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New IMac gaming.

ginofresh

ginofresh

macrumors regular
Original poster
Feb 20, 2017
155
56
now I know Mac are not made for gaming. I don't really hardcore game anyways just on the look for a new computer my choices are the new MacBook Pro or wait for the new Mac desktop my questions is from past experience what was better for gaming the iMac or the MacBook?
 
ginofresh said:
now I know Mac are not made for gaming. I don't really hardcore game anyways just on the look for a new computer my choices are the new MacBook Pro or wait for the new Mac desktop my questions is from past experience what was better for gaming the iMac or the MacBook?
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The iMac has desktop class CPUs and better mobile dgpus superior cooling and a much bigger screen so the iMac for gaming is always going to be a better experience.
 
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You'll get a better CPU and GPU with an iMac then the MacBook Pro, I'd opt for that, but given that we're a few weeks away from March. I'd hold off and see if anything happens in regards to new machines being released.
 
Again as I posted in your other thread, use with caution. I gamed heavily on my iMac for 12 months and it died a horrible death. After 2 attempted repairs, Apple just replaced the entire iMac. Not worth it imo.
 
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rigid said:
Again as I posted in your other thread, use with caution. I gamed heavily on my iMac for 12 months and it died a horrible death. After 2 attempted repairs, Apple just replaced the entire iMac. Not worth it imo.
Click to expand...
How can you be sure it was your gaming?
 
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Well i can say this.

I own a late 2013 27" i7 32gb 4GB 780 GPU model and i game not every day but it isn't far from it also :)
Yes it will run from time to time with full fans depanding on your game ofc.

But my choice was simple i wanted the iMac 27" eventhough i know a desktop pc will be much faster and cheaper. But it can't compete with the design :)

I do run Windows 10 from bootcamp because OSX "ghosts" like hell. (Mainly i play FPS games)

I have also my MacBook Pro 13" bought in 2016. (You will need à 15" Pro model for "some" normal gaming imo)

I would deff go for an iMac 27"

- much more visual gaming pleasure
- cheaper/easier and doable to upgrade your RAM
- better cooling if fans run for long period
- and there are a few more of above reasons......
 
rigid said:
Again as I posted in your other thread, use with caution. I gamed heavily on my iMac for 12 months and it died a horrible death. After 2 attempted repairs, Apple just replaced the entire iMac. Not worth it imo.
Click to expand...

The question was whether the iMac or the MacBook Pro was more capable of gaming though, and given the two options, iMac is the preferred machine.

I game heavily on my iMac and the one thing that died was the 1TB HDD in the fusion drive, which Apple replaced (with out of warranty fee), but other than that, my machine has been rock solid at what I throw at it. Glad to hear you got your machine replaced though. That's definitely a silver lining in your scenario and hopefully it was just your previous machine that was a lemon and that this new one won't give you any of similar problems.
 
rigid said:
Again as I posted in your other thread, use with caution. I gamed heavily on my iMac for 12 months and it died a horrible death. After 2 attempted repairs, Apple just replaced the entire iMac. Not worth it imo.
Click to expand...

It probably wasn't your gaming if it only lasted a year. All the heat from Apple's thin obsession will shorten the lifespan but it shouldn't be that dramatic. I bet there was probably something wrong or bad luck involved.
 
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RayS79 said:
Well i can say this.

I own a late 2013 27" i7 32gb 4GB 780 GPU model and i game not every day but it isn't far from it also :)
Yes it will run from time to time with full fans depanding on your game ofc.

But my choice was simple i wanted the iMac 27" eventhough i know a desktop pc will be much faster and cheaper. But it can't compete with the design :)

I do run Windows 10 from bootcamp because OSX "ghosts" like hell. (Mainly i play FPS games)

I have also my MacBook Pro 13" bought in 2016. (You will need à 15" Pro model for "some" normal gaming imo)

I would deff go for an iMac 27"

- much more visual gaming pleasure
- cheaper/easier and doable to upgrade your RAM
- better cooling if fans run for long period
- and there are a few more of above reasons......
Click to expand...
Well I am going to wait for the new imac to come out be4 I see witch one I am getting
 
rigid said:
If I were you I would explore a PC solution with a 1440p 144hz monitor.
Click to expand...
The thing
rigid said:
If I were you I would explore a PC solution with a 1440p 144hz monitor.
Click to expand...
the thing is that I had a PC my whole life and been wanting to try Apple for a LONG time. I don't really game that much the only thing I do play is wow thays really it as I am busy working and if I do plan on playing anything else I can just boot camp it
 
ginofresh said:
The thing

the thing is that I had a PC my whole life and been wanting to try Apple for a LONG time. I don't really game that much the only thing I do play is wow thays really it as I am busy working and if I do plan on playing anything else I can just boot camp it
Click to expand...

You can play wow on the macbook pro too, I'd expect it to run decently at medium settings. My 4 year old Lenovo with a 650M can easily run it. If you have cash to blow for no reason then you should be fine.
 
rigid said:
You can play wow on the macbook pro too, I'd expect it to run decently at medium settings. My 4 year old Lenovo with a 650M can easily run it. If you have cash to blow for no reason then you should be fine.
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i know buying a mac for what i want is not a good idea but i just always had the itch for it.
 
ginofresh said:
i know buying a mac for what i want is not a good idea but i just always had the itch for it.
Click to expand...

I get it. As long as you understand the facts then you should pull the trigger when you feel its appropriate.
 
I used to play a lot on my former iMac, and it was more than ok. Some games I had to lower the settings but it worked well. Anything from blizzard will work well since they make Mac versions of their games, for everything else you can always use bootcamp. Make sure that your graphics card driver are the latest(on the windows side) ( from the graphic card website not the ones from Apple). It cost more but for decent gaming buy the iMac with the best graphic card you can afford and if you can swing that too, pick a model with ssd drive.

I sold my iMac then I built a gaming pc, it is a f.... monster but even if the gaming is a lot better, I still miss my iMac for everyday use.
 
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ginofresh said:
The thing

the thing is that I had a PC my whole life and been wanting to try Apple for a LONG time. I don't really game that much the only thing I do play is wow thays really it as I am busy working and if I do plan on playing anything else I can just boot camp it
Click to expand...

For casual gaming it's more then adequate. I and many users have gamed on modern Macs quite extensively with varying results.

You just need to be realistic. For city building games like Sim City and Cities Skylines it's great. This is pretty much all the gaming I'd do on a Mac anymore.

For much else it's "meh", the included peripherals aren't good for gaming, the monitor refresh rate caps at 60hz, its response time isn't that great, MacOS lacks a commonly used more advanced APIs to get to the metal, drivers can be questionable in Windows (boot camp), non upgradable as games become more demanding, etc.

At this point I won't own anything else but there are valid reasons a PC is better for gaming specifically. I think you'll really enjoy the experience if you are someone that always wanted a Mac (I was the same way). Plus, regardless of the Mac vs PC wars that rage on there is no reason (short of financial reason) you can't own both.
 
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