Mac for Diablo 3

[nordovita]

Up until last year I have used custom built PC's for gaming, and done my everyday computer work on an early 2008 13" Macbook. Since then I have moved several times across several states for school and work, and I ended up parting out my gaming computer to avoid the hassle of taking it with me. At this point I am just using my old macbook (which still runs just fine). Anyway, now I finally seem to be in a position to try to upgrade my system. I would have held off for a bit longer but with Diable 3 coming out soon I would really like to get something to run it on.

I was originally intending on just upgrading to a 13" Macbook pro, and had given up on PC gaming entirely. I just figured Diablo 3 would never come out, and when it finally did, well I'd just throw something together for it. I just really don't care to have a PC just for gaming (especially when I'll most likely only be playing one game). I wish I could just get the 13" Macbook pro and play it on that, but it doesn't have the graphics processing I need. I considered a 15" but they are out of my price range and a bit bulky for something I would want to carry frequently.

I do like the idea of the 21.5" iMac. It's just hard to even justify a desktop with my lifestyle, but the pros are there: a big HDD to transfer most of the data off of my old laptop to clear up space, a nice big screen for Photoshop, and a centralized system I can share with my girlfriend. Sounds great, but the real question is

Does a 21.5" iMac seem like a decent machine for running a game like Diablo 3? Has anyone been using an iMac to play newer games, and how do they run? Is anyone planning on running Diablo 3 on their iMac, or looking to make a purchase similar to mine to run the game?

 

[And1ss]

Mmm I think the 21.5 iMac using bootcamp should be able to play games moderately well.

Check out what Blizzard think is the recommended requirements.
http://us.battle.net/support/en/article/diablo-iii-system-requirements

 

[nostylluan]

diablo 3 plays on the latest macbook air which runs intel graphics 3000, which means imac and macbook pros will play it.

if you want an imac, wait since apple is supposed to update them sometime.. its been a year since they've upgraded them. (usually takes less than a year) and the laptops are supposed to be upgraded soon as well.

before buying your mac, wait until diablo 3 releases and come back to see if the computers got updated, if not play diablo 3 on your laptop until the computers are updated. no point buying a mac right now unless you desperately need a new computer. just wait like most of us

your new mac... will play diablo 3. however if you like blizzard, i would suggest starcraft 2 or wow... i myself left gaming and i only play blizzard games.

 

[cerote]

Mmm I think the 21.5 iMac using bootcamp should be able to play games moderately well.

Check out what Blizzard think is the recommended requirements.
http://us.battle.net/support/en/article/diablo-iii-system-requirements

Why bother with bootcamp when Blizzard makes sure their games plays almost exactly the same on both systems. They put a lot of work into both platforms.

 

[nostylluan]

blizzard games run really smooth on mac, if you only play blizzard games theres no need for windows... wow has additional features like recording the screen.

bootcamp is pointless in my opinion for any game, just get a pc instead.

if you go mac, and switch back to windows... you didn't really made the switch ;p, plus in the new OSX you'll be able to play iphone/ipad games on your laptop/imac

99 cent gaming ftw

 

[Bonut]

Up until last year I have used custom built PC's for gaming, and done my everyday computer work on an early 2008 13" Macbook. Since then I have moved several times across several states for school and work, and I ended up parting out my gaming computer to avoid the hassle of taking it with me. At this point I am just using my old macbook (which still runs just fine). Anyway, now I finally seem to be in a position to try to upgrade my system. I would have held off for a bit longer but with Diable 3 coming out soon I would really like to get something to run it on.

I was originally intending on just upgrading to a 13" Macbook pro, and had given up on PC gaming entirely. I just figured Diablo 3 would never come out, and when it finally did, well I'd just throw something together for it. I just really don't care to have a PC just for gaming (especially when I'll most likely only be playing one game). I wish I could just get the 13" Macbook pro and play it on that, but it doesn't have the graphics processing I need. I considered a 15" but they are out of my price range and a bit bulky for something I would want to carry frequently.

I do like the idea of the 21.5" iMac. It's just hard to even justify a desktop with my lifestyle, but the pros are there: a big HDD to transfer most of the data off of my old laptop to clear up space, a nice big screen for Photoshop, and a centralized system I can share with my girlfriend. Sounds great, but the real question is

Does a 21.5" iMac seem like a decent machine for running a game like Diablo 3? Has anyone been using an iMac to play newer games, and how do they run? Is anyone planning on running Diablo 3 on their iMac, or looking to make a purchase similar to mine to run the game?

A couple weeks ago I bought the base model 21.5" iMac. First thing I did was load up the diablo3 beta and give it a try. I can run it on max graphics perfectly fine, I don't notice any lag at all.

 

[David085]

I'm kind of jealous for these in the Beta, and I'm still not in Beta I opt-in and still haven't been invite to test the game.

 

[malman89]

I'm kind of jealous for these in the Beta, and I'm still not in Beta I opt-in and still haven't been invite to test the game.

I think I saw somewhere that you had to have a subscription based account to even be considered. If you're like me and have only played Diablo/D2/D2:LOD/SC/WC3, then no luck.

Kind of too late to bother, though. Been missing out for a while... I've settled myself to wait for May 15th.

 

[Venkman90]

I think I saw somewhere that you had to have a subscription based account to even be considered. If you're like me and have only played Diablo/D2/D2:LOD/SC/WC3, then no luck.

Kind of too late to bother, though. Been missing out for a while... I've settled myself to wait for May 15th.

Not true, at least not an active one. I quit WoW in 2010 and got into the beta, don't even own SC2 either.

To answer the OP, the game runs pretty badly right now on ANYTHING, it's optimization is not complete and the servers are still being rolled out, I know people with gaming rigs who have complained about it. There is also a 5 page thread on the beta forums about the OSX performance being sub-par.

As this is a beta, I expect both these things to be fixed by launch in May and it will run on all current Mac hardware no problem.

 

[jgz]

Diablo 3 Beta running on a Macbook Air

....

 

[Jethryn Freyman]

diablo 3 plays on the latest macbook air which runs intel graphics 3000, which means imac and macbook pros will play it.

Yeah, technically Doom 3 runs on my eMac, but it sucks on it.

I have a PC with a desktop Radeon 6770, it runs Starcraft 2 (comparable to Diablo 3) quite well on high details at 1920x1080... it really depends on the resolution and quality you want to play at. On a 21.5 iMac you'll be stepping down the detail to mediumish and probably playing at about 1440x900, a 27" with the 6790M would be better but then you've got a whole lot more pixels to drive, so you really need the extra power.

 

[malman89]

Diablo 3 Beta running on a Macbook Air

Looks pretty awful. There's no way that isn't lagtastic in a real fight. And seeing as the MBA and 13 MBP specs are the same (or one can say even better for the MBA with the SSD), that's something comparable. Granted, the guy says it's on High/Med. It should all be on Low/Med and it would possibly be all right.

Or one could just Google "Diablo 3 system req" and end up right HERE what's needed. Not really the most intense requirements because it's Blizzard.

----------

Not true, at least not an active one. I quit WoW in 2010 and got into the beta, don't even own SC2 either.

Maybe it was that. Never wasted a cent on WoW. Oh well, not too worried about playing an unfinished game. I've waited all these years -- I can wait a few months more.

 

[Bonut]

Yeah, technically Doom 3 runs on my eMac, but it sucks on it.

I have a PC with a desktop Radeon 6770, it runs Starcraft 2 (comparable to Diablo 3) quite well on high details at 1920x1080... it really depends on the resolution and quality you want to play at. On a 21.5 iMac you'll be stepping down the detail to mediumish and probably playing at about 1440x900, a 27" with the 6790M would be better but then you've got a whole lot more pixels to drive, so you really need the extra power.

2011 21.5 base model iMac the beta will play on maximum settings with no lag at all, at least for me. In the diablo forums the results vary a lot.

 

[MaLdocK]

This is a long shot but will a 2008 alu mbp 15 work with D3?

 

[Dr. McKay]

Mmm I think the 21.5 iMac using bootcamp should be able to play games moderately well.

Check out what Blizzard think is the recommended requirements.
http://us.battle.net/support/en/article/diablo-iii-system-requirements

Hadn't seen that yet. I guess I can forget about Diablo 3 since I just meet the minimum requirements...
Hope that the new Wow expansion doesn't increase the sys reqs as well. Wow is running very well on my machine...

 

[Killery96]

Why bother with bootcamp when Blizzard makes sure their games plays almost exactly the same on both systems. They put a lot of work into both platforms.

...And in Starcraft there's a difference of 20-30 fps at times, and in Diablo there's surely a difference of at least five frames per second and less stuttering... I'm a beta tester with both operating systems and this is my experience. Patch 16 damaged performance on the Mac side, but before, there was still a big difference between performance levels. Up to 15 fps at times.

 

[Dr. McKay]

there was still a big difference between performance levels. Up to 15 fps at times.

I don't think I can tell the difference between 60 and 75 fps. You ?
Now, 15 and 30, THAT will be noticeable...

If you have a powerful machine, being able to squeeze a bit more fps out of your game isn't worth bothering with bootcamp. However, if installing bootcamp changes the game from being frustrating to actually being playable, that's another thing entirely...

 

[Killery96]

I don't think I can tell the difference between 60 and 75 fps. You ?
Now, 15 and 30, THAT will be noticeable...

If you have a powerful machine, being able to squeeze a bit more fps out of your game isn't worth bothering with bootcamp. However, if installing bootcamp changes the game from being frustrating to actually being playable, that's another thing entirely...

In starcraft the Fps difference is noticeable in big battles. In mac, I run Diablo at the highest settings I can. It's generally up to 40fps in Mac with drops to below 20 on huge physics crashes. In windows it hits 50 a lot more often and rarely drops below 30.

I don't like people who insist on have triple digit FPS readings and then come here to troll, but I want a silk smooth game when I enjoy this game.

 

[Danno21]

To the OP, why don't you just build a value/mid-range system for Diablo 3? I understand you'd want to use Photoshop and everything on it, but can't you just leave that to your current MBP? Unless you were going to sell it for the new iMac.

People in here have said Diablo 3 will run just as good as it will in Windows, but we know that's not true. When I used bootcamp on my MBP, WoW and SC2 had much better FPS and felt smoother than in Lion.

Here's a cheap system you could build yourself

Case - NZXT Source 210 S210-001 ATX Mid Tower ($40)
CPU -Intel i3 2100 3.1Ghz ($125)
MB - ASRock H61M-VS LGA 1155 Intel H61 Micro ATX ($60)
GPU - XFX Radeon HD 6870 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 ($180)
RAM - G.SKILL NS 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 ($23)
HDD - Western Digital 500GB 7200RPM Blue Caviar ($85)
DVD Drive - Lite-On 18X DVD Drive ($19)
PSU - Corsair CX500 ($60)
OS - Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit OEM ($100)

Total is $692 before shipping and this should be able to max out Diablo 3 at 1080p. If you're a student, get your free year of Amazon Prime and buy from there instead and get free 2-day shipping for everything. If your desktop is mainly going to be for gaming, I would for sure not get an overpriced Mac (and I love Macs).

 

[rleezy]

Will my mac run D3 when it comes out?

I was just wondering if my macbook pro will run Diablo 3 when it releases next month.

Currently running a Macbook Pro 13.3 2011 First Quarter.
i5 2.3Ghz
4GB of RAM (looking to upgrade to 8gb sometime soon (any suggestions?))
320GB HDD 7200RPM
Intel HD Graphics 3000 384mb
OSX Lion bootcamp Windows 7

and if it does run, will it run smoothly or will it be laggy?

Thanks!

 

[Danno21]

It'll no doubt be able to run it alright if everything is on low since you're using an Intel HD3000.

 

[Erasmus]

A 6750M runs Starcraft 2 at 1080p on Ultra in W7.

An iMac with the same card playing Diablo 3 will perform similarly.

ie, no problems.

EDIT: I have found that the cost of running SC2 in OSX vs Boot Camp is approx. one graphics level, ie. High vs Ultra. So yes, SC2 and D3 will run great under OSX, but will run better under W7.

 

[sleek881]

Hopefully my iMac will run Diablo 3

6970 graphics 2gb VRAM
intel 3.4 ghz i7
16Gb RAM

 

[Ryox]

judging by past experience, All Blizzard games run great on macs, but I personally have found that they run better in Bootcamp Windows 7, with more up to date drivers etc the performance gap increases.

 

[mulo]

blizzard games run really smooth on mac, if you only play blizzard games theres no need for windows... wow has additional features like recording the screen.

on a side note running wow in 64 bit mod also gives roughly a 40% FPS increase on OS X

and yes, love that blizzard makes clients for mac

also diablo III beta goes live to the general public tonight, so go download it and try what your mac will run it like