Gaming rig help

[rontheancient]

Im planning to get a new desktop to replace my aging gaming PC right around when Leopard comes out, then dual boot Vista so I can run FSX and I will still use OS X, most of the iLife apps and other mac apps. However, I am stuck between the Mac Pro and the iMac. The iMac is several K cheaper and has the great form factor, but has a Core 2 Duo instead of a Xeon, and a X1600 instead of the X1900. The Mac Pro has the Quad Core Xeons, multiple HD bays so I can put Vista in another drive, the X1900, and easy expandability, but does cost about $3500 (including APBT, 20" Cinema Display, the X1900, and Apple Care).

What I would like to know is how well does the iMac and Mac Pro handles FSX, does anyone have any experiences? Any suggestions on which one to purchase?

 

[livingfortoday]

I would recommend taking a quick browse through the Games forum:
https://forums.macrumors.com/forums/18/

It seems like the consensus is that FSX will run poorly on any multi-core computer, because MS didn't include multi-core support. There are apparently workarounds, though. X-Plane seems to run great on iMacs, though. Again, do a search in there, there's a lot of info, and I don't really know much about FSX, so ya know.

 

[crazzyeddie]

IMO, the only two choices you should consider for gaming are a Mac Pro or a 24" iMac with the upgraded graphics card. The X1600 in the other iMacs just doesn't cut it for most games, but the 7600 is quite a bit better.

 

[JKitterman]

If you think you will want more than 2 Gb memory in the future before another computer upgrade, I would go with the Mac Pro. In the iMac, the jump from 2Gb to 3Gb is expensive because of only 2 memory slots. If a much better graphics card comes out for the Mac Pro, you will be able to install it where your stuck with buying a whole new iMac.

 

[rjsbass]

build your own computer

when it comes down to the desktops, the best thing to do is build it yourself. you save yourself thousands of dollars. if you want mac OS then with the thousands you saved, get a macbook and your built PC you'll still end up saving money