Decision Time....???

[JimmyDreams]

I have a PC and am very tired of all the cables, badly placed USB ports, 19" display etc. I have virtually NO experience with Apple (except for my iPhone, which I love!)

I actually LIKE the new iMac design.

I currently have a P4 3.05Ghz with a RADEON XT800 graphics card installed. Virtually the ONLY game I play is world of Warcraft, everything else I use my 'puter for is surfing, music, email, etc.

I want to get the new 24' iMac (2.8, 4mb...loaded). Am I going to be severely disappointed with the WoW gameplay on the new machine?? I think a small setback in gaming will be outweighed by the convenient USB's, the streamlined look, less cables, etc. with the new system. But then again, I'm a 40+ year old with very little computer jargon under my belt. Wading through specs just gives me a headache. Then again, I don't want to be just a victim of advertising....

Would upgrading from what I have now be a serious setback or a sideways move or an incrimental increase??

Please leave personal AESTHETIC viewpoints at the door and help a potential new Mac Addict out.....????

JimmyD

 

[Eidorian]

You're going to be fine on the iMac 24". I suggest getting the expansion for World of Warcraft if you haven't.

You get multithreaded OpenGL in that for even more frames per second. Any specific reason to get the 2.8 GHz model?

 

[JimmyDreams]

You're going to be fine on the iMac 24". I suggest getting the expansion for World of Warcraft if you haven't.

You get multithreaded OpenGL in that for even more frames per second. Any specific reason to get the 2.8 GHz model?

The main reason for getting the 2.8Ghz is because it's the fastest available and I'd rather be happy a few months/years down the road that I got the faster model, rather than regret trying to save the $500 and being stuck with something slower...For the extra $$ it seems fairly worth it to me.

I didn't know the WoW expansion pack was any different. To be honest, I don't even know yet if I'll have to buy the software again to have the Mac version of WoW....like I said, total noob....that's why I'm here picking everyones brain (ESPECIALLY any WoW players out there!!!)



JimmyD

 

[miniConvert]

WoW CD's all contain the Mac and PC versions of the game, AFAIK. All mine have, both the original game and The Burning Crusade expansion (which you should definitely get if you haven't already!)

I can't comment on how the new graphics cards will perform, especially in the 24" at the higher resolution. My gut feeling is that you'll be fine, and gameplay will be nice and smooth, though you may have to drop down some of the settings to keep frame rates up.

Enjoy your new iMac!

 

[BillyBobBongo]

WoW CD's all contain the Mac and PC versions of the game, AFAIK.

You know correctly!

 

[ieani]

I have a PC and am very tired of all the cables, badly placed USB ports, 19" display etc. I have virtually NO experience with Apple (except for my iPhone, which I love!)

I actually LIKE the new iMac design.

I currently have a P4 3.05Ghz with a RADEON XT800 graphics card installed. Virtually the ONLY game I play is world of Warcraft, everything else I use my 'puter for is surfing, music, email, etc.

I want to get the new 24' iMac (2.8, 4mb...loaded). Am I going to be severely disappointed with the WoW gameplay on the new machine?? I think a small setback in gaming will be outweighed by the convenient USB's, the streamlined look, less cables, etc. with the new system. But then again, I'm a 40+ year old with very little computer jargon under my belt. Wading through specs just gives me a headache. Then again, I don't want to be just a victim of advertising....

Would upgrading from what I have now be a serious setback or a sideways move or an incrimental increase??

Please leave personal AESTHETIC viewpoints at the door and help a potential new Mac Addict out.....????

JimmyD

You should not be disappointed at all with the WOW performance. After sifting through a few reviews and card comparisons from what I can tell the ATI Radeon 2600 Pro a little more powerful than the ATI X1600 or at least on par and I was able to run WOW with mostly high settings in full resolution.

FPS are much more demanding on video cards and it seems to handle them well enough:

Your 2.8GHz iMac will run circles around your P4(a very outdated and inefficient chip) so if anything you will be blown away by the smoothness and quickness of day to day operations on the new iMac rather than disappointed by WOW performance.

 

[JimmyDreams]

You should not be disappointed at all with the WOW performance. After sifting through a few reviews and card comparisons from what I can tell the ATI Radeon 2600 Pro a little more powerful than the ATI X1600 or at least on par and I was able to run WOW with mostly high settings in full resolution.

FPS are much more demanding on video cards and it seems to handle them well enough:

Your 2.8GHz iMac will run circles around your P4(a very outdated and inefficient chip) so if anything you will be blown away by the smoothness and quickness of day to day operations on the new iMac rather than disappointed by WOW performance.

Thanks for the observations!! I'll probably talk to a Genius on Monday about exactly what I need to buy, but I'm pretty much decided.

Maybe it's just the advertising juggarnaugt, but I'm very impressed with Mac overall, compared to any Windows based platforms. I absolutely LOVE my iPhone....is it perfect? Nope, but it does what it says it does and moreover, it physically feels like a product of value. The iMacs perform and they look impressive. I think this is where I'll love being a Mac Addict. They seem to be a company of some vision where the Windows market is a bunch of visonless companies all chasing each other. Sometimes that's better for the consumer, most times it's not (IMO).

But since the iMac isn't really upgradable once you purchase it, I think a little research is in order. And you folks are my knowledge base!!

JimmyD