If you check the Benchmarks thread (which is admittedly still skimpy in hard data) some of the reported improvements are in the tens of percentage points.
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New iMac: Nvidia GeoForce GT 130 -or- ATi Radeon HD 4850?
- Thread starter BG-Mac
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There is no doubt the 4850 is the faster card. You are introducing the $50 difference as the "sacrifice" one would make in choosing the ATI card. The $50 is negligable and completely irrelevant. As I wrote in my post the issue is the freezing computers.
In my post I wrote the mistake in ordering a 4850 is "not waiting until they [the freezing problems] are solved." If it's just a software issue as you say, well then the prudent decision is to wait until there is just a software fix.
I have no interest in a computer that will pump out more fps but is prone to crashing. I am not willing to waste time losing work.
From where I sit, behind a brand new and totally unusable ATI Radeon HD 4850 iMac, you should get the nVidia Geforce 9800 one (I refuse to call it a GT 130 because it's really a 9800m). I haven't gotten ANY work done on this dang thing because it locks up constantly. I could have and should have gotten the nVidia Geforce 9800 one more than a month ago and would have ended up dramatically more productive.
If you want to screw around, take your chances and wait god knows how long for Apple to fix the problems, go ahead and get the ATI Radeon HD 4850.
If you want to actually get work done, get the nVidia Gefore 9800.
If you want to screw around, take your chances and wait god knows how long for Apple to fix the problems, go ahead and get the ATI Radeon HD 4850.
If you want to actually get work done, get the nVidia Gefore 9800.
My thoughts exactly!
I couldn't be happier with my new iMac because it is in my home NOW and it works without any issues!
60fps on Wow and Guild Wars, which is the extent of my gaming.
Obviously boot camped (XP, GW doesn't have an OS X client)
Logic Express, movies, iTunes, etc....
But the best part for me is my 'working from home' experience has just improved dramatically!
Big screen, lots of open windows, email, shell, browser...it's awesome! Now working from home is a joy and as productive as being in the office. My Mac Book Pro was ok..but nothing compared to this.
Go 4850 fanboys!
lol.
PS - J/K, hope you all get it worked out and come to enjoy your new systems as much as us who had not the insight y'all did and chose a lesser video card. lol.
A brick is a brick.
I don't care if you show me hard data that proves 1,000,000,000,000,000% better 3D performance!!!!
iBrick, complete with the new incredibly awesome, you're STOOPID if you don't pay the $50 upgcharge ATI 4850 video card.
Buwahahaha!
Honestly, I wrestled with this issue myself....just glad I'm not a patient guy.
Besides, in the time frame it will take Apple to fix it..I may want to buy another iMac for myself so I can give this one to my child or my wife.
Either way I win.
What you are saying assumes;
1. Every 4850 has these problems.
2. Apple won't be able to fix it in a reasonable amount of time.
I got my 4850 equipped 2.93ghz iMac today and in the first day of use I haven't had a single freeze up and I've been wailing on this thing. Time will tell, but that $50 so far seems like money very well spent to me.
The only test that saw the 6% improvement was the OpenGL test. I would recommend that you read the 4850 benchmarks thread as in actual gaming tests, the 4850 has been showing 40-60% faster in the same games compared to the GT130.
Judging from your signature I would say spend the extra $50 on the ATI 4850. You have a 17" Macbook Pro laptop to hold you over while Apple gets this lock up issue sorted out.
I made the mistake of not upgrading my video card on my last machine. Despite the current problems I wasn't about to do that again, so I ordered a 2.93 w/ 4850 last Wed. while well aware of the issues.
I made the mistake of not upgrading my video card on my last machine. Despite the current problems I wasn't about to do that again, so I ordered a 2.93 w/ 4850 last Wed. while well aware of the issues.
Link pls ?
I don't see so big difference in the desktop version of 4850 versus 8800gt: http://www.hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1322023
You mean these results ..?
"For more perspective on CoD4.....
64 fps = 2.93 Mac Pro (4-core and 8-core) with 4870
61 fps = 2.93 iMac with 4850
45 fps = 2.93 Mac Pro (4-core and 8-core) with 8800 GT (beta 10.5.7 drivers)
38 fps = 3.06 iMac with 130 GT
23 fps = 2.93 Mac Pro (4-core and 8-core) with 120 GT"
From what we see from this test,4850 is well worth it, especially for the gamers and of course the small difference in money .
But why the difference between desktop version of 485 and 8800gt are not so big ?
"For more perspective on CoD4.....
64 fps = 2.93 Mac Pro (4-core and 8-core) with 4870
61 fps = 2.93 iMac with 4850
45 fps = 2.93 Mac Pro (4-core and 8-core) with 8800 GT (beta 10.5.7 drivers)
38 fps = 3.06 iMac with 130 GT
23 fps = 2.93 Mac Pro (4-core and 8-core) with 120 GT"
From what we see from this test,4850 is well worth it, especially for the gamers and of course the small difference in money .
But why the difference between desktop version of 485 and 8800gt are not so big ?
1. 50% from this forum, though others assume it's not that bad. Who knows? Too high a risk for me.
2. According to history the last time Apple had a very similar problem it took 6 months. Again, too long for me.
YMMV, FWIW, etc, etc.
To each his own.
I've waited 3 years to buy my first Apple computer. Had I gone with the 4850 and been one of the unlucky half I would have been livid and likely NEVER purchased another Apple product for personal use again. That's just me though.
If you're going to go by that number, I believe it will be higher than it is now since for one I voted for not freezing but it eventually did one day after. Many of us might not see the problem at first, but it hit us at some point. However, you literally assume that extremely small amount of data can represent all. It doesn't make sense to me, but it does have problem, there's no doubt about it.
I'd suggest not getting the 4850. Get the Nvidia GT 120 or 130 instead. My iMac is also my first Apple computer, I've been waiting for more than three years and finally pulled the trigger to order it last month. So far, it freezes 10 times in 5 days, basically crashed more often than the total amount of crashes I got on my PC last year.
However, everyone has different risk bearing level, some will more likely to take the risk, some won't. When making sense of others' opinions, keep in mind that people who "already" spent money on it will likely wish to justify their purchase, want to believe they did the right choice. My point is that it's good that people are satisfied with their iMacs with Ati 4850 or not.
I still haven't decided what I am going to do with it, to return it or wait for update. When it works, it's great, but the random freezes just annoy me a lot. I plan on doing lots of programming on it, if the issue won't be resolved any time soon then it's going to be very problematic. A big project can be hard to manage already, crashing at some point before I get the chance to save the work which I spent few hours on is something I don't even want to imagine.
This actually baffles me too, on why is apple advertising the iMac line as a gaming machine?
If I were the ad campaign head for Microsoft, I'll use the argument that PCs are far better gaming machine than apple can be.
you can buy a 500$ gaming PC, that runs 200% faster than the 3K machine you are buying lol.
GUYS, if you want to play games then go for a PC, it'll be way cheaper, or better yet, buy a console, like playstation 3 or xbox 360 - (xbox 360 are about what? 199$?)
I very much agree with sotov and the others, if you want a worry free iMac machine and will use it for REAL work, then go for the gt130 option, its not worth of a hassle get a 3k machine which you can't use because it freezes every 20 minutes lol. Now if you want to play games with it, get an xbox 360 and use your iMac screen if you really want to use your iMac with games hehehe
If I were the ad campaign head for Microsoft, I'll use the argument that PCs are far better gaming machine than apple can be.
you can buy a 500$ gaming PC, that runs 200% faster than the 3K machine you are buying lol.
GUYS, if you want to play games then go for a PC, it'll be way cheaper, or better yet, buy a console, like playstation 3 or xbox 360 - (xbox 360 are about what? 199$?)
I very much agree with sotov and the others, if you want a worry free iMac machine and will use it for REAL work, then go for the gt130 option, its not worth of a hassle get a 3k machine which you can't use because it freezes every 20 minutes lol. Now if you want to play games with it, get an xbox 360 and use your iMac screen if you really want to use your iMac with games hehehe
While you pined and whined for your atImac the last almost 2 months I've been enjoying the best iMac Apple ever made (up until the release of the 4850 machines but gees not so sure we can call that one the "best" yet since they don't all work atm). Many of us needed new computers and got what was best and available thus the GT 130. $50 dollars cheaper, ready and available and more importantly working.
I won't lie - I wanted the 4850. Hell I was going to buy both this unit and then once the 4850 dropped make this my office computer and use the 4850 as my all in one home machine. But not now. Not with all these issues. Not with the amount of time it took to not only address the eerily similar 2007 issues let alone fix them.
But hey good luck sending your computer in for checks and false repairs and haggling with returns and tech support calls until you finally get a machine that works. Indeed sounds like a good deal to pay $50 more for all that hassle. By the time this all gets sorted out there will be quad core iMacs around the corner that are bigger better faster and cheaper...and hopefully working. Yeah I think us GT 130 owners are sitting pretty fine with our decisions right about now.
Hah I have a Hackintosh which has yet to experience a single issue, cost under $900 and wipes the floor with Apple's most expensive iMac. I'm just saying that for such an expensive machine the $50 is well spent. I'd wait until 10.5.7 ships, though.
My 2.93Ghz imac w/ ATI 4850 has now been running uninterrupted for 1 week without a single crashed app, force-quit, lockup or even reboot (other than the initial software update following turning it on)....
the numbers seem divided on good vs bad iMac's but i couldn't be happier with my model
the numbers seem divided on good vs bad iMac's but i couldn't be happier with my model
I paid $130 for my retail Leopard so yes, I put some towards R&D that should fix this issue.
I paid $130 for my retail Leopard so yes, I put some towards R&D that should fix this issue.
I rest my case.
What are the units in your price figure? US dollars? If so, how did you manage to configure an iMac for so much money? (I hope you're not considering the 8 gigabytes of RAM in that figure -- that is a quite unnecessary option for 99.9% of buyers I would think.)
My 3.06 / 4850 / 640GB iMac cost me about $2150 on the USA Apple web store.
Now if only you'll tell us just what that case is.
If you can't figure that out you don't deserve to know.
If you can't figure that out you don't deserve to know.
That Apple shouldn't have shipped these computers before 10.5.7?
@Tom Dahl
ok, its an exaggeration but still tis a 2k++ worth machine. I'm just saying that you don't buy a mac for its gaming capabilities. Let me rephrase it a little, Don't ever buy a mac for 3d gaming, never never never... lol. People buy a mac for doing serious work, since its rock solid and support is best. But its a whole different world in terms of gaming.
If you want FPS, and glorified AA for your games, then get a PC, you can get one real cheap at 1/4th of the price you are paying or better yet get a console game (xbox or ps3).
So what, you buy the top of the line imac with 4850 graphics card, just to install Windows and play games with it? LOL
ok, its an exaggeration but still tis a 2k++ worth machine. I'm just saying that you don't buy a mac for its gaming capabilities. Let me rephrase it a little, Don't ever buy a mac for 3d gaming, never never never... lol. People buy a mac for doing serious work, since its rock solid and support is best. But its a whole different world in terms of gaming.
If you want FPS, and glorified AA for your games, then get a PC, you can get one real cheap at 1/4th of the price you are paying or better yet get a console game (xbox or ps3).
So what, you buy the top of the line imac with 4850 graphics card, just to install Windows and play games with it? LOL