I would like to get a mac mini and dual boot linux and mac os x maverics . My question is how good is the cheapest mac mini for gaming ? How well will World of Warcraft , Diablo 3 and Call of Duty ghosts run on it ? Thanks .
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Mac mini gaming ?
- Thread starter mintfan7200
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I think its ok if you wait for the updated mac mini. HD4000 is slow now if you compare it with the HD5000
World of Warcraft and Diablo should be somewhat tolerable on it.
Call of Duty probably won't be.
Your resolution also makes a big difference, plus playing under windows is considerably faster.
Call of Duty probably won't be.
Your resolution also makes a big difference, plus playing under windows is considerably faster.
I've got the current i7 2.6Ghz mini and it's not very good for gaming. I tried call of duty 4 (which is quite an old game now) and it does struggle. For everything else it is brilliant however.
I would look at bench mark scores for the HD4000 for the games you are wanting to play, and let these help you to decide.
Personally I keep a PC as a games machine as it has the best power/price ratio for gaming.
I would look at bench mark scores for the HD4000 for the games you are wanting to play, and let these help you to decide.
Personally I keep a PC as a games machine as it has the best power/price ratio for gaming.
I'm pretty sure they will upgrade the mini this year to Iris Pro with the i7 model and Non-Pro for the i5 entry model! 🙄
HD4000 is not that good, I would wait for the new one.
I also want to buy a mini as a beginner mac, I'm not a serious gamer but the HD4000 is way too old, waiting since December for the update 😱
let's hope it will be update soon,
HD4000 is not that good, I would wait for the new one.
I also want to buy a mini as a beginner mac, I'm not a serious gamer but the HD4000 is way too old, waiting since December for the update 😱
let's hope it will be update soon,
Mini is not for core gaming. Buy a PS4 or Xbox1. The price of graphic card + desktop CPU could be more expensive than these consoles.
Neodym
macrumors 68030
WoW and D3 are not available for consoles afaik. To run them smoothly on a rMBP with 650m, you already need to cut back on graphic details. Any current Mac mini will be significantly worse in terms of graphic quality.
A potential Iris(Pro)-based Mini would at best be roughly on par with the 650m, but probably worse due to cutbacks for Mini duty (cost, heat, power consumption).
A potential Iris(Pro)-based Mini would at best be roughly on par with the 650m, but probably worse due to cutbacks for Mini duty (cost, heat, power consumption).
WoW should be fine at 1080p on the Iris Pro.
It's fine on the HD4000 at 1366x768 (I played it on my laptop without too much issue when I was travelling)
It's fine on the HD4000 at 1366x768 (I played it on my laptop without too much issue when I was travelling)
I used to play D3 on my 2012 mini.
I have a 1920x1080 screen, but I can't play with full resolution. Has to be reduced to 1280 or the graphical lag becomes quite bad. It's doable, but not recommended.
Some play videos.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x-DtGVJ1aqE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zOJCbTGCGTY
I currently play FFXIV using bootcamp, which is an extremely graphically intensive game. I'm able to play in full 1920x1080 in most content except for one particular instance that requires almost instant dodge ability, but the graphics then create a response lag that makes it basically impossible to play with standard tactics. I initially got around it by moving early, but with the recent introduction of an even more punishing version of the same instance, I needed to reduce both my windows and ingame resolution to 1366x768.
It can be done, and if you don't have/can't afford another machine, it is adequate as long as you are willing to sacrifice some graphics and performance.
I bought a PS4.
I have a 1920x1080 screen, but I can't play with full resolution. Has to be reduced to 1280 or the graphical lag becomes quite bad. It's doable, but not recommended.
Some play videos.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x-DtGVJ1aqE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zOJCbTGCGTY
I currently play FFXIV using bootcamp, which is an extremely graphically intensive game. I'm able to play in full 1920x1080 in most content except for one particular instance that requires almost instant dodge ability, but the graphics then create a response lag that makes it basically impossible to play with standard tactics. I initially got around it by moving early, but with the recent introduction of an even more punishing version of the same instance, I needed to reduce both my windows and ingame resolution to 1366x768.
It can be done, and if you don't have/can't afford another machine, it is adequate as long as you are willing to sacrifice some graphics and performance.
I bought a PS4.