iMac 21.5" Gaming?

MagicThief83 · Dec 5, 2012, 05:30 PM

Anyone try gaming on the higher end 21.5"? Any gaming benchmarks?

Zackmd1 · Dec 5, 2012, 06:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MagicThief83

Anyone try gaming on the higher end 21.5"? Any gaming benchmarks?

Check out some rMBP gaming videos on youtube. It should be very similar in gaming performance with the high-end iMac.

Johnf1285 · Dec 5, 2012, 08:30 PM

I plan to put together a nice review of World of Warcraft and Diablo III this weekend and get a thread going. I expect my 21.5" with Fusion tomorrow.

I don't own any other Mac games and won't be installing windows so I won't have much else to review. I realize they aren't demanding titles so it may not shed much light on the GT 650m performance.

NJelect · Dec 5, 2012, 10:47 PM

I doubt any role-playing titles will cause issues, the latter games are relatively easy on the iMac hardware.
Only the latest 3D shooters bumped to full effects and resolution may cause issues.
However, one could always scale back on some of the settings - true it may take aways from some of the game play but many effects are small and subtle.

MagicThief83 · Dec 11, 2012, 09:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Johnf1285

I plan to put together a nice review of World of Warcraft and Diablo III this weekend and get a thread going. I expect my 21.5" with Fusion tomorrow.

I don't own any other Mac games and won't be installing windows so I won't have much else to review. I realize they aren't demanding titles so it may not shed much light on the GT 650m performance.

Any updates on the gaming? Has anyone tried gaming with the GT 650M?

MagicThief83 · Dec 11, 2012, 09:44 AM

Just came across this page while searching Google, discussing the relative performance of the 2012 21.5" iMac with the GT 650M. Quite impressive if you ask me.

http://www.barefeats.com/imac12g.html

iohass · Dec 11, 2012, 09:56 AM

once I get my imac, i want to try football manager, sid meier and x-plane. the first two i'm not worried about, but the latter could be a challenge.

i ordered the high end 21.5" (2.9ghz quadcore, 8gb ram, 650m and fusion drive)... at least i think it's the high end?

MagicThief83 · Dec 11, 2012, 10:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by iohass

once I get my imac, i want to try football manager, sid meier and x-plane. the first two i'm not worried about, but the latter could be a challenge.

i ordered the high end 21.5" (2.9ghz quadcore, 8gb ram, 650m and fusion drive)... at least i think it's the high end?

I initially ordered the 27" with the 3.4GHz i7, 680MX, 16GB RAM, and 1TB Fusion drive. The truth of the matter was that I really didn't need all that (i.e., 27" screen, powerful GPU, i7 etc.) In the end, I cancelled it, and instead opted for the higher-end 21.5" with the 2.9GHz i5 (didn't need the i7 as I don't render video or transcode or do all that other funky stuff) which is plentiful for moderate use and gaming, 16GB RAM, and the 1TB Fusion drive. The GT 650M will suit my gaming needs just fine. I can't wait to try it out! I'm not some gaming aficionado who needs to game at 2560 x 1440 with every detail cranked to ultra (I mean realistically speaking, how much detail can the human eye actually discern?). Your (our) machine is definitely high-end and should suit you well.

Johnf1285 · Dec 11, 2012, 10:05 AM

I haven't had much time to get a little review together for Wow and D3. So far they run great with some eye candy turned up. Have them both locked at 30fps since the occasional drops from 60 to 30 bothers me a bit in Wow (this is mostly due to Open GL and OS X, not the hardware).

Hope to have more details up here soon, maybe end of the week or this weekend.

I've been so busy haven't had much time to play around on the iMac (gt 650m model with Fusion).

iohass · Dec 11, 2012, 10:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MagicThief83

Just came across this page while searching Google, discussing the relative performance of the 2012 21.5" iMac with the GT 650M. Quite impressive if you ask me.

http://www.barefeats.com/imac12g.html

saw that page earlier, but I honestly don't know if the ~30fps is good or bad?

reclusive46 · Dec 11, 2012, 10:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by iohass

saw that page earlier, but I honestly don't know if the ~30fps is good or bad?

30 FPS is fine. Anything below 26 and you will start to get stutter.

comatose81 · Dec 11, 2012, 10:40 AM

High-end 21.5" plays Dragon Age: Origins on "Very High" smooth as butter. It's an older game, so that doesn't say a whole lot, but it's promising so far.

MagicThief83 · Dec 16, 2012, 11:05 AM

Anyone have new gaming benchmarks for the high-end 21.5" with the GT 650M? I should be getting mine soon, and I'll be sure to post some numbers once I do.

joeysarks · Dec 16, 2012, 11:20 AM

This is whats holding me back from my purchase. A maxed 21.5 would be fine for video editing, but i'd also like to game at high settings (with maybe shadows for a change) and ALSO livestream while I play. Might bump up to an almost maxed out 27 but i'd like to know if the 21.5 is even a viable option. (512mb vram just seems too low) I usually cap my FPS at 30 anyways since it doesnt mother me too much, so I would think i'd be fine as that takes a huge load off the card, but the live streaming could still give it issues.

CapnJackGig · Dec 16, 2012, 04:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MagicThief83

Anyone have new gaming benchmarks for the high-end 21.5" with the GT 650M? I should be getting mine soon, and I'll be sure to post some numbers once I do.

Not sure what you're expecting to get out of a computer with a video card that weak with so little vram. It'll play Diablo 3 and World of Warcraft pretty well, but don't expect much of anything else. If gaming is what you're interested in, you'll either need to buy a real gaming rig (still cheaper than the 21.5) or pay out the butt for the maxed out 27 inch iMac.

MagicThief83 · Dec 16, 2012, 05:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CapnJackGig

Not sure what you're expecting to get out of a computer with a video card that weak with so little vram. It'll play Diablo 3 and World of Warcraft pretty well, but don't expect much of anything else. If gaming is what you're interested in, you'll either need to buy a real gaming rig (still cheaper than the 21.5) or pay out the butt for the maxed out 27 inch iMac.

We'll see when my machine arrives. I'm not a hardcore gamer, thus, I don't need to play each game at ultra settings and native resolution. Current benchmarks for the rMBP demonstrate the card's respectable performance, albeit it containing 1GB of VRAM, versus the iMac's 512MB. Nonetheless, I don't expect the performance to drastically differ. I was just curious as to actual performance from those that own the machine with the 650M. On the contrary, I believe it'll handle more than just D3 or WOW. It can handle modern titles at mid-high settings, and even somethen at native resolution, which is perfectly suitable for me. I originally ordered a maxed out 27", but cancelled it being that I didn't need the 27" real estate, and the machine is just too big for my workstation. I think the 650M will be just fine. Would I have preferred a 680MX, or even a 660MX in the 21.5"-of course! But I'll make due.

SpecAU · Dec 16, 2012, 05:43 PM

I'm playing d3 with as and everything set to high and getting about 40fps

Have yet to have any stuttering issues. Seems fine to me.

MagicThief83 · Dec 16, 2012, 06:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SpecAU

I'm playing d3 with as and everything set to high and getting about 40fps

Have yet to have any stuttering issues. Seems fine to me.

Are you gaming in Mac OSX or Windows? What's your resolution set to?

SpecAU · Dec 16, 2012, 10:35 PM

Osx. I don't want to trash a perfect computer with windows filth lol.

Resolution is 1920x1080

MagicThief83 · Dec 17, 2012, 07:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SpecAU

Osx. I don't want to trash a perfect computer with windows filth lol.

Resolution is 1920x1080

Lol, I can understand your disdain for running Windows on the Mac, but Direct X will give you better video acceleration than OpenGL unfortunately. Your performance in Windows would probably be 10-20 FPS higher. To be honest Windows 7 isn't all that bad. OSX will be my daily driver, but I don't mind dual booting for the gains in gaming performance. I'll be sure to benchmark some newer titles like Max Payne 3, Far Cry 3, Assassin's Creed 3, and Borderlands 2. I'm sure they'll run adequately on the 650M.

SpecAU · Dec 17, 2012, 11:39 PM

Yeah I'm not a gamer to all ends. And I really couldn't be bothered with windows. I have win7 on a netbook and only use it to tune cars.

Fps isn't the be all end all. 40fps looks awesome to me. And as always with these sorts of things is not about impressing others just yourself

Dec 5, 2012, 05:30 PM	#1
MagicThief83 macrumors 6502 Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: NYC	iMac 21.5" Gaming? Anyone try gaming on the higher end 21.5"? Any gaming benchmarks?
	0

Dec 11, 2012, 09:44 AM	#6
MagicThief83 Thread Starter macrumors 6502 Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: NYC	Just came across this page while searching Google, discussing the relative performance of the 2012 21.5" iMac with the GT 650M. Quite impressive if you ask me. http://www.barefeats.com/imac12g.html __________________ iMac (2012, 21.5", i5 2.9GHz, GT 650M, 16GB, 1TB Fusion) iPad (3rd Generation, 64GB, Black, Wi-Fi only) iPhone 5 (64GB, Black, AT&T)
	0

Dec 11, 2012, 10:05 AM	#9
Johnf1285 macrumors 6502a Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: New Jersey	I haven't had much time to get a little review together for Wow and D3. So far they run great with some eye candy turned up. Have them both locked at 30fps since the occasional drops from 60 to 30 bothers me a bit in Wow (this is mostly due to Open GL and OS X, not the hardware). Hope to have more details up here soon, maybe end of the week or this weekend. I've been so busy haven't had much time to play around on the iMac (gt 650m model with Fusion). __________________ 21.5" iMac 2012; 11" MacBook Air 2011; iPhone 3GS
	0

Dec 16, 2012, 11:05 AM	#13
MagicThief83 Thread Starter macrumors 6502 Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: NYC	Anyone have new gaming benchmarks for the high-end 21.5" with the GT 650M? I should be getting mine soon, and I'll be sure to post some numbers once I do. __________________ iMac (2012, 21.5", i5 2.9GHz, GT 650M, 16GB, 1TB Fusion) iPad (3rd Generation, 64GB, Black, Wi-Fi only) iPhone 5 (64GB, Black, AT&T)
	0

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Dec 5, 2012, 08:30 PM	#3
Johnf1285 macrumors 6502a Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: New Jersey	I plan to put together a nice review of World of Warcraft and Diablo III this weekend and get a thread going. I expect my 21.5" with Fusion tomorrow. I don't own any other Mac games and won't be installing windows so I won't have much else to review. I realize they aren't demanding titles so it may not shed much light on the GT 650m performance.
	0

Dec 5, 2012, 10:47 PM	#4
NJelect macrumors member Join Date: Oct 2012	I doubt any role-playing titles will cause issues, the latter games are relatively easy on the iMac hardware. Only the latest 3D shooters bumped to full effects and resolution may cause issues. However, one could always scale back on some of the settings - true it may take aways from some of the game play but many effects are small and subtle.
	0

Dec 11, 2012, 09:56 AM	#7
iohass macrumors regular Join Date: Mar 2012 Location: Canada	once I get my imac, i want to try football manager, sid meier and x-plane. the first two i'm not worried about, but the latter could be a challenge. i ordered the high end 21.5" (2.9ghz quadcore, 8gb ram, 650m and fusion drive)... at least i think it's the high end?
	0

Dec 11, 2012, 10:40 AM	#12
comatose81 macrumors 6502 Join Date: Dec 2009	High-end 21.5" plays Dragon Age: Origins on "Very High" smooth as butter. It's an older game, so that doesn't say a whole lot, but it's promising so far.
	0

Dec 16, 2012, 11:20 AM	#14
joeysarks macrumors regular Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: Detroit	This is whats holding me back from my purchase. A maxed 21.5 would be fine for video editing, but i'd also like to game at high settings (with maybe shadows for a change) and ALSO livestream while I play. Might bump up to an almost maxed out 27 but i'd like to know if the 21.5 is even a viable option. (512mb vram just seems too low) I usually cap my FPS at 30 anyways since it doesnt mother me too much, so I would think i'd be fine as that takes a huge load off the card, but the live streaming could still give it issues.
	0

Dec 16, 2012, 05:43 PM	#17
SpecAU macrumors member Join Date: Mar 2012	I'm playing d3 with as and everything set to high and getting about 40fps Have yet to have any stuttering issues. Seems fine to me.
	0

Dec 16, 2012, 10:35 PM	#19
SpecAU macrumors member Join Date: Mar 2012	Osx. I don't want to trash a perfect computer with windows filth lol. Resolution is 1920x1080
	0

Dec 17, 2012, 11:39 PM	#21
SpecAU macrumors member Join Date: Mar 2012	Yeah I'm not a gamer to all ends. And I really couldn't be bothered with windows. I have win7 on a netbook and only use it to tune cars. Fps isn't the be all end all. 40fps looks awesome to me. And as always with these sorts of things is not about impressing others just yourself
	0