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Macpro for gaming?
- Thread starter jchall30
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Mmm..... I have an 8 Core '08 Mac Pro with a Radeon 4870.
Must admit this machine still flies.
I'm looking to upgrade soon: So, keep this Mac and put the Radoen 5870 in and one (maybe two) SSD's or do nothing and keep saving until the new '12 Mac Pro?
My main game is X-Plane 9. X-Plane 10 is coming this Christmas and it will probably require some serious horsepower to be able to set the settings nice and high.
OTOH, X-Plane 10 wil make use of multiple cores. So... will the 8 Cores of my current Mac Pro suddenly be activated so that I can play X-Plane 10 on high settings?? X-Plane 9 now uses just one core (sometimes two when simply loading sceneries) and the bottleneck playing X-Plane 9 is the single core....
So.... aarggh.. no idea.
Maybe I'll wait for Barefeats to test X-Plane 10 on a '12 Mac Pro early next year...
Must admit this machine still flies.
I'm looking to upgrade soon: So, keep this Mac and put the Radoen 5870 in and one (maybe two) SSD's or do nothing and keep saving until the new '12 Mac Pro?
My main game is X-Plane 9. X-Plane 10 is coming this Christmas and it will probably require some serious horsepower to be able to set the settings nice and high.
OTOH, X-Plane 10 wil make use of multiple cores. So... will the 8 Cores of my current Mac Pro suddenly be activated so that I can play X-Plane 10 on high settings?? X-Plane 9 now uses just one core (sometimes two when simply loading sceneries) and the bottleneck playing X-Plane 9 is the single core....
So.... aarggh.. no idea.
Maybe I'll wait for Barefeats to test X-Plane 10 on a '12 Mac Pro early next year...
I bought the 2010 mac pro when it was released to use as my main machine (including gaming). I replaced my old self-built gaming PC with the Mac Pro. At first, it was enjoyable. But now I am finding myself missing having a dedicated gaming system. In hindsight, I would probably get a MBP with Thunderbolt display and build a gaming PC for games.
The Mac Pro is definitely capable as a gaming machine, but if you're like me and love to tinker with things, it's not really a great solution.
It is extremely annoying (to me at least) having to reboot into Windows just to play games - it means closing all the things I'm currently working on in OSX and waiting for Windows to load (which is slow since it's not on an SSD). I find myself avoiding playing games in Windows because of the hassle, even if there's something I'd like to play..which is a little disheartening. I will probably get rid of the Mac Pro in a year or two and go back to a Gaming PC + Apple laptop setup.
The Mac Pro is definitely capable as a gaming machine, but if you're like me and love to tinker with things, it's not really a great solution.
It is extremely annoying (to me at least) having to reboot into Windows just to play games - it means closing all the things I'm currently working on in OSX and waiting for Windows to load (which is slow since it's not on an SSD). I find myself avoiding playing games in Windows because of the hassle, even if there's something I'd like to play..which is a little disheartening. I will probably get rid of the Mac Pro in a year or two and go back to a Gaming PC + Apple laptop setup.
The Apple Store has a 2010 3.2ghz quad core refurb for sale.
http://store.apple.com/us/product/G0LF0LL/A?mco=MTk1MzcwMjE
Might be a nice, upgradable platform. Just a thought.
http://store.apple.com/us/product/G0LF0LL/A?mco=MTk1MzcwMjE
Might be a nice, upgradable platform. Just a thought.
I am in the market for a new system and am wondering what you all think of the base 2010 quad core with the 5870 upgrade? I would be using it with the 27 inch led cinema display as well as the current 24 led I already own. I will also be boot camping windows to play certain windows only games. All opinions are welcome.
That will run just about any game you throw at it using high settings.
I might wait to see if Apple does a RADEON 6970 with the MP refresh.
I would say that is the case (6950/70 drivers in Lion 10.7.2), which is sad because 7000 series is coming out "soon"
X-Plane is my one and only game. I am looking forward to X-Plane 10.
My 2008 Mac Pro with the 5870 works very well with XP9. I expect it will work even better with X-Plane 10 as XP10 will make better use of my cpu cores and gpu.
I will most likely buy the new 2011/2012 Mac Pro with an HD 6970. That should make XP10 scream at it's highest renderings.
An alternative plan would be to put the 6970 in my current Mac Pro.
There is also a slim chance that I may get a PC with an HD 7970 just for X-Plane.
By the way, I have a SSD in my Mac Pro. I am glad I have it but if you are looking to improve the performance of XP with a SSD, it won't.
I agree with you that it's possible here. Just to add a little history on the mac pro, in 2009 Apple went from using 2 sort of middle of the pack quad xeons to a single processor using the cheapest quad xeon. Essentially their present 8 core uses a cheaper cpu setup today for $700 more than the 2008 model cost.
t's clocked higher which is nice for gaming. The card is good but aging. They've been starting to release better cards at lower voltage ratings which is evident if you look at their current workstation line. I expect by the next mac pro there might be an option to use two cards, each of which significantly outperforms the 5870. Anyway considering that puts you around $4200 or something before tax on a gaming machine with a two year old card design, isn't that a bit steep?
They might. Consider that the xeon versions of the upcoming cpus aren't even due out until near the end of the year, after the i7s November 15th, and Apple didn't rush to update the mac pro last time unless I'm mistaken and one of the cpus used in the refresh came out later than the others.
I really think it's a waste of money going from a 2009 mac to a 2010 mac for gaming, but that's just me.
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Let me ask this. I have a late 2009 iMac now with the i7 and 4850 512 mb card with 8 gb ram. Are the current macpros better than that? I guess that's what I'm trying to decide.
Let me ask this. I have a late 2009 iMac now with the i7 and 4850 512 mb card with 8 gb ram. Are the current macpros better than that? I guess that's what I'm trying to decide.
I'm not sure it really is... My Apple 5870 hasn't blinked at any of the games I've thrown at it.
Price is the biggest issue.
Massive waste of cash going for mac pro just for gaming. For the price of the low end pro you can get a massively powerful PC. Also one which you can upgrade for next to nothing in a few years.
I know you want a mac maybe because of the OS and they look pretty, but if you're buying for gaming I don't think OS would matter at all, infact you would want the one that is most supported which is windows.
I know you want a mac maybe because of the OS and they look pretty, but if you're buying for gaming I don't think OS would matter at all, infact you would want the one that is most supported which is windows.
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I know a lot of people here keep saying go PC if you are just gaming but I use my system for more than gaming. My wife uses it also and everything we have is Mac related. iPads, iPhones, AppleTV's, ect. So with that said, what should I get for gaming on a Mac?
I know a lot of people here keep saying go PC if you are just gaming but I use my system for more than gaming. My wife uses it also and everything we have is Mac related. iPads, iPhones, AppleTV's, ect. So with that said, what should I get for gaming on a Mac?
What software are you running on the OS X side, what are you doing with it, and how much time do you spend on each application (% of time spent on avg. would be ideal)?
I ask, as this will help figure out what model best fits your needs (i.e. SP Quad, Hex, or *possibly* a DP 8 or 12 core system). I'm thinking along the lines of one of the SP models, but your answers can help us guide you to the right machine for what you'll be doing.
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Really we just use it for Internet, email and do a little with pictures we take in aperture. Nothing real intensive. Like I said I just want to stay Mac so I just want to get the best I can get in that family. I know I don't need 12 cores.
Really we just use it for Internet, email and do a little with pictures we take in aperture. Nothing real intensive. Like I said I just want to stay Mac so I just want to get the best I can get in that family. I know I don't need 12 cores.
This is exactly why I bought a Mac Pro. I do a lot of real work, but game too. Why buy two machines when the Mac Pro can do both things, and I need a Mac pro for my real work anyway?
All you need is a Quad core then.Really we just use it for Internet, email and do a little with pictures we take in aperture. Nothing real intensive. Like I said I just want to stay Mac so I just want to get the best I can get in that family. I know I don't need 12 cores.
I'd recommend the 2010 SP Quad @ 2.8Ghz from the Refurb store, and add in a 5870 as GPU performance is more important than core count (most games don't do multi-threading, and those that can, are limited to 4 cores or less). Nothing to justify more cores for the OS X side either.
Bit cheaper than getting it new, and it still has the same warranty (might want to upgrade the Apple Care to 3yrs total, as repairs are expensive if you have to cover it yourself).
You could opt for a faster clock, but you don't need 6 cores (if buying new, don't go any higher than the 3.2GHz Quad, and add a 5870).