I didn't say it had slower graphics core. mope. I said it had a slower actual processor. and it DOES.
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
New Mac for playing games?
- Thread starter fdgjfg
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
I didn't say it had slower graphics core. mope. I said it had a slower actual processor. and it DOES.
I think you should be thinking of more than the "game" it will run tbh.
First of all, the trick with "geting the most for your money" when buying a Mac vs PC is that you have to get the MAC soon after the new model is out. Mac prices don't really drop until the very end of life...while PC prices drop as component decrease and new models (even by other brands) come out after couple of months. So in this sense, you CAN get a much more powerful PC than the "equivalent MAC".
For college, if you're into something business oriented, or technology oriented, usually a PC is the way to go. SOME sciences use Mac's...but that's only because OSX is unixie...not because scientists are technophobes. lol Mac's are still geared toward artistic fields. I mean, you can get away with it in "neutral" majors like education, liberal arts, etc. You might want to ask a counselor of the major. And because there are "unwritten rules" like more firends can "give" you free Windows software, those fields which are sofware intensive favor PC's.
Now regarding gaming, with a Mac, you're likely to be missing out on all but the most popular titles...unless you Bootcamp it (but refer to first paragraph). You have less gaming peripheral options. You won't get DX10,11,12...or PhysX. These are primarily Windows technologies made for game design. If you're not too picky about specific titles, you can play a lot of Windows games on OnLive, but that's very small right now.
Don't be too afraind of Evil Windows. You're young and can adapt to technology real fast...although Windows is really for dummies compared to a long time ago. It comes with a free virus scanner today too I think, or you can dl AVG. But if you want to mess with it because Windows is a lot more powerful and flexible than OSX...then' you're on your own.
----------
One thing for sure is that the latest and greatest settings, will barely run well on today's mid level desktop graphics cards. So if you wan't a taste of thisas these games release...then you'll have to go desktop PC.
First of all, the trick with "geting the most for your money" when buying a Mac vs PC is that you have to get the MAC soon after the new model is out. Mac prices don't really drop until the very end of life...while PC prices drop as component decrease and new models (even by other brands) come out after couple of months. So in this sense, you CAN get a much more powerful PC than the "equivalent MAC".
For college, if you're into something business oriented, or technology oriented, usually a PC is the way to go. SOME sciences use Mac's...but that's only because OSX is unixie...not because scientists are technophobes. lol Mac's are still geared toward artistic fields. I mean, you can get away with it in "neutral" majors like education, liberal arts, etc. You might want to ask a counselor of the major. And because there are "unwritten rules" like more firends can "give" you free Windows software, those fields which are sofware intensive favor PC's.
Now regarding gaming, with a Mac, you're likely to be missing out on all but the most popular titles...unless you Bootcamp it (but refer to first paragraph). You have less gaming peripheral options. You won't get DX10,11,12...or PhysX. These are primarily Windows technologies made for game design. If you're not too picky about specific titles, you can play a lot of Windows games on OnLive, but that's very small right now.
Don't be too afraind of Evil Windows. You're young and can adapt to technology real fast...although Windows is really for dummies compared to a long time ago. It comes with a free virus scanner today too I think, or you can dl AVG. But if you want to mess with it because Windows is a lot more powerful and flexible than OSX...then' you're on your own.
----------
Even slightly serious about playing games OP? Do yourself a favor and just put together a little gaming box.
Of course still get a Mac though, lol.
One thing for sure is that the latest and greatest settings, will barely run well on today's mid level desktop graphics cards. So if you wan't a taste of thisas these games release...then you'll have to go desktop PC.
While it is true, CPU performance does not have the same impact on gaming as GPU has.
Unless you go way down to like low end i3s you'll always be bottlenecked by the GPU and not CPU.
Believe me, games are boring (Especially the shooting ones), I've tried them, there boring and repetitive. Don't buy a computer for games (Like I said, they are a waste of time and are boring), buy a computer for something fun like Audio, Photography, Video etc... Apple pro software is really good - I have tried Logic and Aperture. You would have much more fun on Logic than battlefield (Believe me!)
I play MMOs, mostly PC MMOs when traveling. I don't think the MBA will hack this roll. My MBP does a great job with my current needs.
If the MBA doesn't cut it for MMO's then it won't cut it for many AAA titles, since a lot of them are based on intense graphics. MMO's often tune down their settings to get a broader audience and don't rely on advanced GPU's to sell their game. I mean, look at WoW!
You know what, though...this the exact same statement ppl said about the Mac "a couple of years ago" too! LOL Gaming on Macs is just not catching up and every step it makes...Windows advances even furthur. But I guess we'll see what happens with Apple under "new management". But whatever gaming strategy they come up with...it will take a couple of years to gain any speed.
I've heard very good things about Velocity Micro. They're a boutique PC vender who's gotten rave reviews for the quality and value of their PC builds from CNET. I've never personally owned one, but if I would ever buy a PC in the future, I'd seriously consider them. I'm not sure they would qualify as cheap though, as their base "gaming" rig starts at $899, but I'm fairly confident that you get what you pay for.
http://www.velocitymicro.com/category-gaming.php?cid=12
http://reviews.cnet.com/desktops/velocity-micro-edge-z40/4505-3118_7-34662006.html
The cheapest option with with i5-2500k and AMD 6850 costs $1200, not cheap comparing to building it yourself, but it's a decent gaming rig!
The $899 one is decent, you just have to provide your own video card (or upgrade it). They make quality PCs and you get what you pay for.
Back a few years I build a PC for about $1,800 with 2 monitors, fancy logitech keyboard speakerphone set, 7.1 audio system. The "equivalent" Mac Pro optioned out would have cost me $4,000 (for just the box) if I remembered correctly. I mean, I think it had like more firewire ports or something, but those are pretty useless and I prolly would have been able to get all those for $100 more self-installed.
Last edited: