Mac Gaming - To Mac or Not to Mac

[Silvereel]

I've always wanted a Mac, ever since I bought an iPod. I was, frankly, an Apple hater until I discovered iPod. I even thought of buying a Zune, I hated Apple so much. But, the iPod ultimately won, since it had more compatability, accessories and software. I got an iPad the day after release, and I've followed Apple day by day since then.

I did some research about getting a Mac around the time I got the iPad, but I still haven't gotten around to making any purchases. My current computer (a really powerful - and, sadly, really expensive - HP gaming rig) is a long way from needing a replacement, and Windows 7 is a huge step up for Microsoft. Not that I'm having second thoughts. It's just that I'm not sure, when the time comes, how to go about switching. Should my future Mac be a side device, something mainly for portability for real 'work', like writing, or even web browsing? Should I keep a Windows machine for gaming and compatability? Or should I install Windows on the Mac, too?

How hard is it to install Windows via Bootcamp, and how well does it work? I mean, is it a hassle, and will it lead to a lot of problems? I don't guess viruses that might infect the Windows portion could hurt OSX, but I'm concerned it might hog so much of the resources that neither Windows or OSX work very well on it. And how about Wine, how does that work for installing the programs that I might want to bring with me?

 

[applefan289]

Once you have a Mac, you won't go back. The best bet would probably be to keep your current HP computer for things that don't work on Mac. The rest, use a Mac for, because the computing experience on a Mac is far superior to a PC.

 

[Tomorrow]

Should my future Mac be a side device, something mainly for portability for real 'work', like writing, or even web browsing?

To answer this, you should probably ask yourself why you want a Mac in the first place.

It sounds like your HP machine is still working fine, and it does everything you need it to (including real "work," if you will). If your plan is to continue with both gaming and real "work," I'd have to question the logic of replacing your HP - as for getting a second computer, it doesn't sound to me like you're asking the right question ("Why do I want a Mac?").

Should I keep a Windows machine for gaming and compatability? Or should I install Windows on the Mac, too?

Again, if the HP is working, why get rid of it?

On the other hand, many of us have installed Windows on our Macs - read on:

How hard is it to install Windows via Bootcamp, and how well does it work? I mean, is it a hassle, and will it lead to a lot of problems?

I've done it a few times on different Macs, and I would say it isn't any more difficult than installing Windows on a non-Mac PC. I wouldn't call it a hassle, and I don't know what sort of problems you would anticipate, but like I said, it's pretty much like installing Windows on any other computer (except in this case Apple gives you all the hardware drivers on a single disc).

I don't guess viruses that might infect the Windows portion could hurt OSX, but I'm concerned it might hog so much of the resources that neither Windows or OSX work very well on it.

It's not likely that a Windows virus will affect your OS X partition. If you strictly run Boot Camp (meaning only one OS is operating at a time) and the Windows partition doesn't have read/write access to the OS X partition, you should be safe.

And how about Wine, how does that work for installing the programs that I might want to bring with me?

WINE is an emulator, and is quite different from installing Windows outright. I've only used it a few times, and I was far from impressed.

 

[Silvereel]

Thanks for all of the answers so far.

It sounds like your HP machine is still working fine, and it does everything you need it to (including real "work," if you will). If your plan is to continue with both gaming and real "work," I'd have to question the logic of replacing your HP - as for getting a second computer, it doesn't sound to me like you're asking the right question ("Why do I want a Mac?").

I think what I'm trying to say is that I'd rather do real 'work' on a Mac. I'd rather do my web browsing without having to worry about viruses, keep all of my important files and photos on a system that is less likely to crash (though, like I said, Windows 7 is better about this), and I think the Mac is just a lot more appealing. On the other hand, a lot of what I do on my PC is gaming related. Say, 40%. So I'm curious if it would be practical to replace my current PC with a Mac, when the time comes. Whether the time comes out of my current PC just aging, or a horrible crash, we'll see, but I'm just curious, I guess. I was in the Apple Store yesterday, looking at the new iPad, and I took some time aside to drool at the Macs.

 

[applefan289]

Thanks for all of the answers so far.



I think what I'm trying to say is that I'd rather do real 'work' on a Mac. I'd rather do my web browsing without having to worry about viruses, keep all of my important files and photos on a system that is less likely to crash (though, like I said, Windows 7 is better about this), and I think the Mac is just a lot more appealing. On the other hand, a lot of what I do on my PC is gaming related. Say, 40%. So I'm curious if it would be practical to replace my current PC with a Mac, when the time comes. Whether the time comes out of my current PC just aging, or a horrible crash, we'll see, but I'm just curious, I guess. I was in the Apple Store yesterday, looking at the new iPad, and I took some time aside to drool at the Macs.

Yeah, when leaving an Apple Store, if you don't have a Mac, you walk out with a feeling - the kind of feeling you get after snorkeling in a nice coral reef.

 

[Tomorrow]

I think what I'm trying to say is that I'd rather do real 'work' on a Mac. I'd rather do my web browsing without having to worry about viruses, keep all of my important files and photos on a system that is less likely to crash (though, like I said, Windows 7 is better about this), and I think the Mac is just a lot more appealing.

All good reasons for switching, IMO.

On the other hand, a lot of what I do on my PC is gaming related. Say, 40%. So I'm curious if it would be practical to replace my current PC with a Mac, when the time comes.

Perhaps. Macs are more capable at gaming than many give them credit for, although hard-core gamers will still (correctly) point out that high-end non-Mac PC hardware is better suited to the task.

I'd recommend that if you use your Mac for gaming, you get a machine with plenty of RAM (at least 8 Gb), a good video adapter, and use Boot Camp to install Windows. Virtualization applications like Parallels and Fusion work great for running Windows side-by-side with OS X applications, but gaming performance ranges between unpleasant and impossible; running Windows natively through Boot Camp essentially turns your Mac into a PC for that session.

 

[Paulywauly]

If you've got a big HP gaming rig and you play alot of games you'd have to be crazy to replace it outright with a Mac. I love my Macs but its not an experience your not going to get on an Apple computer (remember, even a bootcamp partition apple computers aren't going to be able to compete in terms of performance).

If you really want one for just general work and portability bootcamp Windows should work on any current macs without issue.

Have you considered getting a Mac Mini for you day to day work? it'd be cool setting up as a server for your files sitting on the top of your gaming rig. You could also use a KVM switch so you could use your existing mouse, keyoabrd and screen