17" vs 20" imac for gaming

[edk]

Hi,

other than the obvious difference in screen size, how do the 17" and 20" compare for WinXP gaming. In particular, what difference will the faster processor and larger graphics memory make to games etc.

I'd like the 20, but can only really afford the 17. If the difference aint that great, I can be happy. But if there's a big reason to goto the 20, I'd like to know!

(when I say 20", I also mean 256MB graphics upgrade).

 

[harveypooka]

I'm sure HardMac said that the difference between the two would be 5-10% on the PPC Mac's...I guess it'll be the same for the Intels. The more memory will allow you to load more textures etc so will give you a slight speed increase...and a faster processor will give you a speed boost. I wouldn't have thought that the 20" one will be incredibly better...but more is better. Check xlr8 or BareFeats for speed tests, they'll probably have some.

 

[edk]

thanks. Are there any other forums dealing with mac/xp gaming that you know of?

 

[harveypooka]

I regularly check InsideMacGames, Beyond Unreal, Kotaku, Joystiq and 1UP. They're a bit in-specific though. Barefeats is really good for their speed testing (which they do ALL the time!).