New iMacs vs. Macbook Pro

[bl0nde_uk]

I am currently weighing up the purchase of a new mac (still have my old iBook from 2003...), and am trying to decide between the new 24" iMac with 2.8Ghz C2E, 2GB ram and the ATI Radeon 2600, or a 15" MacBook Pro with 2.4Ghz C2D, 2GB ram and Nvidia Geforce 8600M.

One of the (several) points I am trying to evaluate them on is gaming performance in windows. Now I know that the Mac is not a long term hardcore gaming solution on the whole, and gaming is by no means the primary reason I am buying it for (I have a PS3). However, I would like to know how the two machines I'm looking at would compare running things like HL2, or upcoming DX10 games e.g. Crysis. Is the card in the new iMac DX10 compatible? And are there any (windows) benchmarks out yet for the new iMac to compare to the MacBook Pro?

 

[cluthz]

I am currently weighing up the purchase of a new mac (still have my old iBook from 2003...), and am trying to decide between the new 24" iMac with 2.8Ghz C2E, 2GB ram and the ATI Radeon 2600, or a 15" MacBook Pro with 2.4Ghz C2D, 2GB ram and Nvidia Geforce 8600M.

One of the (several) points I am trying to evaluate them on is gaming performance in windows. Now I know that the Mac is not a long term hardcore gaming solution on the whole, and gaming is by no means the primary reason I am buying it for (I have a PS3). However, I would like to know how the two machines I'm looking at would compare running things like HL2, or upcoming DX10 games e.g. Crysis. Is the card in the new iMac DX10 compatible? And are there any (windows) benchmarks out yet for the new iMac to compare to the MacBook Pro?

Both are DX10 compatible, the question is if those cards really have the power to run games that requires DX10 in the future.

The MBP is a laptop, thus not performing as good.
The x2600pro should be a little bit faster than 8600m GT.

Anyways, MBP is a midrange gaming laptop, iMac a lowend gaming stationary.

 

[panzer06]

Both are DX10 compatible, the question is if those cards really have the power to run games that requires DX10 in the future.

The MBP is a laptop, thus not performing as good.
The x2600pro should be a little bit faster than 8600m GT.

Anyways, MBP is a midrange gaming laptop, iMac a lowend gaming stationary.

I'm not so sure about this. Everything I'm reading says the 8600m GT is a better card. I know it plays as well as a 7600GT on my MBP with Company of Heroes. I can't turn up all the setting to ultra but I'm able to handle 1600x1200 with most settings on High.

If you look at all the comments in the iMac section of this forum, there are several references to benchmarks showing the 2600 series to be inferior to the 8600.

Cheers,