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High end 27" iMac for triple monitor gaming

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Fantola

macrumors member
Original poster
Oct 12, 2012
87
0
Århus, Denmark
Hi!

I have a 27" iMac (680MX, i7, 32 gb ram, fusion drive) and Im thinking about buying 2 1080p monitors for it and play games like, Minecraft, Counterstrike source, Borderlands 2, Battlefield 3, Far Cry 3. Do you think the 680mx will handle it in normal/high settings? So far i can run all games on ultra settings in the imacs native resolution with around 60 fps.

And is it possible for the 2 monitors to be smaller then the actual 27" imac screen? Im thinking of 21,5"
 
M

mr.thedaniel

macrumors regular
Feb 15, 2010
115
0
Notebookcheck shows general benchmarks for the gpu, but no specific information info on nVidia surround on the iMac. Technically it's supported, but so is 3D, which is not supported on the iMac 27, as this feature depends on the display as well.

I'm interested in this as well, but haven't found any definitive answer. Anyone tried this or know more about whether this is possible, and how games like borderlands 2 run on a triple display setup with the imac 27 680mx?
 
A

andg5thou

macrumors newbie
Oct 16, 2012
5
0
I don't think it'd run very well with 3 monitors. My 2012 27" iMac (i7, 680MX, Fusion) runs any current game with high-ultra settings at native res @ 60FPS, but if it had to push 3x the pixels, that would be asking a lot.

If you want your computer exclusively for multi-screen gaming, you're better off buying a PC with 2 or 3 GTX680s in SLI for the same price... You won't get the gorgeous form factor or build quality of a Mac, and you're stuck with windows, but you'll definitely get better gaming performance.
 
F

Fantola

macrumors member
Original poster
Oct 12, 2012
87
0
Århus, Denmark
andg5thou said:
I don't think it'd run very well with 3 monitors. My 2012 27" iMac (i7, 680MX, Fusion) runs any current game with high-ultra settings at native res @ 60FPS, but if it had to push 3x the pixels, that would be asking a lot.

If you want your computer exclusively for multi-screen gaming, you're better off buying a PC with 2 or 3 GTX680s in SLI for the same price... You won't get the gorgeous form factor or build quality of a Mac, and you're stuck with windows, but you'll definitely get better gaming performance.
Click to expand...

I already have my iMac, (been using it since 21. dec 2012) I don't want to swap it for a pc...

But im thinking that it's only minecraft and counterstrike source that will run smooth... (since minecraft is using the cpu for the graphical parts)
 
luffytubby

luffytubby

macrumors 6502a
Jan 22, 2008
684
0
Yeah I think you need a lot more power. Think of the pixels your running on a single mobile graphics card!!:D


Maybe what you should do instead is hook it up with a HDMI cable to your HDTV and play from your couch with a wireless mouse and keyboard.
 
Z

zerotri

macrumors newbie
Apr 20, 2013
2
0
If your goal is to play the games across all three monitors, a new machine is likely in order. If you're just wanting a triple monitor setup and to do gaming on your iMac's screen alone then you shouldn't have a problem. My 2011 iMac is able to do triple monitors while I do a bit of gaming and so long as I'm not trying to do anything too intensive outside of the game it works fine.

I should also note that the Nvidia site doesn't list Nvidia surround as an available feature on the 680mx. Triple monitor gaming will be hugely limited in Windows, and practically non-existent in OS X with that card.
 
F

Fantola

macrumors member
Original poster
Oct 12, 2012
87
0
Århus, Denmark
zerotri said:
If your goal is to play the games across all three monitors, a new machine is likely in order. If you're just wanting a triple monitor setup and to do gaming on your iMac's screen alone then you shouldn't have a problem. My 2011 iMac is able to do triple monitors while I do a bit of gaming and so long as I'm not trying to do anything too intensive outside of the game it works fine.

I should also note that the Nvidia site doesn't list Nvidia surround as an available feature on the 680mx. Triple monitor gaming will be hugely limited in Windows, and practically non-existent in OS X with that card.
Click to expand...

But do you think CounterStrike Source and Minecraft will be playable?
 
M

Mac32

Suspended
Nov 20, 2010
1,263
454
You could play the original STALKER game (Shadow of Chernobyl) + the Complete 2009 mod. That is one amazing game, incredible atmosphere. Also very stable and nice graphics with the Complete mod.
 
Winter Charm

Winter Charm

macrumors 6502a
Jul 31, 2008
804
270
Fantola said:
I already have my iMac, (been using it since 21. dec 2012) I don't want to swap it for a pc...

But im thinking that it's only minecraft and counterstrike source that will run smooth... (since minecraft is using the cpu for the graphical parts)
Click to expand...

The frame rates you get at a 4K resolution (say 12) * 4/3 will tell you what you'd get at 4x 1080p.

So... about 16 fps if your starting fps was 12.

Or, just take your FPS at 1080p and divide it by 3.
 
H

hyune83

macrumors member
Sep 19, 2008
71
0
Will struggle. I think a 680m is just enough to handle 1080p with some AA. Triple that would be tough i'm guessing.
 
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