Graphics Cards vs native resolution

[winclip]

Dear community,

The high end 21,5" iMac has a ATI Radeon HD 5670 with 512 MB. It's not a procard, but I do wonder how it will perform under the 1920x1080 resolution compared to the 27" iMac which possess the 1 GB ATI Radeon HD 5750, but running at 2560 by 1440. The main usage will be gaming with titles Like Fallout 3.

Will a game, if you lower the resolution, look like crap? For instance, if you lower the 27" game resolution down to 1080p.

I've waited for decent graphics cards a long time now. Maybe I'll just shall go with the new Mac Pro with a 5870 and the "old" 24" LED Cinema display.

Regards,
Andy, Sweden

 

[iBookG4user]

I'd keep an eye on this website for a bit

 

[geoelectric]

I've had generally good results running at 1080p on my 27" i7. Most games look fine. World of Warcraft doesn't--the fonts don't render well at the "off" resolution--but it runs well at 2560x1440 anyway.

 

[f1restarter]

I think for gaming the upcoming Mac Pro is a much better option than the iMac for those that don't want to have a separate windows PC for games.

 

[dexthageek]

I think for gaming the upcoming Mac Pro is a much better option than the iMac for those that don't want to have a separate windows PC for games.

Yeah of course, and at a much much high price tag.

 

[geoelectric]

Well, yes. If money is no object, then Mac Pro will almost certainly be faster and more flexible. But to get even a basic setup comparable to iMac will be $3500ish ($1k for the monitor + $2.5k for the base-spec Mac Pro). Adding a more gaming-capable graphics card will be $$ on top of that.

 

[f1restarter]

I totally agree with the higher price tag with the Mac Pro but then having the option of upgradeability can't be ignored, plus even the basic GPU in the upcoming MP is faster than the mobility 5850, unless I'm wrong. And yes you would have to buy a separate monitor but then I'm sure there are 27" monitors out there that are cheaper than $1000, maybe not so high quality as the Apple LED based but still good enough. Plus if something goes wrong with the monitor, you don't have to be out of a computer while it's being repaired. My point was from a gaming perspective since there are demanding games like Crysis 2 coming soon.