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Betray Apple or stick it out?

S

Snowguy

macrumors member
Original poster
Mar 27, 2009
30
0
Northern Minnesota
I'm going to be in the market for a new computer later this year. At the moment I have a mid 2007 2.4ghz C2D 20" iMac with a Radeon 2600 HD graphics card.

I'm not a serious gamer, but I'm also not a casual gamer. A lot of the games I enjoy are a bit laggy on this thing (Civ 5 being a good example).

I'm torn: Should I wait a bit and get a higher end iMac? Or should I go PC and get a top of the line processor and graphics card for roughly the same price?

I'm tempted to get myself a decent gaming PC and then save up for a Macbook Pro or perhaps an Air, since I can't live without OS X.

What would you do? Do you think a higher end iMac with Windows on it would be sufficient for the just above casual gamer? Keep in mind I have a ton of media and it's all iTunes related and I love having the compatibility.

Your advice would be appreciated.
 
Thanks for the reply. I think I'll stay loyal. What I do know is that at 4 years old, this computer still runs remarkably well. Very quick.. no freeze ups... and most games run without a problem.

I know if I lay down $2000 for a new Mac, it'll last me another 4 years without a problem. I can't say the same for a lot of PCs.
 
you swore an oath to love an cherish apple. till death do us part!

i say go with whatever works best for you. apple will be fine with or without your business. if i didn't like osx so much, i'd probably still be with pcs. there is nothing wrong with windows, or pc computers, but (for me) using osx is like eating a gourmet meal every day.

it doesn't have a whole lot with loyalty. rather, it's about fun :)
 
I don't know a lot about gaming and iMacs but wywern209 gave you a good tip. You also made a convincing argument for staying when you said your Mac has been reliable and smooth for 4 years!

I did have an experience a couple years ago where I spent about $1k on building a Windows rig for audio recording. I made it as nice as I thought I could with a very fast Intel Extreme series processor, lots of RAM, an internal RAID array, a fully featured mainboard, and an SSD for the OS. I never used it. I stored my files on the RAID array, but it was only useful as a backup because I never kept it on, and I had enough problems using it as a file server/file vault that this year I just spent $700 on a reliable, always live G-Technology external RAID. The problem with the PC was that it ran Windows (Windows 7 so it should have been alright), I had to use a lot of peripherals I didn't like with it, and it took up too much space. It is the worst investment I made in at least 4 years. I think it can be similar building a rig for gaming -- trying to optimize a system without a lot of cash involved, but you can only optimize the components: not the full hardware experience; not the amount of space it is going to take up on your desk; not the OS that you'll be using every time you boot the computer. My computer was 'good on paper' but it was undesirable to use because it didn't run OS X. It wasn't something I wanted to use for anything other than recording, and quickly I got a MBP that worked fine for recording so I never had to touch the PC again. Me and the MBP became inseparable buddies.

If there is a Mac out there that has the specs you need to play games, you should get it. It might have more value to you over time.

I recommend comparing Geekbench scores of Macs and PCs like the one you'd build.
 
betray apple, lol

Apple is just a multibillion dollar corporation.

Buy the platform that best suits your needs. Personally I think the iMac is a great computer but if you're into gaming or want to get into more serious gaming, then buy a PC. The cost/specs outstrip what you can do with a Mac
 
maflynn said:
betray apple, lol

Apple is just a multibillion dollar corporation.

Buy the platform that best suits your needs. Personally I think the iMac is a great computer but if you're into gaming or want to get into more serious gaming, then buy a PC. The cost/specs outstrip what you can do with a Mac
Click to expand...

i agree with this, and maybe get a macbook air 11 for personal usage
 
Of course I was being a little hyperbolic with my "betray Apple" talk. I'm aware that they will be just fine without me. But will I be fine without Apple?

I've decided that despite my love for gaming, 90% of what I do with my computer is so much better on OS X... so I will save up and be patient and purchase a higher end 27" iMac... with the Core i7 3.4GHz and probably go 2GB AMD Radeon 6970.

Since I have experience with deconstructing my current iMac to replace a HDD and the power supply, I have no problem upgrading the HDD on my own and saving $$$ that way. I mean... what's so scary about working on your own Mac? Just because you need suction cups doesn't mean it's an impossible task!

But thanks again for the advice. You guys are all geniuses (no pun intended).:D

----------

One more thing: I currently run WinXP under Bootcamp and it runs like a charm. I use Steam on both sides and I've been pleased with the performance of my Mac for gaming... and while I'm optimistic for the future of Mac gaming... bootcamp with Windows and Steam are a must for me right now. I really really really hope Apple doesn't switch to ARM processors any time soon.. even with emulation. Apple really should have gone with Intel architecture back in the 90s and it should stick with it now. Sometimes bigger really is just better. :)
 
Is the Mac affecting your enjoyment of the games?

If so, firstly you are no where near casual if this is the case, and secondly, buy a PC that you can modify easily just for gaming, and keep the iMac for other stuff. Therefore you can update the PC when new games come out, and still love everything else about the Mac at the same time.

This is of course if money is not a huge issue ^^!
 
A new iMac might be nice, but I think a...

Used mac pro might be better. (Anything except the earliest 2006 ones... you want something 2008 or later, no 64 bit cpu, so no lion.)

You are looking at 1,500 dollars, and then you can upgrade the GPU to whatever you want. You can get a gpu that is about 1.5x as fast as the iMacs for about 200-300 dollars.

also, HDD upgrades as well as Ram are super-cheap for this thing.

1tb desktop drives are cheap, so is ddr3 ram.

Best of both world, iMHO.
 
I'm tempted to get a Mac Pro... but the issue is $$$, as always. I'm shooting for something in the $1500-$2000 range, and I probably won't be buying until around Thanksgiving time.

Would it be worth it to wait out the new Mac Pros and then buy one from the current generation?
 
Then I think what I'll do is wait a bit and then try to pick up a 2008 or 2009 Mac Pro bare bones and start upgrading it.

That way once I get it upgraded a bit, I can transfer all my stuff from my iMac onto it and then sell my iMac... which should go a long ways towards more upgrades or perhaps an ACD.
 
I'd build the gaming PC. For the price of the Radeon 6750 iMac you can build a gaming PC with a Radeon 6970 or a GeForce GTX 580. Those cards simply blow the 6750 out of the water, Tom's Comparison. You can also put in an unlocked Intel Core i7 2600K.

For the price of the top of the line iMac you can build a gaming machine now that meets it spec for spec. Then replace it in two years with one that completely dominates it (all you will have to replace is the CPU, Motherboard and RAM). You could also build on with the Radeon 6990, GTX 590, 2x Radeon 6970 Crossfired, or 2x GTX 580 SLI. Use the same 2600K except liquid cooled for the CPU.

The iMac also has a IPS panels. Which are normally quite horrible for ghosting when it comes to gaming. Though they offer a wider color gamut for photography.

Now if you really want OS X. You can make the gaming machine a hackintosh. Skeptics say it won't work and you'll constantly be fixing it. As long as you choose your parts right it is not too difficult to set up. Though I found I never used OS X since the Windows 7 side had all the games.

After using Win 7 for a while I drifted away from OS X. To where I now find I have a mild affinity for Win 7 over OS X. I don't have any problems with viruses, stability or anything else. Which you won't have any either if you properly maintain the computer.

The problems people have with Windows is because they are ignorant in maintaining a computer and purchase the cheapest POS they can and then blame Microsoft. A $1200 custom built computer is going to be more reliable than a $400 Best Buy special.

People also knock Windows. Saying you will get a major slowdown with Anti-Virus software. Which is only true with some 5 year old POS running a bloated AV suite like Norton Internet Security. A new Core anything running a slim AV like Avast or AVG won't have any slow downs you could detect without a benchmarking program and have plenty of protection.

I still do enjoy Mac OS X. But Windows is perfectly fine. I believe in buying a computer that actual suites it's intended use. In this case gaming.
 
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