Playing Colin Mcrae Rally - Should I buy a G5?

[TheReef]

Hi all.
I am a little bit stuck. I am planning on buying a used G5 tower.
The best it has to be is to be able run Colin Mcrae Rally Mac at 1440x900. (lowest settings most likely)

My original plan was to find a good fast G5 that comes with a decent stock card like a 9800. However these are really expensive. Or I could go with the low end model (1.6 Ghz) and try to find a mac compatible card for cheap. (unlikely)

Feral states that it will run on a 5200 (the stock G5 card)…but when testing it on a Powerbook g4 with a 5200 card I would get about 5 frames per seconds at 1024x768 (everything low) so I'm a little confused as to what would be best for me - would the G5 processor dramatically boost performance in this game?

My budget would be AU$700 - AU$1000 max for a G5.

Thanks!

[Eric5h5]

The graphics card would make more of a difference than the CPU. The 5200 is a very old and slow card. The 9800 is OK and a big improvement, but still years old, and definitely not stock, only aftermarket. If you want decent gaming performance you should get an X800, which is also not exactly cutting edge (and you won't find it stock), but it's the best you can get for most G5s, aside from the late PCI-e models. As for cheap, forget it, though you can try flashing a PC card if you don't mind some risk.

--Eric

[TheReef]

Thank you for your reply!

As for cheap, forget it, though you can try flashing a PC card if you don't mind some risk.

What sort of risk is involved? Damage to the computer or card?

[Dont Hurt Me]

Why do you want a G5 machine when Intel Macs just slaughter them in performance? You should be able to get a used or refurb Mac for that price. The G5 wasnt one of Apples best CPU lines and in fact have a poor history.

[TheReef]

Yes, but Mac Pros cost AU4K…does anybody suspect they will release a far cheaper Mac Pro at Macword?

[bmb012]

If you're thinking about getting a new machine to play the game, shouldn't you get a 360 and CMR:Dirt?

[Eric5h5]

What sort of risk is involved? Damage to the computer or card?

You might end up with non-working firmware on the card. There are people who sell flashed cards if you didn't want to do it yourself, though.

There's a certain forum member who has a weird and irrational agenda against G5s, so you should probably just ignore him. I've had a 2.5GHz G5 for a little over 3 years, and it's been great, with zero problems. With my X800, it does better in games than most Intel Macs, though that's more Apple's failure to provide decent graphics cards and drivers than a problem with Intel CPUs (which are fast). Sadly, there's virtually no chance of a cheap Mac Pro.

--Eric

[TheReef]

With my X800, it does better in games than most Intel Macs, though that's more Apple's failure to provide decent graphics cards and drivers than a problem with Intel CPUs (which are fast).

I read about those, they look really good. I'm turned off by the high failure rate though and such high price…How much did you pay for yours and where from? Here in Australia I was quoted AU$735 as an Apple service part. :eek:
Has ATI stopped producing them, or will they release a new batch? Thanks for the info. :)

If you're thinking about getting a new machine to play the game, shouldn't you get a 360 and CMR Dirt?
I tried it…it doesn't have the realism (physics) of the previous games which is why I like the series so much. Plus I really need a new mac. :p

Why do you want a G5 machine when Intel Macs just slaughter them in performance?
Also, I use PPC versions of Studio 8 and Photoshop for school work.

[Eric5h5]

I read about those, they look really good. I'm turned off by the high failure rate though and such high price

I haven't heard anything about a high failure rate (doesn't mean there isn't one, though). Mine's getting close to 3 years old and it's fine; still on the original fan even.

How much did you pay for yours and where from?

I got it direct from ATI shortly after they released the Mac version for, hmm, US$350 I think? Anyway, it was $50 less than whatever the initial price was, because of a "secret" promo code.

Has ATI stopped producing them, or will they release a new batch? Thanks for the info. :)

They stopped and it got really hard to find, then I read a few months ago that they'd made a new batch. Not quite sure what the situation is at this moment. AMD buying ATI probably didn't help matters.

--Eric

[TheReef]

Thankyou Eric you've been a great deal of help to me.
I'll buy the cheapest G5 I can now, and get the x800 when it's re-released.

Ben

[fblack]

Thankyou Eric you've been a great deal of help to me.
I'll buy the cheapest G5 I can now, and get the x800 when it's re-released.

Ben

x800 are hard to find and expensive. I think I read on xlr8yourmac.com that a few people got a new batch direct from ATI. Also, I know that OWC used to ship international, they have a few x800 and 9600 pros here...

http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/video/hardware/

good luck

[TheReef]

Great link! Thanks!
Wow, the x800 is really expensive…I can't believe the PC version is soo much cheaper. I'll see how well the 5200 goes, if it plays alright I might get the 9800.

Thanks again for your help with this game, fblack. :)

Happy New Year everyone!