AMD Radeon HD 6770M with 512MB performance?

[MagicThief83]

Would several folks be as so kind to share with me the performance of the AMD Radeon HD 6770M on their iMacs. How does the card perform in terms of FPS? i'm interested in actual experience with game performance in terms of detail and FPS. PLEASE DON'T SHARE LINKS (e.g. notebook check). This is not a benchmark question. i would like to hear about individual experiences on your respective iMacs and the type of games you are playing as well settings and resolutions. Also anyone playing Diablo 3 with this card? Also, do not tell me to search because i have already done so. i ask because i'm contemplating a BTO iMac 21.5" with this video card with 16GB of ram and an i7 2.8GHz processor. Also, must i bootcamp in order to enjoy games on the iMac or is Mac OSX good enough for gaming? Thanks guys! i'm trying to hold off until ML but don't know if i can keep my trigger finger steady anymore!

 

[mixel]

You'll definitely want bootcamp. Generally you get a FPS boost and there's much more choice of games. I have the i5 with 6770 incoming (mon or tues) and will test things out, I suspect it'll run rather nicely considering my old C2D 8800GS iMac played things like L4D2 pretty well.

Any games in particular you'd like tried? I don't have Diablo3. I'll try the Witcher 2, Tera and Skyrim for sure.

 

[MagicThief83]

You'll definitely want bootcamp. Generally you get a FPS boost and there's much more choice of games. I have the i5 with 6770 incoming (mon or tues) and will test things out, I suspect it'll run rather nicely considering my old C2D 8800GS iMac played things like L4D2 pretty well.

Any games in particular you'd like tried? I don't have Diablo3. I'll try the Witcher 2, Tera and Skyrim for sure.

Thx! Can you let me know how it goes once you get the 6770 going. What kind of performance are you getting now?

 

[mixel]

I haven't forgotten about this. My 21.5" is arriving today and I'll put it through some tests.

On my C2D I generally moved the resolution down to around 720p (1280x800 for this aspect ratio). I got playable FPS above that but I prefer things as smooth as possible over as high-res as possible. I'd generally run games around medium-high, with some settings bumped up and others toned down. It depends on the engine. I could Run Resident Evil 5 on the C2D at the 1080p at over 60FPS - its not very taxing at all. It pooped all over the console versions that's for sure. Likewise with Dead Space 1&2.

Games like Killing Floor I had to tone back a load of settings. It was silky smooth when there weren't many enemies around but once there are tens/hundreds it would get very choppy.. That was probably the CPU as much as anything though. I'd run the graphics in DX9 mode just to keep things running as well as possible.

I've never run FRAPS to count frame-rate on the C2D machine but I will once the other arrives and film them both running the same games.. For science!

 

[van8205]

Gaming Anti-Aliasing Windows 7 (Bootcamp)

Hi everybody!

I have an iMac desktop 21.5 (mid-2011) last year so I played some games include Fifa World Cup 2006, Need For Speed Night Pursuit in Boot Camp (Win 7-64 bit). They were very smooth and clear but now have been some problems due to picture quality like ANTI-ALIASING (AA)? How do I disable the AA in ATI Graphics settings on iMac desktop? I can't find anything else. So please help me where the AA is.

My Graphics Card - AMD Radeon HD 6770M graphics processor with 512MB of GDDR5 memory and Screen Resolution - 1920 by 1080 pixels.

Many thanks,
Van

 

[MagicThief83]

I haven't forgotten about this. My 21.5" is arriving today and I'll put it through some tests.

On my C2D I generally moved the resolution down to around 720p (1280x800 for this aspect ratio). I got playable FPS above that but I prefer things as smooth as possible over as high-res as possible. I'd generally run games around medium-high, with some settings bumped up and others toned down. It depends on the engine. I could Run Resident Evil 5 on the C2D at the 1080p at over 60FPS - its not very taxing at all. It pooped all over the console versions that's for sure. Likewise with Dead Space 1&2.

Games like Killing Floor I had to tone back a load of settings. It was silky smooth when there weren't many enemies around but once there are tens/hundreds it would get very choppy.. That was probably the CPU as much as anything though. I'd run the graphics in DX9 mode just to keep things running as well as possible.

I've never run FRAPS to count frame-rate on the C2D machine but I will once the other arrives and film them both running the same games.. For science!

I think you will see a definite improvement with your 21.5" with the 6770M. I think whatever high-end games you can try, the better. I would hate to bootcamp, as booting from one OS to another can be pretty annoying (which I don't think will be that bad since I will order SSD with the iMac and install both OSes on the drive), but if it will optimally run whatever games I would like, then I guess it's worth it! Since I don't want to buy windows 7, I was thinking I could bootcamp with the release preview of Windows 8? That should be ok for bootcamping until the OS is released right? I checked for program compatibility and some of the games I would like are compatible with the release preview.

----------

Hi everybody!

I have an iMac desktop 21.5 (mid-2011) last year so I played some games include Fifa World Cup 2006, Need For Speed Night Pursuit in Boot Camp (Win 7-64 bit). They were very smooth and clear but now have been some problems due to picture quality like ANTI-ALIASING (AA)? How do I disable the AA in ATI Graphics settings on iMac desktop? I can't find anything else. So please help me where the AA is.

My Graphics Card - AMD Radeon HD 6770M graphics processor with 512MB of GDDR5 memory and Screen Resolution - 1920 by 1080 pixels.

Many thanks,
Van

You could download the Catalyst software suite for the ATI GPU, and that should give you an option of disabling AA. Also, in-game graphic settings should also allow to disable AA. By the way, have you also tried playing recent games on your iMac in bootcamp? What was your performance like? Thanks.

 

[AcesHigh87]

The iMac your considering is the exact iMac I’m running now. The 6770m, while not as powerful as it’s counterpart in the 27” iMac, is more than enough power; at least for me.

If you want pure FPS in D3 than, as mentioned, run it in Windows but I pull a stable 30 FPS which I personally find looks better than my friend’s PC that jumps around between 30-80 so much that it makes the game feel strange. I would rather get stable 30 than jumpy 60, maybe that’s just me. Anyway, that’s running with V-Sync off and everything but shadows on high (shadows are on medium) and at native 1920x1080p resolution.

So, basically, it depends what you want. The Card itself is more than powerful for D3, I can guarantee you that. However the game itself is more optimized for windows so if you’re someone who would rather high FPS over everything play it in Bootcamp. If your main question is simply how well does it perform, in my opinion, it does quite well.

P.S I run on only 8GB of RAM, so your 16 GB should help. I just didn’t mention it as it’s not related to your main GPU question.

 

[mixel]

I think you will see a definite improvement with your 21.5" with the 6770M. I think whatever high-end games you can try, the better. I would hate to bootcamp, as booting from one OS to another can be pretty annoying (which I don't think will be that bad since I will order SSD with the iMac and install both OSes on the drive), but if it will optimally run whatever games I would like, then I guess it's worth it! Since I don't want to buy windows 7, I was thinking I could bootcamp with the release preview of Windows 8? That should be ok for bootcamping until the OS is released right? I checked for program compatibility and some of the games I would like are compatible with the release preview.

I suspect the Win8 thing works. I remember one of the Steam point releases saying it was to fix Win8 compatibility.

As for Bootcamp I also run parallels set to boot the same partition. When I want to use a non-game Windows app I can happily and quickly run it inside osX then. With the C2D iMac gaming under Parallels was a waste of time.. With this new, quad core machine it might pull it off OK. Only one way to be sure. (I've got a lot of installing to do over the next few days, haha)

I also used to run Crossover Games before Steam came to osX.. That ran L4D really well considering. I used to love how subversive it felt running Windows games in OSX perfectly well without having to involve Windows in the process at all. I don't know where Crossover Games is now in terms of compatibility, though I saw them mention Skyrim recently so I might well try that. You have a lot of options open to you at least.

 

[AcesHigh87]

I suspect the Win8 thing works. I remember one of the Steam point releases saying it was to fix Win8 compatibility.

As for Bootcamp I also run parallels set to boot the same partition. When I want to use a non-game Windows app I can happily and quickly run it inside osX then. With the C2D iMac gaming under Parallels was a waste of time.. With this new, quad core machine it might pull it off OK. Only one way to be sure. (I've got a lot of installing to do over the next few days, haha)

I also used to run Crossover Games before Steam came to osX.. That ran L4D really well considering. I used to love how subversive it felt running Windows games in OSX perfectly well without having to involve Windows in the process at all. I don't know where Crossover Games is now in terms of compatibility, though I saw them mention Skyrim recently so I might well try that. You have a lot of options open to you at least.

There’s a cider port that can be applied to Skyrim that will likely run it better. If you google it I’m sure you’ll find what I mean. Runs Skyrim on my iMac with settings on high, no issues at all.

 

[mixel]

There’s a cider port that can be applied to Skyrim that will likely run it better. If you google it I’m sure you’ll find what I mean. Runs Skyrim on my iMac with settings on high, no issues at all.

Now THAT is awesome, thanks! Don't suppose things like Steam workshop work in it though? Some of the mods are really nice.

Has anyone got ARMA2+DayZ working in osX? Now that I could get behind. It's the perfect game to play in little visits, so switching OSes (or in my case, usually entire machines) just to play means I almost never get around to it.

 

[AcesHigh87]

Now THAT is awesome, thanks! Don't suppose things like Steam workshop work in it though? Some of the mods are really nice

I haven’t bothered to check tbh. IMO it should as the game would still be downloaded from steam, steam would just read it as a PC game but I don’t know much about it. I just enjoy playing Skyrim as a Vanilla game.

 

[MagicThief83]

The iMac your considering is the exact iMac I’m running now. The 6770m, while not as powerful as it’s counterpart in the 27” iMac, is more than enough power; at least for me.

If you want pure FPS in D3 than, as mentioned, run it in Windows but I pull a stable 30 FPS which I personally find looks better than my friend’s PC that jumps around between 30-80 so much that it makes the game feel strange. I would rather get stable 30 than jumpy 60, maybe that’s just me. Anyway, that’s running with V-Sync off and everything but shadows on high (shadows are on medium) and at native 1920x1080p resolution.

So, basically, it depends what you want. The Card itself is more than powerful for D3, I can guarantee you that. However the game itself is more optimized for windows so if you’re someone who would rather high FPS over everything play it in Bootcamp. If your main question is simply how well does it perform, in my opinion, it does quite well.

P.S I run on only 8GB of RAM, so your 16 GB should help. I just didn’t mention it as it’s not related to your main GPU question.

Thanks for the feedback! i'm looking to get this model because the 27" is simply too big for my workstation. i really wish apple would've included a bto 6970m option with the 21.5" because i would've ordered that a long time ago. i'm stalling because of the possible refresh with ML. Nonetheless, if the performance is what you say it is, then i think i will be perfectly content with that. i think your performance is very playable and i hope to have the same experience and maybe better if i bootcamp. i actually found a video of youtube with someone running max payne 3 on the imac with 6770M and it actually ran quite well, stated he was getting 40-60 FPS with high detail.

----------

I suspect the Win8 thing works. I remember one of the Steam point releases saying it was to fix Win8 compatibility.

As for Bootcamp I also run parallels set to boot the same partition. When I want to use a non-game Windows app I can happily and quickly run it inside osX then. With the C2D iMac gaming under Parallels was a waste of time.. With this new, quad core machine it might pull it off OK. Only one way to be sure. (I've got a lot of installing to do over the next few days, haha)

I also used to run Crossover Games before Steam came to osX.. That ran L4D really well considering. I used to love how subversive it felt running Windows games in OSX perfectly well without having to involve Windows in the process at all. I don't know where Crossover Games is now in terms of compatibility, though I saw them mention Skyrim recently so I might well try that. You have a lot of options open to you at least.

i sure hope i don't run into any compatibility issues with bootcamping with the release preview. i will be spending a small fortune on the iMac and select accessories, and refuse to pay $200 for a windows 7 license. Atleast this way, i can bootcamp with the release preview which is a near final build and is free, and i even read somewhere that windows 8 will be priced competitively and will cost no where near the exorbitant amounts of money windows 7 currently costs.

 

[kuhtang]

What's the performance/fps drop off like going from the 21.5" with the 6770 to the base 27" with the 6770?

 

[Rlnplehshalo]

Although the 6770m might run today's generation of games, it probably won't be able to run future games very well. Take the extra step and (If available) opt for a 1GB card+. I had the 6770m 1GB in a windows laptop late last year and it could run games like Anno 2070 max settings smoothly, but a little jumpy here and there. I couldn't imagine what the 500mb card would have been like.

If you want more use out of your iMac then opt for a 1GB card or higher, as the GPUs are non user replaceable.

 

[kitsunestudios]

I've been getting roughly 25-30 fps smoothly in Diablo 3, and Portal 2 at native 1080 resolutions with 2x antialiasing and most features on high or ultra without going into Boot Camp. To me, that's perfectly acceptable; it looks good and plays smoothly.

 

[AcesHigh87]

Although the 6770m might run today's generation of games, it probably won't be able to run future games very well. Take the extra step and (If available) opt for a 1GB card+. I had the 6770m 1GB in a windows laptop late last year and it could run games like Anno 2070 max settings smoothly, but a little jumpy here and there. I couldn't imagine what the 500mb card would have been like.

If you want more use out of your iMac then opt for a 1GB card or higher, as the GPUs are non user replaceable.

That would involve going into the 27" iMacs which the OP has stated he doesn't want...

 

[MagicThief83]

I've been getting roughly 25-30 fps smoothly in Diablo 3, and Portal 2 at native 1080 resolutions with 2x antialiasing and most features on high or ultra without going into Boot Camp. To me, that's perfectly acceptable; it looks good and plays smoothly.

Which iMac are you using? What are your specs and which graphic card do you have?

----------

That would involve going into the 27" iMacs which the OP has stated he doesn't want...

Yep! i'm afraid the 27" would make my desk collapse lol and it's a pretty small workstation and the screen will take up ALOT of space. Sure wish i had the room for a 27" though.

 

[kitsunestudios]

Which iMac are you using? What are your specs and which graphic card do you have?

A stock 2011 21" iMac. 2.7Ghz i5 with the Radeon 6770M 512 MB. 12 GB of RAM. Bought refurb.

 

[gagaliya]

6770M is crap

 

[AcesHigh87]

6770M is crap

Flat out not true at all. It isn't the best GPU on the market by far but it's hardly a horrible GPU at all.

 

[forty2j]

6770M is crap

Depends on what you compare it to. It blows my ATI HD 2600 out of the water, for instance. It's beaten pretty soundly by most any of this year's options though.

 

[mixel]

I'm making a few videos of the 6770M's performance running different games in osX and windows, and I've got to say: The performance is much better than I was expecting considering how people have been complaining about it.

If you install the high res texture pack for Skyrim and put everything to ultra (not view distances, left all those at default) you get ~25FPS at full resolution. Lowering a few settings (shadows, decals) and turning down filtering you get 30fps+, I'm sure you could get exceedingly good performance if you put settings middling to high and/or turned res down slightly.

L4D2 under osX is silky smooth at full resolution. Likewise for Killing Floor.

I don't know what people want from their GPUs. Games will be fine on this. They'll be better on the 2012 models for sure, but I doubt there's a game in existence that wouldn't run decently on this setup.. And I only have an i5 with it. (12GB RAM though) Still waiting for Witcher 2 to download now.

 

[MagicThief83]

I'm making a few videos of the 6770M's performance running different games in osX and windows, and I've got to say: The performance is much better than I was expecting considering how people have been complaining about it.

If you install the high res texture pack for Skyrim and put everything to ultra (not view distances, left all those at default) you get ~25FPS at full resolution. Lowering a few settings (shadows, decals) and turning down filtering you get 30fps+, I'm sure you could get exceedingly good performance if you put settings middling to high and/or turned res down slightly.

L4D2 under osX is silky smooth at full resolution. Likewise for Killing Floor.

I don't know what people want from their GPUs. Games will be fine on this. They'll be better on the 2012 models for sure, but I doubt there's a game in existence that wouldn't run decently on this setup.. And I only have an i5 with it. (12GB RAM though) Still waiting for Witcher 2 to download now.

Awesome feedback and i look forward to seeing the videos! i think the 6770M will more than suffice for my gaming needs. Are you playing primarily in bootcamp with steam?

 

[forty2j]

I don't know what people want from their GPUs. Games will be fine on this. They'll be better on the 2012 models for sure, but I doubt there's a game in existence that wouldn't run decently on this setup.. And I only have an i5 with it. (12GB RAM though) Still waiting for Witcher 2 to download now.

Sometimes one of the main things is, how many years will it run new games smoothly?

 

[mixel]

Sometimes one of the main things is, how many years will it run new games smoothly?

That will always depend on how many compromises the gamer's prepared to make I guess. I'd bet the gaming performance will remain above average at least until you'd want to replace the machine for some other reason anyway. Some GPU intensive effects in games I think make them look worse too - turning things like motion blur down increase fps drastically, so I tend to do that.

Awesome feedback and i look forward to seeing the videos! i think the 6770M will more than suffice for my gaming needs. Are you playing primarily in bootcamp with steam?

Yup, mostly in bootcamp with Steam but I've been running the bootcamp partition in Parallels as well just to see if i can get quick bursts of gaming in without having to reboot. I really didn't think it would work very well, but:

I was running Skyrim *in parallels* with most things set to high/ultra and 2xAA with the VM only set to use a single core at 720p (windowed) and it went >30fps. I imagine the Cider wrapper performs much better too.

The Witcher 2 performed badly in a VM (unsurprisingly!) but it was probably playable set to low. Haven't had time to bootcamp that yet. But that's what I'm doing next.

If there are Battlefield 3 and Crysis2 demos I'll install them.. It's going to take me a while to edit all these clips down, but I'm enjoying throwing everything at it. I'll try Just Cause 2 and Tera later too.