I just ordered a 4.0 i7 5k iMac with a 395x card, a 1TB SSD and an OWC 32gb ram upgrade. I use my mac for photo and video editing, but I'd like to play some Steam games through bootcamp. Now I know through forum posts ad nauseam that the iMac is NOT a 'gaming machine,' nor do I really care about 'serious' gaming. But I'd still like to tool around in Navel Combat or maybe an older CoD, or Skyrim with some of the newer mods. What kind of performance can I expect? Are there any changes I should make in Windows after I install via Bootcamp to get better performance? Will I be able to run any games in 4k? Running Alien Isolation in 4k would be a treat, for instance!
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
So lets say I want to game on my imac...
- Thread starter sperdynamite
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
Roughly PS4 performance for the R9 M395X, perhaps a little more. you can pretty much forget to play something released after 2011 at 4K im afraid, at least not on high settings, but you should be able to run almost any game at 1080p and get decent framerates on medium settings or higher. on alien isolation, if you keep the settings low, you may get a stable 30fps at 4K. that might be acceptable depending on your tastes. though i suspect there will be input lag at that resolution. Skyrim will probably be about 30fps in 4K, maybe you can get 60 with lowered settings. older cod`s i think will be possible to run in 4K, probably 60fps too.
this is assuming the iMac wont thermal throttle while gaming, i think the R9 M300 series used in the 2015 models run cool enough to avoid throttling. the iMac will probably make a lot of fan noise though.
remember to download the latest Windows drivers straight from AMD http://support.amd.com/en-us/download
whatever bootcamp supplies as default GPU drivers are probably outdated
this is assuming the iMac wont thermal throttle while gaming, i think the R9 M300 series used in the 2015 models run cool enough to avoid throttling. the iMac will probably make a lot of fan noise though.
remember to download the latest Windows drivers straight from AMD http://support.amd.com/en-us/download
whatever bootcamp supplies as default GPU drivers are probably outdated
I have the 2014 retina iMac with the R290x and have played Fallout 4 without any issues. just don't play it at the 5k resolution. I prefer to play at around HD level and it works just fine.
I used to game on the 2012 with the gtx 680mx and it was great at 1440p. I imagine that's the res you'll be using on the newer iMac. I'd link you my videos so you could get an idea of the performance (the new iMac would be even better), but someone always removes my posts with links.
You will be able to play most games descently at 1080p with mid to high settings. That iMac has a very descent capability and performs well. I'm pretty sure you'll enojoy it.
I have the same setup (though my 32GB is from Apple) and I play Cities Skylines, Diablo 3 and Darkest Dungeon at 2560x1440 under OS X with what feels like smooth gameplay (D3 is 70+ FPS per Barefeats benchmark and the others feel smooth). I also play Overwatch at the same resolution in BootCamp (due to no native OS X version) and it's very smooth, as well.
So I got my machine up and running! Typing this out on it now. Man this is a huge upgrade from my 2009 i7. The SSD is fantastic. I love that it boots lightroom near instantly. I had a weird black screen issue but there was a fix. *shrug*
Anyway, I splurged on the OS X version of Alien Isolation. It runs ok in 4k, but it's a little bit chunky. Runs very smooth in 1440p though, and honestly I don't even notice that much of a difference in the textures and details. I would love to get into Doom but I already bought the PS4 version.
I'm very happy with this new machine!
Anyway, I splurged on the OS X version of Alien Isolation. It runs ok in 4k, but it's a little bit chunky. Runs very smooth in 1440p though, and honestly I don't even notice that much of a difference in the textures and details. I would love to get into Doom but I already bought the PS4 version.
I'm very happy with this new machine!
I know I posted it on an older thread but I'll summerize my gaming experience.
Wither3
1080p ultra settings 60fps (have hairworks turned off an I think grass distance on high, dips to 50fps occasionally)
1080p high settings 60fps rock solid
1440p ultra settings 36fps (hovers in mid 30s, a little higher sometimes)
1440p high settings 45 fps
Battlefront
1080p ultra settings 60fps. Very stable
1440p 40ish fps on ultra, had to lower some stuff to high if I wanted to keep it near 60. I returned the game after 6 hours of play cuz it literrally launched with 4 maps. Just a terribly shallow game)
Fallout 4
Very similar to settings for witcher 3. You're not going to be in 4 or 5k dude. For the price it's terrible BUT it's actually a solid mid to upper end gaming pc. I can do Homeworld 2 in 5k and it's actually able to have 30fps so that's kinda cool lol. But I have to sit a few inches away and squint to see any difference between 5k and 1440p, the human eye just can't distinguish that kinda resolution when it motion (not my opinion, it's science).
Wither3
1080p ultra settings 60fps (have hairworks turned off an I think grass distance on high, dips to 50fps occasionally)
1080p high settings 60fps rock solid
1440p ultra settings 36fps (hovers in mid 30s, a little higher sometimes)
1440p high settings 45 fps
Battlefront
1080p ultra settings 60fps. Very stable
1440p 40ish fps on ultra, had to lower some stuff to high if I wanted to keep it near 60. I returned the game after 6 hours of play cuz it literrally launched with 4 maps. Just a terribly shallow game)
Fallout 4
Very similar to settings for witcher 3. You're not going to be in 4 or 5k dude. For the price it's terrible BUT it's actually a solid mid to upper end gaming pc. I can do Homeworld 2 in 5k and it's actually able to have 30fps so that's kinda cool lol. But I have to sit a few inches away and squint to see any difference between 5k and 1440p, the human eye just can't distinguish that kinda resolution when it motion (not my opinion, it's science).
I think if you must game on a Mac you'll be happier doing it under Windows. I not only notice better graphics but higher fps with those better graphics in certain games, ESO for example. They recently updated their Mac Client so the graphics are almost comparable but performance is sub par comparatively speaking.