy". I Want to be able to get 5 years out of it at least like I have been able to do with my HP.
 
The Buyers guide is simply a time estimate based on the average replacement schedule for the model. Don't Buy just means that closer to estimated replacement date based on average lifecycle then the launch date. Any of the current ones will last 5 years+

If just Word Processing and Web Browsing then any of the current boxes will handle that perfectly well, even the lowly white macbook will do that perfectly well, and unless something radically changes on the Web then any of them will last 5 years+.

At the moment unless you specifically want the larger screen then look at the 13" MacBook Pro, or even the MacBook Air The difference between a 320M and 330M for Web Browsing/Word Processing is so small that won't make it last any longer, and are more portable. A core2 will still last 5 years + for doing that.

Other then Screensize then the 15 and 17's offer option for non-glossy screen, however if you like the 27" iMac your dad has, then that has a Glossy Screen anyway.

From reading the thread however I would guess that you are in the WANT a new machine rather then NEED, so what I would suggest is decide upon what model is best for your needs, based upon what you will use for and what size screen you like, wait for that model to be refreshed and then buy.

As an aside if you are looking at a games console then look at the Penguin United Eagle Eye. This allows you to use a Keyboard and Mouse with your console. PS3 only available at the moment, however xbox360 version showed at CES.
 
I will look into the Eagle Eye. As for the computer, yes I WANT and do not NEED a new computer. I have never used the same computer for 5 years...they always get outdated and slow, but my computer is still perfectly fine, which is really annoying because I want a new one.
 
I myself would say that the MBP was more a media centre and casual-use laptop than a processing, power-intensive work, or gaming one, so yes.
 
Not wrong... just unwise.

As many others have said, if it's only for gaming, you're better off with a PC (more titles available and much better bang for the buck) or with a console (XBox360 or PS3, lots of PC games are console ports anyways).

If you really want a mac, my advise would be: get a macbook and a console, it should be cheaper than buying a mac pro.
 
Dezinformatsiya said:
I myself would say that the MBP was more a media centre and casual-use laptop than a processing, power-intensive work, or gaming one, so yes.
Click to expand...

It has the name Pro in the title, ergo it's Apple's Professional level laptop and specified accordingly so it will run their Pro software. Just because it doesn't have the latest and greatest gaming graphics card doesn't mean it's not for power intensive apps.
 
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