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whats a good gaming pc???
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Digital Skunk
macrumors G3
In regards to games, sorry, forgot to make that separation. The Xeons are the fastest you can get pretty much, but when it comes to games GFX cards matter quite a bit more.
Mac Pros can be good too now, thanks to 2 HD 3870s CrossFired:
http://www.barefeats.com/harper18.html
CrossFire does work in a Mac Pro. 😉
Digital Skunk
macrumors G3
Under Mac OS X?
From what I have read so far no. Not that it's a problem, but remember what you can get on the PC side of things. You will still end up with a better deal on the PC side of things, and in some cases a faster, longer lasting machine.
Yeah, the largest problem with the world. Not an Apple problem thankfully. I hope that EA keeps it's promise and releases games for both the Mac and PC at the same time.
And personally, as a sophisticated Mac Phanatic, I'd rather have a PC if I am going to be running Windows all the time or for heavy gaming.
In Windows but that's were all the games are. 🙁😉
And me, I am still going to defend the Mac Pro as a gaming machine.
MacsAre1
macrumors regular
Mac Pro vs. Alienware
I did a quick comparison with a build-to-order Alienware Area 51 and a build-to-order Mac Pro. Speccing them out as closely as possible, (Quad core 2.8 Ghz CPU, Nvidia 8800GT GPU, 500GB hard drive), I came up with $2429 for the Alienware and $2499 for the Mac Pro. It's not a perfect comparison, as it's a Core 2 processor vs. a Xeon, but it shows that you're not paying much of a premium for that extra power. Granted, you still have to shell out for a copy of Windows for the Mac if you don't already have one, but you don't have a legal option to get a copy of Mac OS X running on the Alienware. So while the intention with gaming might be to use Windows most of the time, it's a small difference to have the option of dual booting with Mac OS X if you want to use your powerhouse machine for something productive.
BTW, Crossfire on Mac OS X doesn't matter if we're talking about running a Windows system for the games. The important thing is you can get Crossfire on Windows working on a Mac Pro with some graphics cards.
I think the reliability and customer service available with a Mac should also make a difference. If anyone really believes the quality or customer service of a PC manufacturer is superior to Apple's, then what are you doing with a Mac?
I did a quick comparison with a build-to-order Alienware Area 51 and a build-to-order Mac Pro. Speccing them out as closely as possible, (Quad core 2.8 Ghz CPU, Nvidia 8800GT GPU, 500GB hard drive), I came up with $2429 for the Alienware and $2499 for the Mac Pro. It's not a perfect comparison, as it's a Core 2 processor vs. a Xeon, but it shows that you're not paying much of a premium for that extra power. Granted, you still have to shell out for a copy of Windows for the Mac if you don't already have one, but you don't have a legal option to get a copy of Mac OS X running on the Alienware. So while the intention with gaming might be to use Windows most of the time, it's a small difference to have the option of dual booting with Mac OS X if you want to use your powerhouse machine for something productive.
BTW, Crossfire on Mac OS X doesn't matter if we're talking about running a Windows system for the games. The important thing is you can get Crossfire on Windows working on a Mac Pro with some graphics cards.
I think the reliability and customer service available with a Mac should also make a difference. If anyone really believes the quality or customer service of a PC manufacturer is superior to Apple's, then what are you doing with a Mac?
the problem with macpro is that it's too much and unnecessary for gaming.(waste of money and cpu cores).
games like dual extreme cpus more than slower quad cpus.
so a dual 3.0 1333fbs intel cpu will work better than a 2.66 quad core cpu(or a similar multicore cpu).
you can buy a dell vostro for around a $1000 with 3.0ghz 1333fsb core 2 duo, 4gb ram, and nvidia 88000gt.
this is considerable savings compared to a macpro.
games like dual extreme cpus more than slower quad cpus.
so a dual 3.0 1333fbs intel cpu will work better than a 2.66 quad core cpu(or a similar multicore cpu).
you can buy a dell vostro for around a $1000 with 3.0ghz 1333fsb core 2 duo, 4gb ram, and nvidia 88000gt.
this is considerable savings compared to a macpro.
Digital Skunk
macrumors G3
We aren't saying the Mac Pro sucks for gaming. We are saying that buying a Mac Pro for doing heavy gaming under Windows is a bit overkill. You can get a lower cost machine that runs just as good and in many cases better, better GFX options, and better expandability with PCs.
To restate my claim, I am no heavy gamer, so when I run Command & Conquer 3, or the various flavors of Sid Meier's Civilization, I will be running them on a Mac Pro or MBP.
If I wanted to run the latest Windows only games and all expansion packs and versions of C&C and Civ and Crysis and so forth then I would be better off going PC.
Granted, but when comparing high end systems you will end up w ith those numbers. When you compare a machine with the same specs as the Alienware with a smaller chassis then you will see the price difference.
When on Dell's site I quickly configured an Inspiron 530 for $1500, that is in no way a Mac Pro equivalent, but will run the lot of games offered very efficiently. Then there is the option to build your own machine with higher specs for around the same price.
And yes, Apple's service once you pay or Apple Care is unbeatable IMHO. I haven't been able to find a company that will take my machine and repair cosmetic damage within a few days.
And yes.... the Blackbird 002 for the win. I will forever tout it as the only machine that rivals the Mac Pro in industrial design of the interier. The outside leaves a little to be desired, but one can get over it with the amount of parts you can stick inside, and it's much easier to do so than on the Mac Pro.