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MadMitch89

macrumors regular
Original poster
Mar 31, 2010
126
5
Brisbane, Australia
Hi guys, just looking for some feedback. I recently purchased a mbp 13 and to tell you the truth, I prefer to use my iPad Pro mobile pro (especially with ios11). I’m thinking of returning the MacBook and getting a dedicated desktop in the form of an iMac. I really want to play Star Wars battlefront when it comes out. Will the top end Imac play it well on the 5k display. Note this isn’t going to be a dedicated gaming rig, I have other uses for it, I’m just curious if it will meet my casual gaming needs. Thanks for your opinions.
 
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Can't speak for that particular game. Will say that Doom on Vulkan engine stays pegged at 60 fps (Vsync on, of course); BF1 similarly with rare 40-50+ rates with high settings across the board only in smoke, otherwise smooth as butter without issue. GTA 5 also silky smooth.

Using bootcampdrivers.com AMD drivers. Games set to 1440p. i7-7700k CPU for what it's worth.
 
I'm sure Battlefront 2 will run, but you will likely have to set the display to 1440p or 1080p. The 580 won't be able to push unreleased games to 4k or even 5k unless you drop every other display setting.
 
I don't think you will be able to max it out at 2560x1440 but still running at very decent spec since Battlefiled 1 runs very well on bootcamp.... you can probably run it on ultra setting if you connect to your 1080p tv
 
I did some gaming trys with my iMac with 580 Pro and I would say as long as you stay on 1440p Resolution you will at least hit the 30 fps (with max settings or almost max settings). Gaming in native 5k will not be possible. Rise of the Tomb Raider ran in (round about) 15 fps in 5k, so if you wanted 5k gaming - no chance.

But 1440p is sweet spot and the Radeon Pro 580 indeed seems to be powerful when it can handle 1440p that well.
 
http://www.guru3d.com/index.php?ct=articles&action=file&id=30514 this is a RX so higher clock...but also driver improved and you won't be too far off this result...DICE are extremely good at optimising....
I'm constantly over 60fps on ultra but since battlefront 2 is a new game it may be a little bit more demanding...
just like he said. This time the gpu is not a mobile chip but is the 580 desktop version but at a lower clock. As a matter of fact even the lower gpu 570 of 2017 iMac is more powerfull than the best gpu (395x) of 2015 iMac.
 
As a matter of fact even the lower gpu 570 of 2017 iMac is more powerfull than the best gpu (395x) of 2015 iMac.

Yes, indeed. Even the base model with 570 will play games very smoothly (1920x1440, maxed-out settings, 60 Hz). I have no complaints at all with a few games that I've tried (Borderlands series, Civ. V, Portal 2, and the like). It's not a gaming monster (the screen is locked to 60 Hz anyway, etc.), and don't even think about 4k or 5k, but with that gorgeous screen, very good sound and smooth gameplay, it's an enjoyable experience.
 
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Yes, indeed. Even the base model with 570 will play games very smoothly (1920x1440, maxed-out settings, 60 Hz). I have no complaints at all with a few games that I've tried (Borderlands series, Civ. V, Portal 2, and the like). It's not a gaming monster (the screen is locked to 60 Hz anyway, etc.), and don't even think about 4k or 5k, but with that gorgeous screen, very good sound and smooth gameplay, it's an enjoyable experience.

Well civ 6 runs pretty well in 5k on dx12 windows :D too bad there is no metal support
 
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I am playing XCOM 2 (maximum settings, 2K) and the gameplay is smooth and turns are quick. Civ 6 plays very smoothly as well (Ultra, 2K). Those are the only two games I've had a chance to try. Next, I'll try some Doom and a few other titles to see how things work.

I am coming from liquid-cooled GTX 1070 and don't feel like I am missing much, honesty. This is the first iMac where I personally feel comfortable saying that it runs games well. It doesn't seem to struggle one bit.
 
I am coming from liquid-cooled GTX 1070 and don't feel like I am missing much, honesty. This is the first iMac where I personally feel comfortable saying that it runs games well. It doesn't seem to struggle one bit.

I also run a GTX 1070 on linux with a 4GHz I7 6700K. Weirdly, my base iMac (3.4 GHz I5, 570) feels smoother on games, though the linux rig should be faster. I've been wondering if it's just the visual impact that the wonderful 5k screen has that is fooling me, or if it's real (drivers, perhaps?).

I agree, for 2k games the new 27" iMac - even the base model - is quite nice.
 
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I also run a GTX 1070 on linux with a 4GHz I7 6700K. Weirdly, my base iMac (3.4 GHz I5, 570) feels smoother on games, though the linux rig should be faster. I've been wondering if it's just the visual impact that the wonderful 5k screen has that is fooling me, or if it's real (drivers, perhaps?).

I agree, for 2k games the new 27" iMac - even the base model - is quite nice.

I think you are absolutely right.

The truth is that the GTX 1070 delivers much better raw performance, no doubt about it. Driver support is solid, so that is not likely the problem. I think the screen is exactly what makes the iMac seem to perform better. Can someone see the difference between 100FPS on the 1070 and 60FPS on the 580 when gaming? Maybe, but not likely.

The screen, on the other hand, will make a much more pronounced difference. That's probably what's happening.
 
Simply wonderful news to my ears. I'm a huge console gamer but have always dreamed of one day having a Mac that will run games well. I suspect there are probably lots of other Mac users that are equally giddy to finally get the chance!

I've always struggled just to play the latest Civ with every lowend Mac I've owned and I'm probably more excited in buying and playing Civ VI in all it's glory (on a beautiful new screen and no slowdown) than anything else! I know it's a "professional's machine" so shun me if you will, but I love my games!

The only other computer game I've spent (way too much) time with was WoW, and after quitting cold turkey years ago, I'm even considering installing it just to see it running smooth as silk on my soon-to-arrive 27" i7/580. I can't even imagine how much the game has changed since 2009... but I am a little curious. Anyways, game on my friends!
 
Me and the recent Steam Sale spent some quality time together in anticipation of the new rig, including grabbing Civ6, XCOM 2, TW Warhammer, Tyranny, and all the Skylines expansions, among others. I'll just be happy if I can squeeze out 60fps vsync strategy games and rpgs at high detail 1440p without bootcamping for a couple/few gaming years. I'm happy to reserve action games for my PS4 but sometimes you gotta mouse. The 2012 has done surprisingly well for me at 1080p up to now, if not always a solid 60, and I'm hoping this carries on the banner.
 
Me and the recent Steam Sale spent some quality time together in anticipation of the new rig, including grabbing Civ6, XCOM 2, TW Warhammer, Tyranny, and all the Skylines expansions, among others. I'll just be happy if I can squeeze out 60fps vsync strategy games and rpgs at high detail 1440p without bootcamping for a couple/few gaming years. I'm happy to reserve action games for my PS4 but sometimes you gotta mouse. The 2012 has done surprisingly well for me at 1080p up to now, if not always a solid 60, and I'm hoping this carries on the banner.

Same here. Loaded up on Civ 5, Civ 6 and Xcom 2. So far have played a bunch of Xcom and Civ 6 on my new i7/580. Looks great, solid framerates. Both cause the iMac fan to spool up (Xcom to max and Civ 6 to 1700). Otherwise the iMac stays silent for everyday use.
 
Same here. Loaded up on Civ 5, Civ 6 and Xcom 2. So far have played a bunch of Xcom and Civ 6 on my new i7/580. Looks great, solid framerates. Both cause the iMac fan to spool up (Xcom to max and Civ 6 to 1700). Otherwise the iMac stays silent for everyday use.

Yeah, that's totally expected. My 2012 is a little hairdryer in the same contexts. I game with headphones so no problem here.
 
Well civ 6 runs pretty well in 5k on dx12 windows :D too bad there is no metal support


I'm getting a base model with the 570 so in a few years it will be possible to purchase an external GPU to update our current GPU and play up to date games and maybe VR?
 
I'm getting a base model with the 570 so in a few years it will be possible to purchase an external GPU to update our current GPU and play up to date games and maybe VR?

External gpu only works with external monitor
 
External gpu only works with external monitor

in MacOS, yes, this is true. From what I hear this might change, and it is still possible tech wise. If you get a Nvidia GPU, you can get internal monitor support in Windows w/ Optimus through a few tweaks
 
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