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Able to game on latest iMac?

Z

zai-huei

macrumors member
Original poster
Jul 10, 2012
44
0
Hello all!

So i'm looking for til buy a new iMac to work and homestuff!
But, I'm also like to game some BF3, and is not sure, if the latest iMac will let me do that?

Is there any iMac 27" GTX 660M with 512MB owners or GTX 675MX 1GB, who play BF3, who can tell me, if I will be able to do that? :)

- Sorry my english, hope you all get the point of my question :)
 
Last edited:
zai-huei said:
Hello all!

So i'm looking for til buy a new iMac to work and homestuff!
But, I'm also like to game some BF3, and is not sure, if the latest iMac will let me do that?

Is there any iMac 27" GTX 660M with 512MB owners or GTX 675MX 1GB, who play BF3, who can tell me, if I will be able to do that? :)

- Sorry my english, hope you all get the point of my question :)
Click to expand...

If you want to game using a iMac, in particular BF3. A GTX 675MX would be wayyyyy better, and basically the minimum you can play - 30 fps or so. Look at some videos on youtube. Type in "2012 27 imac 675mx gaming test"
 
With most things pertaining to computers, the higher the number is the better, or at least the more up to date the part is, hence the higher the number the better the performance. If you can afford the GTX 680 over the 675 then do that, according to reliable sources the GTX 675MX is a rebadged GTX 580m GPU with high default clock speeds.

Note:
The 675MX is a rebadged 580M IF the GPU was manufactured around Late 2011/Early 2012. The biggest tell would be the Fermi architecture. If you can figure out the architecture and it is in fact Kepler then it is an GTX 660 GPU from a PC desktop type card in which case you'll still want to go with the 680M.
 
Commy1 said:
With most things pertaining to computers, the higher the number is the better, or at least the more up to date the part is, hence the higher the number the better the performance. If you can afford the GTX 680 over the 675 then do that, according to reliable sources the GTX 675MX is a rebadged GTX 580m GPU with high default clock speeds.

Note:
The 675MX is a rebadged 580M IF the GPU was manufactured around Late 2011/Early 2012. The biggest tell would be the Fermi architecture. If you can figure out the architecture and it is in fact Kepler then it is an GTX 660 GPU from a PC desktop type card in which case you'll still want to go with the 680M.
Click to expand...

you wrote 580m...its 680m

and 675mx (the one in the imac which is different from the one found elsewhere) and 680mx are not far away in performance...
 
flavr said:
you wrote 580m...its 680m

and 675mx (the one in the imac which is different from the one found elsewhere) and 680mx are not far away in performance...
Click to expand...

It wasn't a typo when I said 580M. In the Alienware M17x R3 with GTX 675M GPU in 2011, the 675M was a rebadged, overclocked GTX 580M Fermi.

I have no doubt that in the iMacs they are in fact Kepler and as such powerful cards. I'd still take the 680 over 675, not only because of the basic upgrade, but it's an entirely different GPU which is much more powerful. For example the 675M is an MXM 2.0 connection with 3.2(correct me?)ghz VRAM 675M compared to the MXM 3.0 connection and up to 5ghz VRAM speeds in the GTX 680.
 
If you want to play BF3 on 1440p, Ultra settings. The 680mx well do you good if you can afford it.
 
I have a new 27" with 32GB RAM and the 2G. GPU, 3TB FD. The most demanding "Game" I play is Xplane which is resource intensive..it runs perfectly on my iMac....Go for the bigger GPU if you can, it will munch through games with ease.
 
If you want to game, get the 680MX - nothing else is a proper option IMO. Also you will need to overclock the 680MX to get better fps in native resolution in newer games (+250/+375 strikes the perfect balance for me in performance improvement vs minimal added heat). If the 680MX is too expensive for you, you should really look into another option if you like to game. Believe when you first get that huge beautiful screen, you will really, really regret not getting the 680MX. I got fastest iMac 27 model for some occational gaming, but ended up gaming for several hours several days every week...and still do, even though I got the iMac half a year ago. :)

Be aware that it's not possible to use the iMac as an external screen for a Windows gaming PC. That means you will be stuck with the internal graphics card no matter what, so you should *really* get the 680MX.
 
Commy1 said:
It wasn't a typo when I said 580M. In the Alienware M17x R3 with GTX 675M GPU in 2011, the 675M was a rebadged, overclocked GTX 580M Fermi.

I have no doubt that in the iMacs they are in fact Kepler and as such powerful cards. I'd still take the 680 over 675, not only because of the basic upgrade, but it's an entirely different GPU which is much more powerful. For example the 675M is an MXM 2.0 connection with 3.2(correct me?)ghz VRAM 675M compared to the MXM 3.0 connection and up to 5ghz VRAM speeds in the GTX 680.
Click to expand...

675M is Fermi. 675MX is Kepler. There are no Fermi drivers for OS X.

2012 iMacs do not use MXM. The GPUs are inserted directly on the motherboard.

I agree with the overall premise - if it's to be used for gaming, 680MX is a no-brainer upgrade.
 
wow!

Thank you everybody! :)

Well the iMac isn't just to gaming, but i love to game once in a while! :)

I think i might go with the GTX 675MX. I don't have the money to upgrade, and in DK, EVERYTHING cost a lot more! :D

a high end imac cost: 16.000kr. (or 2850,4$, and the GPU cost alone 220$)
 
forty2j said:
675M is Fermi. 675MX is Kepler. There are no Fermi drivers for OS X.

2012 iMacs do not use MXM. The GPUs are inserted directly on the motherboard.

I agree with the overall premise - if it's to be used for gaming, 680MX is a no-brainer upgrade.
Click to expand...
I may be right or wrong, it doesn't matter.
I'm not aware of the build of any iMacs newer than 2011, are the gpus really integrated in the newer models? In my 2011 iMac at least I know it's upgradable via a mobile MXM card.
 
Commy1 said:
I may be right or wrong, it doesn't matter.
I'm not aware of the build of any iMacs newer than 2011, are the gpus really integrated in the newer models? In my 2011 iMac at least I know it's upgradable via a mobile MXM card.
Click to expand...

Yeah - check the teardowns in this forum or on iFixit. The 2012s have the Kepler chip directly on the mobo. With the new thinner design there really wasn't a place to put an MXM port, and it's of somewhat dubious value anyway since you can only swap in another card that Apple has provided drivers for for your model.
 
forty2j said:
Yeah - check the teardowns in this forum or on iFixit. The 2012s have the Kepler chip directly on the mobo. With the new thinner design there really wasn't a place to put an MXM port, and it's of somewhat dubious value anyway since you can only swap in another card that Apple has provided drivers for for your model.
Click to expand...
True... I should have dug more into that. Ah well.. I've got a thing for the older apple products where upgraded are much more possible.
 
For gaming only choose the high end models:
for light/casual/non demanding games the 21.5" with 650M is ok
for gaming and for more demanding games choose 27" with 675MX or if you want to play most of the games at 1440p high details choose the 680MX
 
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