iMac or iMac Pro 5k 1440p gaming scaling

[sofandi]

Hi,

I've been thinking about ditching my combo of a gaming pc and seperate Macbook Pro 13" and going with an iMac altogehter. Either the new 2020 27" iMac with 5700XT or a used iMac Pro with Vega Pro 64. Hopefully, a new Intel iMac Pro with Intel CPU for Bootcamp is still on the roadmap, regardless of the Apple Silicon switch. I know the iMac ist not an ideal gaming machine, but I work exclusively in Mac OS and a 5k display is a must for me.

No matter which machine I will be getting, neither is gonna make occasional gaming in 5k in Windows possible, right? How is scaling in Windows Bootcamp in 4k oder 1440p? Is it grainy, are the fonts still readable or fuzzy? Is it nearly the same experience as a native 1440p display, just scaled? I would love to work in 5k in OS X and game in 1440p as a compromise. Does that work sufficiently? What are you experiences in this regard?

Would be great to hear from you...

 

[Cookie18]

The iMac with a 5700 XT is undoubtedly better than an iMac Pro. The Vega 64 is a 2017 GPU and the 5700 XT is the replacement to the Vega 64 so that kind of goes without saying. You will get much better gaming performance from the 2020 iMac. The 5700 XT should likewise be ok for 1440p gaming but it isn't really a 4K gaming card. For 4K gaming an Nvidia card for your gaming PC would be the best bet. The new Nvidia cards come out next month so the power to performance ratio is about to get a whole lot better. Expect the $500 3070 to be 2080 TI levels of power which means 4K at 60FPS is doable in most games.

The experience gaming at 1440p on a 5K display won't be as good as playing on a native 1440p. You will likely see some jagged edges, some graininess, blurriness etc. It isn't unplayable but it's not ideal. Generally speaking it isn't recommended to get a 4K display (for example) if you know you won't be playing most games at that resolution. It's not the end of the world but it isn't the best experience.

You could get a dedicated gaming monitor (or I assume you have one if you have a gaming PC?) and hook it up to the iMac and play games on that display. That's kind of what I do, I have a 4K main display for my Mac and a 1080P/144hz gaming monitor as my second monitor but that's the main one for my gaming PC.

A third option could be to get a Mac Mini, great 1440p/144hz or 4K/60FPS monitor and upgrade your gaming PC with the new GPU options coming out next month which will all be vastly superior to the 5700 XT.

Just don't get an iMac Pro.

 

[sofandi]

Thanks, very good advice. Especially the part on the subpar experience of 1440p on the 5k display. I currently use an LG Ultrafine 4k 23,7" display - would like to get an iMac 5k display or the Ultrafine 5k, but I can't even really connect the 5k Ultrafine to my windows gaming rig and the graphics option in the iMac 5k are not up to the task either then. I really don't have enough room for 2 monitors.

How would a compromise monitor such as the Benq PD3220U or 2720U in 4k work? Would be better for my gaming rig (it has a 2080 Super), but how does OS X with a Macbook Pro scale on a 32" display in 4k or a 27" display in 4k? Which would be better? Too bad that the Ultrafine 5k has only such weird inputs and demands so much resources for 5k.

Thanks a lot for the input!

 

[Cookie18]

Thanks, very good advice. Especially the part on the subpar experience of 1440p on the 5k display. I currently use an LG Ultrafine 4k 23,7" display - would like to get an iMac 5k display or the Ultrafine 5k, but I can't even really connect the 5k Ultrafine to my windows gaming rig and the graphics option in the iMac 5k are not up to the task either then. I really don't have enough room for 2 monitors.

How would a compromise monitor such as the Benq PD3220U or 2720U in 4k work? Would be better for my gaming rig (it has a 2080 Super), but how does OS X with a Macbook Pro scale on a 32" display in 4k or a 27" display in 4k? Which would be better? Too bad that the Ultrafine 5k has only such weird inputs and demands so much resources for 5k.

Thanks a lot for the input!

Since you already have a 2080 Super I'd definitely go the alternative monitor route. Either of the Benq monitors would be fantastic, which one you get just depends on the size you'd prefer. Personally I have a 28" 4K Samsung display and it is great with my Mac. I prefer slightly smaller because I don't want a 32" monitor for work.

What is your exact model of MacBook Pro? OS X scales really well at higher resolutions, much better than Windows. It just depends on the model you have.

 

[sofandi]

I have a 2018 13" Macbook Pro. I could not drive the Ultrafine 5k display well, but handles the LG Ultra fine 4k 23.7" display well. I think I will go this route then. Really too bad that Apple does not seem to come out with a Pro-Display XDR for the masses, preferably in 4k. I will look at the PD3220U then, thanks

 

[Cookie18]

I have a 2018 13" Macbook Pro. I could not drive the Ultrafine 5k display well, but handles the LG Ultra fine 4k 23.7" display well. I think I will go this route then. Really too bad that Apple does not seem to come out with a Pro-Display XDR for the masses, preferably in 4k. I will look at the PD3220U then, thanks

That makes sense, I used to run my 4K monitor with my 2016 13” MacBook Pro with no issues before getting my Mac Mini.

 

[rkuo]

I think 1440p gaming looks great on a 5k monitor. 5k/2880p is a perfect multiple of 1440p, so games at 1440p look perfectly sharp at that resolution. Many games nowadays also do the right thing and display UI at 5k while allowing you to render scale the game engine at 1440p.

 

[edib]

I think 1440p gaming looks great on a 5k monitor. 5k/2880p is a perfect multiple of 1440p, so games at 1440p look perfectly sharp at that resolution. Many games nowadays also do the right thing and display UI at 5k while allowing you to render scale the game engine at 1440p.

Totally agree. 1440p looks great on a 5k display (1080p not so). On my 2017 iMac I played all my games (Wow Classic, The Witcher 3, Fallout 4, BF4) in 1440p with absolutely no jagged edges, graininess or any blurriness.

 

[sofandi]

Hmm, thanks for the additional feedback - this would be good news for an all-in-one solution. Too bad this can not really be tested beforehand in an Apple Store. I am not a hardcore gamer and will be getting a PS5 anyway. So it would primarely be for strategy games...

 

[edib]

Hmm, thanks for the additional feedback - this would be good news for an all-in-one solution. Too bad this can not really be tested beforehand in an Apple Store. I am not a hardcore gamer and will be getting a PS5 anyway. So it would primarely be for strategy games...

Same here, not a hardcore gamer, however I love to play an odd game from time to time. Any recent iMac in 1440p with updated graphics card is more than enough for this. 2020 iMac with RX Pro 5700 XT in 1440p will be absolutely amazing.

According to the feedback below, it is at GTX2070 level:

iMac 2020 Reviews And Benchmarks - The Last Intel iMac

The 5700XT with 16GB in this iMac is killer, it has surpassed my expectations and actually runs Red Dead Redemption 2 in 4K on high with no issues, pure beauty, new details never before seen because the game was designed for 4K. I don't have a frame monitor on but it's butter and my house mate...

forums.macrumors.com

Will there ever be a new large iMac (Pro)?

Excited for your take on this 5700XT Azrael, it genuinely feels like AMD gave Apple some RDNA1.5 considering the lower power requirements for how much output this GPU has, unless the 16GB is the culprit. The 11GB 20180 TI ($1200USD) can play 4/5k with a few settings cut down while requiring 3-4x...

forums.macrumors.com

 

[lcseds]

Do you folks stream from a PS4 or Xbox? Or do you play through purchased steam games on line?

 

[Cookie18]

Do you folks stream from a PS4 or Xbox? Or do you play through purchased steam games on line?

I imagine most people play PC games bought from Steam, Epic, Origin etc.