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Mac Mini and DIII - Dedicated GPU worth it?

OrangeSVTguy

OrangeSVTguy

macrumors 601
Original poster
Sep 16, 2007
4,127
69
Northeastern Ohio
Been playing Diablo on my 2.3ghz i5 mini stock intel 3000 and was wondering if the dedicated 6650 and 2.5 i5 would make it any better? I currently have a 256gb M3 SSD and 16gb of memory. I currently run the game at 1920x1200 on my 23" ACD with no choppiness with settings on med and shadows and AA off.

Would it be worth the upgrade to the i7 or possibly server model? I'd like to possibly run everything on high(if that's even possible?) on the mini.
 
The i7 model will be good because it is dedicated, you should be able to run everything at full...

The server mini will be no better then what you have got though...
 
Server model only has integrated GPU. Could probably pick up a refurbished i7 with the dedicated GPU...or wait for the refresh.
 
To answer OP's question directly: Yes, it would. If you're just using your Mini as a game machine, dedicated graphics will almost always trump integrated graphics.

That being said, follow the Buyer's Guide on this site and don't purchase anything yet. Give it a few weeks and we'll likely see an updated Mini. That's what I'm waiting for! :D
 
OrangeSVTguy how many frames per second are you getting right now? Load up the game and press CTRL+R. The fps will show up in the top left of the screen.

I'm curious since you say it runs without choppiness. I think our tolerances are different here. Interested to see how that frame rate holds up in groups of baddies.

Thanks!
 
I've been thinking about buying a mini and was planning on playing D3. Inf act, I bought it last weekend but found out my 2008 macbook's graphics don't handle it very well,.... wah, wah wah... Anyway, do you guys think I should wait to buy a new mini? Has anyone heard rumors of what they're offering? Dedicated GPU's on all models?

Mainly I use music software (Ableton Live), but would like to play a few games here and there.
 
So, let me make sure I'm understanding this correctly - the Intel Onboard graphics ARE NOT dedicated, but the Radeon's are? So the current mid-tier mini (i5 2.5ghz) HAS dedicated GPU? So, that model, priced at $799/$699 refurb would be the best model to choose for gaming? I say that because I see the only i7 available now is the server version... didn't they used to offer another?

I really don't worry about audio software as my buddy's old 2009 mini runs his protools setup flawlessly, so my thinking is that anything new should be more than fine. I just want to make sure I can play DIII sometime this summer.
 
I've had my 2.7 i7 Mini since December. It's a great machine and handles gaming pretty well. I've just gone from 8GB to 16, and just bought an 240GB SSD for it the other day. The mini will be my main machine for the next 3-4 years in terms of desktops.
 
WilliamG said:
OrangeSVTguy how many frames per second are you getting right now? Load up the game and press CTRL+R. The fps will show up in the top left of the screen.

I'm curious since you say it runs without choppiness. I think our tolerances are different here. Interested to see how that frame rate holds up in groups of baddies.

Thanks!
Click to expand...
Thanks for the command. I get around 15-25 which is sufficient for me but would like more. I don't feel like building another PC machine just for gaming to get crazy FPS.

smallnshort247 said:
I've had my 2.7 i7 Mini since December. It's a great machine and handles gaming pretty well. I've just gone from 8GB to 16, and just bought an 240GB SSD for it the other day. The mini will be my main machine for the next 3-4 years in terms of desktops.
Click to expand...

What do you get with the i7 mini FPS wise? I want a 27" iMac but I like the minis as their easier to upgrade, especially when a newer model comes out. I also prefer to use my dual 16:10 23" ACDs :p
 
I believe for people like me, who aren't dedicated pc gamers, but want to play a few games with decent settings, the amd6630 is a big enough boost in graphics to justify $200 extra. Prior to the 2011 models, no option was available to help prevent such a steep bottleneck in the graphics area. I would go for it:)
 
Well, I have a 2009 MacBook Pro with the NVidia 9400M and 9600M GT, both with 256 MB VRAM. I tried Diablo with both chips, and honestly, I'd say one of the biggest bottlenecks is the video RAM in this case. It runs sufficiently on both, of course better on the 9600M GT, but not by as much as it should.

I'd say wait for the next model with possibly a GeForce GT 640M (AMD/ATI doesn't offer anything similar right now) with 512MB - 1GB GDDR5 VRAM. This should double the graphic power of the current 2,5GHz Mini! (In fact, the 640M has about 40% more power than the 6630M, but the VRAM should do the rest. 256MB just isn't enough in 2012).

And: How do you like Diablo 3? What do you play? I'm a level 57 wizard right now, failing in act 2 hell, so currently back to farming Maghda. :D
 
Poki said:
Well, I have a 2009 MacBook Pro with the NVidia 9400M and 9600M GT, both with 256 MB VRAM. I tried Diablo with both chips, and honestly, I'd say one of the biggest bottlenecks is the video RAM in this case. It runs sufficiently on both, of course better on the 9600M GT, but not by as much as it should.

I'd say wait for the next model with possibly a GeForce GT 640M (AMD/ATI doesn't offer anything similar right now) with 512MB - 1GB GDDR5 VRAM. This should double the graphic power of the current 2,5GHz Mini! (In fact, the 640M has about 40% more power than the 6630M, but the VRAM should do the rest. 256MB just isn't enough in 2012).

And: How do you like Diablo 3? What do you play? I'm a level 57 wizard right now, failing in act 2 hell, so currently back to farming Maghda. :D
Click to expand...

I'm going to wait for the new minis or I thought about the idea of getting a 1,1 Mac Pro and just keep Lion on it.

Nice another fellow wizard. I'm only level 22 or so. Just started playing a few days ago and just like the orignal, it's very addicting :D

I use the same user name as here if you ever want to play.
 
OrangeSVTguy said:
I'm going to wait for the new minis or I thought about the idea of getting a 1,1 Mac Pro and just keep Lion on it.

Nice another fellow wizard. I'm only level 22 or so. Just started playing a few days ago and just like the orignal, it's very addicting :D

I use the same user name as here if you ever want to play.
Click to expand...

Nice! Yeah, would be great to play a round or two with you, but I'd also need your BattleTag (the four numbers) to be able to add you. ;)
 
Poki said:
Nice! Yeah, would be great to play a round or two with you, but I'd also need your BattleTag (the four numbers) to be able to add you. ;)
Click to expand...

Thinking it was #1199 but I'm not 100% sure?

Anyways for those interested in numbers. I changed to 1280x800 and put all settings on low with AA and I hover around the 25fps.

So anyone play D3 with the middle-range Mac mini, what are you getting?
 
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thejadedmonkey said:
I get between 30-40FPS on my Dell, which has an i5 and 6630m. All of my settings are on high, except for one which is on medium I believe.
Click to expand...

How much VRAM do you have?

And also, the drivers for Win are still better regarding graphic cards, so we have to expect something lower.

@OrangeSVTguy: I'll try to add you. Just have to restart my MacBook - the mouse driver crashed. Again. -.-
 
Poki said:
How much VRAM do you have?

And also, the drivers for Win are still better regarding graphic cards, so we have to expect something lower.

@OrangeSVTguy: I'll try to add you. Just have to restart my MacBook - the mouse driver crashed. Again. -.-
Click to expand...

1gb. I was also running on 1366x768.
 
Poki said:
How much VRAM do you have?

And also, the drivers for Win are still better regarding graphic cards, so we have to expect something lower.

@OrangeSVTguy: I'll try to add you. Just have to restart my MacBook - the mouse driver crashed. Again. -.-
Click to expand...

Yeah it's OrangeSVTguy#1199. Level 42 now :)
 
OrangeSVTguy said:
What do you get with the i7 mini FPS wise? I want a 27" iMac but I like the minis as their easier to upgrade, especially when a newer model comes out. I also prefer to use my dual 16:10 23" ACDs :p
Click to expand...

27" iMac + dual 23" ACDs... that would rock.
 
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