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Gaming Setup

C

crowdaddy

macrumors regular
Original poster
Hey,

I am looking to buy a system for schoolwork...and yes gaming.

Would any of you share your thoughts or ideas?

I am thinking:
G5 Dual 1.8
1 GB SDRAM
9600 ATI Vid Card
17" Apple Studio Display LCD

would that suffice to play games like battlefield, unreal, etc., keep in mind i want to not just scrape by, i want to be able to enjoy the game's graphics thoroughly.
 
crowdaddy said:
Hey,

I am looking to buy a system for schoolwork...and yes gaming.

Would any of you share your thoughts or ideas?

I am thinking:
G5 Dual 1.8
1 GB SDRAM
9600 ATI Vid Card
17" Apple Studio Display LCD

would that suffice to play games like battlefield, unreal, etc., keep in mind i want to not just scrape by, i want to be able to enjoy the game's graphics thoroughly.
Click to expand...
That would be a very nice gaming rig and am wrestling with that or a PC gaming rig. One nice thing about gaming rigs are that if they can do the heavy lifting for new games they can do anything else you throw at them. One thing you may want to consider is that LCD's are not the best for gaming and you may want to consider a CRT and save yourself a few bucks.
 
Dont Hurt Me said:
That would be a very nice gaming rig and am wrestling with that or a PC gaming rig. One nice thing about gaming rigs are that if they can do the heavy lifting for new games they can do anything else you throw at them. One thing you may want to consider is that LCD's are not the best for gaming and you may want to consider a CRT and save yourself a few bucks.
Click to expand...


Well a CRT could save me huge, like 800$ worth of more upgrades for the tower! I will be in a dorm room tho and CRTs are awfully huge....what makes them better than LCDs for gaming, are LCDs not ready to handle intense graphics?
 
crowdaddy said:
Well a CRT could save me huge, like 800$ worth of more upgrades for the tower! I will be in a dorm room tho and CRTs are awfully huge....what makes them better than LCDs for gaming, are LCDs not ready to handle intense graphics?
Click to expand...
Lcds have ghosting, it takes time to switch colors on those lcds. its the response time this is why a lot of people dont use them for the fast FPS games. also you have to consider the dead pixel thing. one more thing is the better Crts you can crank them up to higher resolutions giving you less jagged lines. Size wise they both are taking up the same space on your desk. Lcds are nice but Crts have been perfected if you will and you can get them in Flat screens. you may want to see if you can find a good shape Apple Crt 17" studio if you want matching componets. Then take all that money you saved and get some more memory and a few games. 😀
 
Dont Hurt Me said:
Lcds have ghosting, it takes time to switch colors on those lcds. its the response time this is why a lot of people dont use them for the fast FPS games. also you have to consider the dead pixel thing. one more thing is the better Crts you can crank them up to higher resolutions giving you less jagged lines. Size wise they both are taking up the same space on your desk. Lcds are nice but Crts have been perfected if you will and you can get them in Flat screens. you may want to see if you can find a good shape Apple Crt 17" studio if you want matching componets. Then take all that money you saved and get some more memory and a few games. 😀
Click to expand...


How much memory should I get? I think 1GB RAM is enough, don't you? I don't plan on using any other heavy duty rendering programs other than what is in iLife.
A few more questions...
1.what about speakers? Are the apple pro speakers any good?
2. Does one need a Airport extreme card in the tower? I wouldn't think so, because dorm rooms are all wired, not wireless...
3.Applecare - yes or no?
4.Does the tower come with a socket for LAN?
5. Is buying Office, student version, better than going out and buying the whole deal?
 
i hook my powerbook up to an old Dell CRT (hey it was free!) that is Flat on the front. 17" and it gives me 1200x1600 support at 80hz! not too shabby, at more normal resolutions it gets up to 120hz and this refresh rate is about as comfortable as an LCD. Quake3 looks better on the CRT too. CRT's rock, especially good for the wallet.
 
crowdaddy said:
How much memory should I get? I think 1GB RAM is enough, don't you? I don't plan on using any other heavy duty rendering programs other than what is in iLife.
A few more questions...
1.what about speakers? Are the apple pro speakers any good?
2. Does one need a Airport extreme card in the tower? I wouldn't think so, because dorm rooms are all wired, not wireless...
3.Applecare - yes or no?
4.Does the tower come with a socket for LAN?
5. Is buying Office, student version, better than going out and buying the whole deal?
Click to expand...

For memory 1GB will be fine if you feel it is going to slow for your taste you can always add more later.
As for your questions
1. Not sure if the apple pro speakers will work with the G5, id look around for a decent 2.1 setup unless you have the money you might want to go with the Klipsch GMX 5.1's.
2. You'll only need Airport if you want to connect to a wireless network. I know a few dorms in my school are wireless, also i have a wireless router and laptop so i will be getting a G5 with Airport soon.
3. Applecare is your decision, you can always add it before your warranty ends from Apple, i believe.
4. Yes the tower does come with a socket for LAN ie ethernet port. I believe it is a 10/100/1000 Gigabit BaseT Ethernet, check here look at the port listing on this page.
5. I believe office for the student is basically the same as the standard version if not the pro version just at a discounted education price.
Not sure but you might want to look at academicsuperstore.com or someplace even microsoft.com and check the differences.
 
G5 is over-kill for games

As much as I would like a dual G5 PowerMac for gaming I recommend that you buy yourself a decent PowerBook for your studies and a console for the games. With the left-over money you could buy a television which could be used with both devices.
 
3.Applecare - yes or no? Yes you want AppleCare, I work for a reseller that fixes macs and the amount of people who didn't think they would need applecare and come back crying is overwhelming, besides, it is $50 a call to apple if you need help, and calls are covered in your 3 years support with apple care, so keep that in mind.
5. Is buying Office, student version, better than going out and buying the whole deal? The student version is exactly the same as the full and the only difference between office profesional and student is it comes with virtual pc with would be cheaper to buy the two seperate, but if you don't need office too soon, the new version should be out this summer.
 
Get a G5 and a CRT. Don't get a laptop --- you are a student, and especially for students, laptops tend to disappear. You can bolt the G5 to your desk. It is tempting to walk around campus with your machine, but between the CPU power and the risk of theft, the money is better spent on the desktop --- it has longer legs (lifetime). You will be broke when you graduate and the desktop will still serve you well. The CRT will save you money, and is definitely better for gaming. Space is an issue, but it sounds like your money could be better spend on RAM and/or software. Applecare is a wash for desktops (for laptops I feel it is a must), but make sure you are covered by insurance (your CC or your own or your folk's policy).

I see students around from time to time with laptops, but they are invaribly a new purchase, so they get carried around so the user can experience the portability. After a month, they get left in your room for the most part, and I don't know about your residence halls/student apartments/off-campus housing, but I'd feel more secure with something that isn't that portable as a target.

Good luck.
 
machem said:
Get a G5 and a CRT. Don't get a laptop --- you are a student, and especially for students, laptops tend to disappear. You can bolt the G5 to your desk. It is tempting to walk around campus with your machine, but between the CPU power and the risk of theft, the money is better spent on the desktop --- it has longer legs (lifetime). You will be broke when you graduate and the desktop will still serve you well. The CRT will save you money, and is definitely better for gaming. Space is an issue, but it sounds like your money could be better spend on RAM and/or software. Applecare is a wash for desktops (for laptops I feel it is a must), but make sure you are covered by insurance (your CC or your own or your folk's policy).

I see students around from time to time with laptops, but they are invaribly a new purchase, so they get carried around so the user can experience the portability. After a month, they get left in your room for the most part, and I don't know about your residence halls/student apartments/off-campus housing, but I'd feel more secure with something that isn't that portable as a target.

Good luck.
Click to expand...


Well someone I know had a great suggestion in other forum...they said buy your G5 desktop with all your bells and whistles and whatever you want, and pick up a cheap used pc or mac lappy to take to do notes in lectures and study groups and such...what do you all think of that?
 
My Mac Gaming Rig (Whent he RevBs come out)

1. 2.2-2.4 GHz Powermac G5 (or w/e is middle of the line)
2. JBL Invaders
3. 17 inch KDS LCD monitor
4. Revolution 7.1 sound card

Can't wait...
 
invaLPsion said:
1. 2.2-2.4 GHz Powermac G5 (or w/e is middle of the line)
2. JBL Invaders
3. 17 inch KDS LCD monitor
4. Revolution 7.1 sound card

Can't wait...
Click to expand...

Sorry for being a noob but what is Rev.B ? Is that some sort of new release of a CPU or..?

Would a G5 Dual 1.8 with 1 to 1.5GB ram be suffiecent for gaming with games like Battlefield, UT 2004, nascar...etc. etc.
 
crowdaddy said:
Sorry for being a noob but what is Rev.B ? Is that some sort of new release of a CPU or..?

Would a G5 Dual 1.8 with 1 to 1.5GB ram be suffiecent for gaming with games like Battlefield, UT 2004, nascar...etc. etc.
Click to expand...

Rev.B stands for revision n were n can be a,b,c,... etc. The current G5 Towers are the first kind that came out thus they are called Rev.A. It has been a while since they came out and are expected to be replaced with faster G5 models Rev.B. This can happen anytime now, I have no idea when. But soon.

1 gig of ram is more than sufficient for everything except hardcore editing in FCP, Photoshop, Protools and their equivalents. Most games run BEAUTIFULLY on systems with 512MB of Ram. But... yes there is a but... Newer games such as UT2004 recommend a gig. I do not yet have UT2004 but I have 2003 and it runs fine on an emac with 768MB. Keep in mind that the min sys requirements ask for only 256 or so. I would say with confidence that 1 GB of Ram will suffice for the next 1-2yrs. but if you have the means of adding some more it could only be better.

I am in the same boat I am looking for a daul G5 for school and gaming, but I will buy it when they hit 3Ghz or when my finances permit.

I am debating over an LCD or CRT myself and am leaning towards the CRT. I myself am a student and if I can save a few bucks I will. CRT in general have better color and will give you a better quality image at lower resolutions than LCD would (very important in games when your Video Card can't pumped out good framerates at native LCD resolutions).

Pete
 
I don't know if you've gotten anything yet, but I agree with other posts here: the CRT will save you $$ and work just as well. It will be bigger and heavier - a lot heavier, but, of course, that in and of itself will help stop it from "walking" at college. Plus, CRTs are more or less at the pinnacle of their development. They will not get much better or cheaper, so the one you get now won't suddenly cost half as much next year, like an LCD will.

Do get AppleCare, at least within your first year.

Do not buy extra RAM from Apple. Get it from somewhere like Crucial or Kingston - and make sure you get RAM specifically mentioned as being for the G5. The G5s are very picky about RAM. You'll get an extra GB (i.e., 512MB -> 1.5 GB) for about what you'd pay to up it from 512MB to 1GB with Apple. Maybe not with their RAM savings, but that expires today, at least here.

The 9600 is smart - although the 9800 is faster, it's $300US more, and you just know better ones will be out soon enough that you'll regret the extra $$ you spent.

Best of luck!
 
What would be better for school...

a beefed up PB 17'', 1GB RAM with a barely decent desktop
or
a barely decent lappy, with a 2.0DP G5 1 GB RAM, etc. etc.
 
I vote for a powerful desktop and a useful laptop. The laptop is the thing most likely to break or be stolen, so it should be the cheapest component, I think.
 
I think you should do this...

Build a Gaming PC, and have a Mac Laptop:

Athlon 64 3000+
Gigabyte Motherboard (800MHz Bus, SATA, AGP 8x, 100 BaseT, etc.)
Radeon 9700 Pro (Very very good card)
80GB SATA Hard Drive (IBM)
512MB DDR 400 RAM
CD-RW/DVD Combo Drive
Creative Labs Sound Blaster Card
Microsoft Mouse/Keyboard

Link Here
---------------------------
$856.00

This setup will be MUCH better than any G5 for gaming. It is very fast. All you need to get is a case (DealNews has good ones for around 70$ with a powersupply). You will also need to purchase a monitor. Depending on your budget.

With the mone you saved from NOT buying a G5, buy an iBook G4. The mac experience is on the laptop in my opinion. When I sit at a desktop computer, its usually to game. Sure, a G5 can handle this, but the setup I suggested would do it MUCH better.

With the laptop, you can type reports, talk to friends, carry it around, do whatever. You will be much happier with this setup
 
Well what is the difference between an iBook G4 15" and a PB G4 15"? I know technically there are differences but is the iBook still good to fool around with casual gaming and iLife?
 
crowdaddy said:
Well what is the difference between an iBook G4 15" and a PB G4 15"? I know technically there are differences but is the iBook still good to fool around with casual gaming and iLife?
Click to expand...

I assume you mean the 14" iBook....

Screen resolution is one big diff (the sizes are similar, the resolutions are not).

The PB will be faster due to a better bus architecture.

The PB has a better graphics card (Mobility 9600 vs Mobility 9200).

The PB has FW 800.

Generally, the 12" iBook and 12" PB are reasonably similar, and I'd give the edge to the 12" iBook simply because it is so much cheaper. However, when you move up to the 14" vs the 15", I have to give it to the PB because you get so much more.
 
I use my computer mainly for audio work, but I have to say, for a gaming machine, my 1.25gHz Powerbook does quite well. Yes there's ghosting.. I can see it if I move a window around quickly.. but I never notice it while playing Raven Shield. Then again, unlike Unreal and such, Raven Shield requires thinking and not random running and shooting at high speeds. 🙂

As far as the theft issue... I never considered that. So far no one at New School University has stolen mine. Then again, its a liberals arts college in greenwich village... I don't think anyone is going to screw with me. 😉
 
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