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Why do so many people buy iMacs for gaming?
- Thread starter Siderz
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No, it doesn't. i7/780M/1TB fusion/Aftermarket RAM is $2600.
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I need a desktop machine for work and play (e.g. games) but prefer Mac/OS X in general use. It's not rocket science.
You should stop worrying how people spend their money and what they do with their time.
ahahahahahahahahahahaha
Oh wait, you were serious, let me laugh even harder.
What store are you shopping at?
A top spec Mac with the i7 and the 780M with a 3TB fusion drive is $2700.
Where are you getting $3500 from? (Especially if you're comparing it to a "more affordable" gaming PC for less than $1000 - I assume there's no blazing 1TB SSD in there, which is how I assume you think the iMac would be even close to 3.5k).
It's pretty simple: contrary to popular opinion, lots of people like Macs and also like gaming. They could buy a Mac and a gaming PC, but that's probably more expensive and not everyone wants a second box.
So, they go for a Mac, and Boot Camp if they want to play PC games (or a VM if the games don't have high requirements).
Then it's just a matter of which Mac model. The mini is probably too low-end for most, while the Mac Pro is too expensive. That leaves the iMac.
That's why.
To add to that, the MacPro is going to have workstation graphics cards which are typically not optimized for gaming at all (driver level, sometimes hardware), so while being powerful they may actually not perform nearly as well as the 780M in the iMac.
Sad because I'd probably rather have a MacPro if there was a "consumer" or gaming level GPU option.
What kind of fanboy response is this?
780m <= $215 7950 + 3 free games (after rebate).
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...-na-_-na&cm_sp=&AID=10446076&PID=3938566&SID=
780m <= $215 7950 + 3 free games (after rebate).
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...-na-_-na&cm_sp=&AID=10446076&PID=3938566&SID=
Wow, the hostile comments here are completely unnecessary. It was a legitimate question.
Like others have said, I didn't buy it "for" gaming. I bought the iMac to do the work that I need it to do. For people like me-- OS X = work, and otherwise all other casual computer use. Then Windows = strictly "play time", as in video games.
Since I got my current 2010 iMac (my brand new one will be here this weekend), I have had my custom built PC running into the display input. So the iMac becomes the monitor for the PC, and I can switch back and forth easily. Once I got the details sorted out on how to do it, it has worked well for me. But that requires a gfx card in the PC that has native mini display port (or regular display port) out-- you cannot use an adapter (VGA, DVI, HDMI, etc.). That was not well documented back then, and I had to do a good bit of research to figure it out. And current iMac models only take Thunderbolt input (I think).. and if that is possible to find in a gfx card, I'm sure it's much harder to find and more expensive.
So to get away from that clunky setup, that would require ANOTHER monitor-- one specific for the PC (though the iMac could also run to it). And the 27" iMac is going to be centered up for most users. I prefer that for when I'm working, but I know that a lot of users who use multiple monitors may not mind if none of the monitors are centered up for them. BUT, for gaming, the monitor's got to be centered up. I can't imagine many people not minding looking several degrees to their left or right for a few hours at a time while playing a FPS.
Then there's also the fact that the iMac is very capable of running games. So why waste 1) your money and 2) your physical space around your desk with a PC tower? When it will be used ONLY for "play time". Besides the crow's nest of cables that having the extra system brings in.
Just last night, I removed a 23" monitor from my desk that was to the right of my 27" iMac. And I removed the PC tower, which I had sitting on top of the top shelf of my desk. I'm 5'6", and the very top area of the desk comes up to my collar bone. My printer also lives there, and my MBA stays there when charging. The monitor was in front of my three LaCie HDDs that are stacked. Since the cables were running to the monitor, I just had the cables running within sight to the iMac. But after removing that, I cut a hole behind the HDDs, and ran the power cables through it, and the USB cables through it, then back around to the hole behind the iMac. All of that combined-- it has just made my work area so much more comfortable, pleasing to the eye... and "zen". lol.
So yeah, that's my take. Probably most people are going to be some combination of those, too. Cheers.
Like others have said, I didn't buy it "for" gaming. I bought the iMac to do the work that I need it to do. For people like me-- OS X = work, and otherwise all other casual computer use. Then Windows = strictly "play time", as in video games.
Since I got my current 2010 iMac (my brand new one will be here this weekend), I have had my custom built PC running into the display input. So the iMac becomes the monitor for the PC, and I can switch back and forth easily. Once I got the details sorted out on how to do it, it has worked well for me. But that requires a gfx card in the PC that has native mini display port (or regular display port) out-- you cannot use an adapter (VGA, DVI, HDMI, etc.). That was not well documented back then, and I had to do a good bit of research to figure it out. And current iMac models only take Thunderbolt input (I think).. and if that is possible to find in a gfx card, I'm sure it's much harder to find and more expensive.
So to get away from that clunky setup, that would require ANOTHER monitor-- one specific for the PC (though the iMac could also run to it). And the 27" iMac is going to be centered up for most users. I prefer that for when I'm working, but I know that a lot of users who use multiple monitors may not mind if none of the monitors are centered up for them. BUT, for gaming, the monitor's got to be centered up. I can't imagine many people not minding looking several degrees to their left or right for a few hours at a time while playing a FPS.
Then there's also the fact that the iMac is very capable of running games. So why waste 1) your money and 2) your physical space around your desk with a PC tower? When it will be used ONLY for "play time". Besides the crow's nest of cables that having the extra system brings in.
Just last night, I removed a 23" monitor from my desk that was to the right of my 27" iMac. And I removed the PC tower, which I had sitting on top of the top shelf of my desk. I'm 5'6", and the very top area of the desk comes up to my collar bone. My printer also lives there, and my MBA stays there when charging. The monitor was in front of my three LaCie HDDs that are stacked. Since the cables were running to the monitor, I just had the cables running within sight to the iMac. But after removing that, I cut a hole behind the HDDs, and ran the power cables through it, and the USB cables through it, then back around to the hole behind the iMac. All of that combined-- it has just made my work area so much more comfortable, pleasing to the eye... and "zen". lol.
So yeah, that's my take. Probably most people are going to be some combination of those, too. Cheers.
To share my experience:
I personally don't need OS X. I'm a Windows user but gave up on Windows desktop the moment Apple introduced the intel based iMacs.
Why? Simply because :
1 - The machine is dead silent
2 - It doesn't take too much space
3- Best all in one in it's class
4 - Screen is stunning
5- Build quality is top notch
And... to build a desktop with i7-4770 + Tower case + 512GB SSD + 32 GBs RAM + Built-in wireless card + 1000W Power Supply + Sound card + GTX 7xx + Intel motherboard... you're already in the $1500-$1800 range.
You still need a stunning 27" screen like the Apple one for $999.
Long story short, for the same specs, a Windows desktop machine will cost you almost the same price of the BTO iMac including screen.
So get an iMac and run whatever you want on it.
I personally don't need OS X. I'm a Windows user but gave up on Windows desktop the moment Apple introduced the intel based iMacs.
Why? Simply because :
1 - The machine is dead silent
2 - It doesn't take too much space
3- Best all in one in it's class
4 - Screen is stunning
5- Build quality is top notch
And... to build a desktop with i7-4770 + Tower case + 512GB SSD + 32 GBs RAM + Built-in wireless card + 1000W Power Supply + Sound card + GTX 7xx + Intel motherboard... you're already in the $1500-$1800 range.
You still need a stunning 27" screen like the Apple one for $999.
Long story short, for the same specs, a Windows desktop machine will cost you almost the same price of the BTO iMac including screen.
So get an iMac and run whatever you want on it.
That's pretty cool to hear. I don't think I've ever heard of anyone getting a Mac for the sole (or even primary) purpose of using Windows on it. Now I have seen a university do that before. lol.
It's got enough horsepower to play high end games at decent settings, yet it's quiet and has a slim form factor. And it's also good for personal use. I doubt many buy an iMac exclusively for gaming.
Gaming still isn't great on OS X, so the majority would use Windows for that. More games, higher FPS, etc.
I agree with your pluses about the iMac, I have one and am a fan myself, however I do believe you can build an equiv. PC a fair bit cheaper than the iMac.
Also as much as I love Apple's displays, they're neither the best nor the cheapest. You can pick up a similar quality display for a fair amount less. This wasn't always true -- similar/better quality displays were only about $100 cheaper, but now that figure is around $350.
When Apple comes out with Retina iMacs, then that will be another thing altogether xD
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iMac are great for young children and younger kids games. I think it s a very good platform for this type of software plus photoshopping, browsing, syncing with other Apple devices and managing mail. All in one classy piece of hardware. Cost is not the issue at the iMac price point level - some pc'ers will never get it.
What would you buy if you wanted a computer for gaming that also had good design? Not all of us have a room to hide an ugly gaming rig in. If it's gonna be in my living room it's gotta have a clean/minimalist design.
honestly, with the 780m it's fine. I guess the most demanding game I own is bioshock origin but I can play it just fine at 2560x1440 so I don't see the issue. I game online with friends almost every night, but usually steam games I can play in Mac OS fine like Awesomenauts.
I replaced a 3 year old windows gaming desktop I built (gtx 560ti, first gen quad core i5 overclocked, water cooled) with the imac, no regrets. Sure a custom desktop with a 780 would perform better but meh.
If you think a 4GB 780M can only handle games for "young children" you're having a laugh.
To your response in:
Paragraph 2 and 3: This: https://www.macrumors.com/2013/07/2...-high-end-haswell-processors-for-macbook-pro/
Although the article here applies to the rMBPs only, I don't doubt that they're doing the same to the desktop Macs.
Paragraph 4: You don't have to frequently maintain your Mac and it still doesn't fail you. A Windows PC requires much more maintenance than OS X does. I've built a rig myself and two out of the four RAM slots on the motherboard shorted out within half a year (Gigabyte GA-Z87X). So now only two of the RAM slots are usable.
Paragraph 5: It always makes sense to have the latest OS for security's sake. Even with an antivirus. I know I can buy Office 2013 once for around a hundred bucks, but Microsoft will NOT make subsequent versions of Office that can be purchased one-off for lifetime usage. You can see that with Adobe already. They will not make CS7 and will only support Creative Cloud. Microsoft is following suit.
How is it limiting? You're limited if you use different brands of devices, because they all won't sync together (spare me the crap on Google's cloud services. Besides whatever you store in Google's services is the most easily available to the NSA). Perhaps you prefer an unintegrated and seamless user experience.
I concur with you. At this point, if someone considered BF4 and NFS MW 2012 as games for kids, I'd be laughing my arse off.
The 780M is superb, and handles Maya smoothly.
The thing is, the iMac is still the best All in one desktop you can ever get.
Dell XPS One 27 comes second but then, the iMac is still years ahead.
One thing that I haven't seen mentioned much but it is something that I value is that the Mac product's screens are always color calibrated. Any other manufacturer you can take any two of their units and no two may look the same (most certainly out of the box).
Dell XPS One 27 comes second but then, the iMac is still years ahead.
One thing that I haven't seen mentioned much but it is something that I value is that the Mac product's screens are always color calibrated. Any other manufacturer you can take any two of their units and no two may look the same (most certainly out of the box).
I'm about to order the 780m iMac for work/gaming, but I've been trying to come up with a better gaming alternative without any luck.
Ideal Mac+PC setup I *wish* were possible:
Ideal Mac+PC setup I *wish* were possible:
- 27" iMac (for work/general use) (755M, 256GB SSD) - Edu Discount:1,991.74 + 16GB Aftermarket RAM: $140
- Digital Storm Bolt Gaming PC (GTX 780 Ti 3GB) which would run on the iMac Display if possible: $2,200.
- Cons: Expensive
- Mac Pro: $3000
- Apple 27" Thunderbolt Display: $1000
- Cons: Expensive, Cinema Display is thick/outdated. Other brand displays are ugly.
- 27" iMac (780m, 256GB SSD) - Edu Discount: $2,346.84 + 16GB Aftermarket RAM: $140
- Pros: Compact and affordable.
- iMac + PC: Needs separate monitor and I don't have room/desire for two monitors.
- Mac Mini + PC: Cinema Display cost, or off brand ugly monitor, need to switch monitor cables between boots for work/gaming.
- PC resale value is worse.
No point getting the Mac Pro for gaming. As the AMD FirePros are workstation cards, they're perform better when doing typical workstation tasks, such as Maya, but perform worse in games. Meanwhile, gaming cards like the GTX780M perform better in games, but not as good as FirePros in stuff like Maya.
I wouldn't be sure until benchmarks/results show up. Plus if crossfire works in Windows, we need to factor that in. Not exactly true according to this: http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/workstation-graphics-card-gaming,3425.html
The machines are small, and starting with the 2012 iMacs they can run everything really well, as the 680mx and 780m are very powerful cards.
Does not. CPU's don't "wear out" after too many calculations. The best evidence I could find for your claim is that CPU's, if used 24/7 at 100%, will only last about 30 years.
There's nothing custom build about them. Generally speaking, the GPU apple uses is last years where you can get good yields, and they have less dedicated RAM so that cards that would otherwise be useless can be purchased for cheap. A few years ago, Apple was using a GPU with so little RAM that you couldn't buy it like that in a store - that was 100% Apple just choosing to go with the lowest cost part. The i7 in the iMac is a i7-4771, which can be found here for $319.
You're going to have to show some evidence for this, as generally speaking a model number designates a specific part, not 2 different parts.
Can you elaborate? I administer computers for a small business, and since 2008 we haven't had a single hardware issue. Anti-virus is free, and we paid for a copy of Office per machine. My personal PC I built in 2009 and have upgraded here and there, but it was a $350 initial investment, and currently has 6gb of RAM and a ATI 7770 in it, for under $1000 - including Windows and Office. A $1500 iMac from 2009 would have an 4670HD with a whopping 256mb of vRAM.
Or, you know, the upgrade from Vista to 7 was $99, and the upgrade from 7 to 8 was $40... And if you don't want the bleeding edge software, a copy of Office 2013 is available for $165 on Amazon.
but you also have to deal with the wait while the genius bar fixes your computer that breaks. With Dell, if anything happens, I can generally have someone in my house or work to fix my machine within 24 hours. Onsite.
I find that Windows 8 + Windows Phone 8 + Xbox 360 makes for a rather compelling ecosystem. I'm not sure that Microsoft has a better ecosystem, but it's definitely not worse. And Skydrive makes Apple's iCloud offerings look paltry and practically offensive.
Did you even bother looking at facts before you wrote anything?
Overclocked the iMac with 680MX/780MX in windows scores 5700 on passmark which is a very accurate benchmark for game performance.
There are only 7 video cards that money can buy that are better than that, 5 of which are recent releases. 2 of them are $1000+ cards that you cannot buy on any off the shelf computer.
Simply put the iMac is one of the best and in my opinion the best all around gaming machine you can get.