OS X Mac Gaming is Awesome!

[iMacFarlane]

i think games on PC are much better in terms graphics and sound
Mac is ok

The Mac is a PC. Differentiate by operating system: you have personal computers running Windows, OS X, or Linux. At the hardware level, they are all the same.

The reasons Macs suffer are twofold:
- Weaker, non-upgradable graphics options at higher prices
- OS X uses OpenGL, which in it's current implementation is slower than DirectX, used by Windows.

So, long story short, your buddy with the $500 "PC" can run Starcraft II at 50 FPS, but you struggle to get above 40 FPS on your $1500 iMac. He can always quadruple his performance with a $150 GPU, you cannot.

Most people accept these nasty truths because of the superiority of OS X, AppleCare, and the quality hardware builds that Apple famously provides.

 

[smoketetsu]

DirectX isn't the pinnacle of performance though. There's ATI Mantle trumping it on Windows and both Chronos Group and Microsoft are playing catchup to it now with newer versions of OpenGL and Direct3D (like the recenlty announced DX12). Work is being done to lower the overhead of all APIs and drivers. Now, when that work will be reflected in OS X is anyone's guess given Apple's slow adoption of graphics updates. But there's been workshops about what one can do to make OpenGL performance better right now that may benefit even OS X. There are things that can be done in OpenGL that can make it trump Direct3D but not everyone does them it seems to me.

Speaking of Mantle AMD has said it wants for it to be on Mac and Linux as well as other hardware but that's something I'll have to see to believe. Either way it's good to see them put a focus on optimization rather than just throwing brute force at performance problems. Probably partly because of also wanting to reduce power consumption on mobile devices.

 

[VI™]

The Mac is a PC. Differentiate by operating system: you have personal computers running Windows, OS X, or Linux. At the hardware level, they are all the same.

The reasons Macs suffer are twofold:
- Weaker, non-upgradable graphics options at higher prices
- OS X uses OpenGL, which in it's current implementation is slower than DirectX, used by Windows.

So, long story short, your buddy with the $500 "PC" can run Starcraft II at 50 FPS, but you struggle to get above 40 FPS on your $1500 iMac. He can always quadruple his performance with a $150 GPU, you cannot.

Most people accept these nasty truths because of the superiority of OS X, AppleCare, and the quality hardware builds that Apple famously provides.

That last part is subjective with companies like Razer producing high end gaming laptops as well as other manufactures. And OS X is only superior if it works better for what you want it to do, which is not gaming.

 

[VoR]

There are things that can be done in OpenGL that can make it trump Direct3D but not everyone does them it seems to me.

Valve's Rich Geldreich put out an excellent post on his opinion of OpenGL's problems yesterday :

http://richg42.blogspot.co.uk/2014/05/things-that-drive-me-nuts-about-opengl.html?spref=tw

 

[armalite]

If Mac gaming was so great I wouldn't have Windows installed on mine so I could play my first person shooter games LOL

 

[N19h7m4r3]

If Mac gaming was so great I wouldn't have Windows installed on mine so I could play my first person shooter games LOL

That's your choice though. Not everyone like playing FPS games, and everyone has different wants and needs.
OSX gaming is simply getting better all the time, for the benefit of many.

 

[antonis]

Well, Metro:Last Light looks great on Mac, too.

 

[ilyasdesign37]

The Mac is a PC. Differentiate by operating system: you have personal computers running Windows, OS X, or Linux. At the hardware level, they are all the same.

The reasons Macs suffer are twofold:
- Weaker, non-upgradable graphics options at higher prices
- OS X uses OpenGL, which in it's current implementation is slower than DirectX, used by Windows.

So, long story short, your buddy with the $500 "PC" can run Starcraft II at 50 FPS, but you struggle to get above 40 FPS on your $1500 iMac. He can always quadruple his performance with a $150 GPU, you cannot.

Most people accept these nasty truths because of the superiority of OS X, AppleCare, and the quality hardware builds that Apple famously provides.

well i think windows 7 under bootcamp playing batman Arkham origins looks better

mac games don't look that sharp!

 

[saturnotaku]

mac games don't look that sharp!

At identical graphic settings, the games will look the same.

 

[txa1265]

If Mac gaming was so great I wouldn't have Windows installed on mine so I could play my first person shooter games LOL

Does it mean that I am old that seeing 'lol' in a forum post pretty much invalidates the opinion stated?

 

[ilyasdesign37]

At identical graphic settings, the games will look the same.

mac doesn't have DirectX settings i think i have the new late 2013 iMac 27

the only thing on mac is the CPU temps doesn't go really high than under windows
which i notice its goes from 40 to 80 within the hour

 

[edddeduck]

well i think windows 7 under bootcamp playing batman Arkham origins looks better

mac games don't look that sharp!

Arkham Origins is Windows only so you can't use that game to compare!

At identical graphic settings, the games will look the same.

Correct they will look identical.

mac doesn't have DirectX settings i think i have the new late 2013 iMac 27

A few high end DX11 settings will not be available on the Mac but if you have the same settings the game will look the same. The differences on max settings will usually be very subtle as the missing features in OS X OpenGL are not the ones that make the biggest impact on visual quality.

 

[ilyasdesign37]

Arkham Origins is Windows only so you can't use that game to compare!



Correct they will look identical.



A few high end DX11 settings will not be available on the Mac but if you have the same settings the game will look the same. The differences on max settings will usually be very subtle as the missing features in OS X OpenGL are not the ones that make the biggest impact on visual quality.

why does macs don't have DirectX?

----------

Arkham Origins is Windows only so you can't use that game to compare!

Arkham City was ok on the mac version but wasn't super sharp

 

[edddeduck]

why does macs don't have DirectX?

Because DirectX is owned by Microsoft.

Arkham City was ok on the mac version but wasn't super sharp

It's the same as the PC on the same settings and is just as sharp, I know because we had to test it side by side with the PC for final approvals If you run on different setting they will look different.

 

[ilyasdesign37]

Because DirectX is owned by Microsoft.



It's the same as the PC on the same settings and is just as sharp, I know because we had to test it side by side with the PC for final approvals If you run on different setting they will look different.

well red dead redemption is coming on PC soon

just wanted your advise on batman Arkham Origins on PC
do you think it's ok to put high settings for this game under windows?

I have the iMac 27 (late 2013) model i5 3.4ghz 16GB
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 775M 2048 MB

thanks

 

[saturnotaku]

just wanted your advise on batman Arkham Origins on PC

do you think it's ok to put high settings for this game under windows?

Why don't you just try it yourself?

 

[erayser]

just wanted your advise on batman Arkham Origins on PC
do you think it's ok to put high settings for this game under windows?

I have the iMac 27 (late 2013) model i5 3.4ghz 16GB
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 775M 2048 MB

thanks

Didn't you make a thread on this already?
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1731368/

I think you are fine with the settings you have... even with all the fan noise you are getting. 44 fps average is playable... but not what I would prefer to play games at.

I'm with the crowd that says gaming PC can do better, and if it can't, you can upgrade it to perform better. I can see the difference playing games 60fps and below. Please don't hate me because I say this. I play games on both my kids PS4 and PC... and I can see the difference. LOL... yes I buy some games on both platforms, because I don't let me kids touch my rig when I'm not around.

I have nothing against Mac... in fact my wife and I want one. Still waiting for my wife to pull the trigger to buy one... but I think she keeps getting discouraged because I want her to get the Mac Pro... but she doesn't want to spend that much...

I know the thread title says Mac Gaming is Awesome, but I think PC gaming is just as Awesome. Since there is talk about Batman Arkham Origins... a did quick benchmark with settings maxed on 3 monitors (5760x1080) at 120Hz:

Settings screenshot
V-Sync On: Min 57, Max V-Sync, Avg 91
V-Sync Off: Min 55, Max 126, Avg 91

I think that is pretty awesome... but.. wait Arkham Origin is a Windows game... But there is a Mac version of Tomb Raider.
I think you can't really compare TR either. Last I heard, the Mac version doesn't have TressFX... which IMO makes TR beautiful. Sorry, without TressFX, you are missing a lot of the beauty in this game. For that reason, I would recommend playing the PS4/XBox definitive version over the Mac version.

Anyhow... same monitors at the same resolution on Ultimate settings with TressFX on:
Settings Screenshot 1
Settings Screenshot 2
Min FPS=90.6, Max FPS=124.0, Average FPS=106.2

I think PC gaming is awesome too... don't hate all us PC Windows gamers. Even if I prefer PC's, I'm happy that Mac is getting better. Hopefully we will have Mac in our house soon...

 

[N19h7m4r3]

But there is a Mac version of Tomb Raider.
I think you can't really compare TR either. Last I heard, the Mac version doesn't have TressFX... which IMO makes TR beautiful. Sorry, without TressFX, you are missing a lot of the beauty in this game. For that reason, I would recommend playing the PS4/XBox definitive version over the Mac version.

Or, much cheaper solution. Bootcamp it?

I played both and honestly it didn't do much for me. Although that's because I think that TressFX is still limited in the number of titles. Although I feel the same about PhysX these days.

Hopefully AMD push TressFX more, as apparently Feral can get it working on OSX if AMD just get support for the API on it.

I'm very fond of gaming in general, and I took a liking to OSX, and like gaming. Part of it is my old nature of fiddling with things. Instead of custom PC's, it's not games.

Although titles like Farming World ruin the experience, on both OSX, and Windows. Especially since it's a full release. :/


In the end, I believe Mac gaming is awesome, and getting better. I also think the same of Windows gaming, and while Linux is plottering about. It's certainly far ahead of what it was in 2012.

I think many people tend to forget there's far more out there, than just so called 'AAA' games, which are anything but AAA quality in regards to story, creativity, gameplay, and fun. * my humble opinion *
As such there's a myriad of games out there, and it's so hard to even notice all of them being released. Especially with the sheer amount of rubbish on Steam these days, everything from shovel ware, to companies simply slapping up old 90's games without even modifying them in anyway to work properly on newer systems.

In the end, as always I think people just need to find that system they prefer. Hell even if it's only playing Amiga games, as the prime and best. As long as you're having fun it's all A-Okay.


On a side note, once that lovely 4K display I want is back in stock I'll probably just try and game everything on that in native res.

 

[ilyasdesign37]

Didn't you make a thread on this already?
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1731368/

I think you are fine with the settings you have... even with all the fan noise you are getting. 44 fps average is playable... but not what I would prefer to play games at.

I'm with the crowd that says gaming PC can do better, and if it can't, you can upgrade it to perform better. I can see the difference playing games 60fps and below. Please don't hate me because I say this. I play games on both my kids PS4 and PC... and I can see the difference. LOL... yes I buy some games on both platforms, because I don't let me kids touch my rig when I'm not around.

I have nothing against Mac... in fact my wife and I want one. Still waiting for my wife to pull the trigger to buy one... but I think she keeps getting discouraged because I want her to get the Mac Pro... but she doesn't want to spend that much...

I know the thread title says Mac Gaming is Awesome, but I think PC gaming is just as Awesome. Since there is talk about Batman Arkham Origins... a did quick benchmark with settings maxed on 3 monitors (5760x1080) at 120Hz:

Settings screenshot
V-Sync On: Min 57, Max V-Sync, Avg 91
V-Sync Off: Min 55, Max 126, Avg 91

I think that is pretty awesome... but.. wait Arkham Origin is a Windows game... But there is a Mac version of Tomb Raider.
I think you can't really compare TR either. Last I heard, the Mac version doesn't have TressFX... which IMO makes TR beautiful. Sorry, without TressFX, you are missing a lot of the beauty in this game. For that reason, I would recommend playing the PS4/XBox definitive version over the Mac version.

Anyhow... same monitors at the same resolution on Ultimate settings with TressFX on:
Settings Screenshot 1
Settings Screenshot 2
Min FPS=90.6, Max FPS=124.0, Average FPS=106.2

I think PC gaming is awesome too... don't hate all us PC Windows gamers. Even if I prefer PC's, I'm happy that Mac is getting better. Hopefully we will have Mac in our house soon...

thanks for that how do you get your resolution that high on batman?
my native resolution is 2560x1140, I'm a first time gamer on PC/Mac
sold my PS3! i just love the Mac/PC graphics it's much sharper than consoles

my settings is ok but temps of CPU goes too high 79.01 within half an hour
is that normal? i noticed gaming under the OS X the CPU temps doesn't go that high as under windows

do you think I could get away with Geforce TXAA High? it's on low now
and my Physx is off

btw what is your graphics card on your PC?

this is a useful link

http://www.geforce.com/whats-new/guides/batman-arkham-origins-graphics-and-performance-guide

 

[saturnotaku]

thanks for that how do you get your resolution that high on batman?

Multiple monitors.

my settings is ok but temps of CPU goes too high 79.01 within half an hour is that normal? i noticed gaming under the OS X the CPU temps doesn't go that high as under windows

That is still well within the safe operating zone. These CPUs can tolerate temperatures up to 100.

do you think I could get away with Geforce TXAA High? it's on low now and my Physx is off

What is your hangup about experimenting with the different settings yourself? Some people can't tolerate less than 60 fps at maximum details; others are fine with medium settings and 30 fps. We can't tell you what you will find acceptable.

btw what is your graphics card on your PC?

He has a custom desktop with 3 GeForce GTX 780s in SLI. Read his signature.

 

[N19h7m4r3]

btw what is your graphics card on your PC?

Check his signature, this resolution is high because he's using Triple monitors, and he also has 3 GTX 780 graphics cards.

 

[ilyasdesign37]

Check his signature, this resolution is high because he's using Triple monitors, and he also has 3 GTX 780 graphics cards.

Do you think there is much difference when gaming on
GTX 780 or GTX 755 i know it's 2GB and 4GB

sorry i'm an beginner on all this

----------

Multiple monitors.



That is still well within the safe operating zone. These CPUs can tolerate temperatures up to 100.



What is your hangup about experimenting with the different settings yourself? Some people can't tolerate less than 60 fps at maximum details; others are fine with medium settings and 30 fps. We can't tell you what you will find acceptable.



He has a custom desktop with 3 GeForce GTX 780s in SLI. Read his signature.

so over temp 100 it's danger zone?

sorry don't have a clue about FPS

 

[antonis]

Check his signature, this resolution is high because he's using Triple monitors, and he also has 3 GTX 780 graphics cards.

Sorry for bringing up an old topic, but I'd like to ask you one more question concerning the Screenflow you're using for your gaming videos. I've been using it and it is great, it's worth the cost. However, I'd like to ask you if you have any suggestions about export settings (e.g. a custom'ed profile). I've found the loseless format being buggy (sometimes the convert will never complete, not to mention the insanely huge file size), while the "web high-profile" seems to result in really poor quality, when used out-of-the-box.

I've seen some suggestions on youtube about using web high-profile as a base to create a custom one, and increase the bitrate at 5k (for 1080 hd videos). Seeing how good your captures look, I was wondering if you're doing the aforementioned or something else.

Thanks in advance.

 

[N19h7m4r3]

Do you think there is much difference when gaming on
GTX 780 or GTX 755 i know it's 2GB and 4GB

sorry i'm an beginner on all this

There's a massive Difference the GTS 780 is a desktop high end card, and the GTX 775m is mobile, the M = Mobile. GTX 780 is anywhere from 3-5 times faster depending on software to games.

RAM is useful for work , and some higher resolutions, but usual the card is not powerfully enough, by the time that much RAM is required.

Sorry for bringing up an old topic, but I'd like to ask you one more question concerning the Screenflow you're using for your gaming videos. I've been using it and it is great, it's worth the cost. However, I'd like to ask you if you have any suggestions about export settings (e.g. a custom'ed profile). I've found the loseless format being buggy (sometimes the convert will never complete, not to mention the insanely huge file size), while the "web high-profile" seems to result in really poor quality, when used out-of-the-box.

I've seen some suggestions on youtube about using web high-profile as a base to create a custom one, and increase the bitrate at 5k (for 1080 hd videos). Seeing how good your captures look, I was wondering if you're doing the aforementioned or something else.

Thanks in advance.

Well I don't upload anything I've exported from Screenflow directly. I export as ProRes 4444 with Alpha, and then finish my editing in FCPX. After which I export using h.264 faster encoding, in the .mp4 container. It's usually very high bit rate of around 42k

Although if you go through Screenflow as a finished product I would suggest, Web High, and a bit rate of 12k. 5K is just too low for decent quality in my opinion, and 8K is the minimum of what I see as barely passable.

 

[Irishman]

Or, much cheaper solution. Bootcamp it?

I played both and honestly it didn't do much for me. Although that's because I think that TressFX is still limited in the number of titles. Although I feel the same about PhysX these days.

Hopefully AMD push TressFX more, as apparently Feral can get it working on OSX if AMD just get support for the API on it.

I'm very fond of gaming in general, and I took a liking to OSX, and like gaming. Part of it is my old nature of fiddling with things. Instead of custom PC's, it's not games.

Although titles like Farming World ruin the experience, on both OSX, and Windows. Especially since it's a full release. :/


In the end, I believe Mac gaming is awesome, and getting better. I also think the same of Windows gaming, and while Linux is plottering about. It's certainly far ahead of what it was in 2012.

I think many people tend to forget there's far more out there, than just so called 'AAA' games, which are anything but AAA quality in regards to story, creativity, gameplay, and fun. * my humble opinion *
As such there's a myriad of games out there, and it's so hard to even notice all of them being released. Especially with the sheer amount of rubbish on Steam these days, everything from shovel ware, to companies simply slapping up old 90's games without even modifying them in anyway to work properly on newer systems.

In the end, as always I think people just need to find that system they prefer. Hell even if it's only playing Amiga games, as the prime and best. As long as you're having fun it's all A-Okay.


On a side note, once that lovely 4K display I want is back in stock I'll probably just try and game everything on that in native res.

How is buying a full Windows license a cheaper option than just buying a native OSX game??