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Which GPU is best for wow in macpro?

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plutoniumman

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jul 25, 2008
3
0
Hello! :)

I'd like to get a mac pro some day, and the only game I play is WoW.
Which graphics card for the mac pro would be best for wow, and will it play it at max settings and max res (1920x1200x24) at 60 FPS or at-least at 30 FPS? Because that's what I want, and willing to save for. :)

Other than WoW, I plan-on installing Vista Ultimate so I can use 3DS Max.
That's pretty much the only other graphically intense app I'll be using.


Any tips are appreciated. :)
 
Hi Pluto -

Honestly I think either the 3870 or 8800gt will do just fine for you - my Mac Pro I just got shipped with the 8800gt and I ran WoW just to test a little on it at 1920x1200 in full screen and max'd in a window and got over 100fps in starter areas so you'd be good with either of those

Both made it run great in OS X
 
I'd go 8800GT, I get around 15fps in shattrath with max settings except full screen glow which sort of kills everything even starter zones. Out questing its always fine however; thats at 2560x1600 though. But it wouldn't hurt to leave some headroom for the upcoming expansion :D
 
Thanks for the replies, everyone!

I'll go with the 8800gt.
Any one know when apple is gonna update their hardware?
The last few times I went with mac, apple significantly updated the hardware just a few weeks after I bought my computer.
I don't wanna feel ripped again lol
 
plutoniumman said:
Thanks for the replies, everyone!

I'll go with the 8800gt.
Any one know when apple is gonna update their hardware?
The last few times I went with mac, apple significantly updated the hardware just a few weeks after I bought my computer.
I don't wanna feel ripped again lol
Click to expand...
Probably January.
 
plutoniumman said:
Hello! :)

I'd like to get a mac pro some day, and the only game I play is WoW.
Which graphics card for the mac pro would be best for wow, and will it play it at max settings and max res (1920x1200x24) at 60 FPS or at-least at 30 FPS? Because that's what I want, and willing to save for. :)
Click to expand...

Never quite understood why frame rates above 30fps are necessary - one's brain cannot tell the difference between 30fps and 60fps. Rather use the spare horsepower to increase screen resolution or detail, etc.
 
After upgrading to 6Gb RAM I haven't seen less than 40fps, normally it's closer to 100fps, in IF when it's quiet I've seen well above 200fps...

I've got a 2.8GHz quad, 8800GT running 2 screens (1680x1050 + 1280x1024) and i don't bother to quit the 7 or so apps I have running in the background, all WOW settings are maxxed :D


Admittedly though, I haven't been to **** recently, so my fps there could well be lower :)



Oh and, why high fps, the graphics produced by computers generally don't have the motion blur you get watching a live recording, so the higher fps gives smoother animation with fast moving objects, of course, when the fps is really silly high you run the risk of tearing, but if that becomes an issue theres always v-sync
 
What about the stock Radeon 2600 XT?

I don't think one needs anything higher than the stock Radeon 2600 XT that comes with the Mac Pro just to run WoW at full rez and settings. My NVidia 7600 GT run's WoW at full blast nicely, and I see this card carrying me through for another year or two.
 
atlanticza said:
Never quite understood why frame rates above 30fps are necessary - one's brain cannot tell the difference between 30fps and 60fps. Rather use the spare horsepower to increase screen resolution or detail, etc.
Click to expand...

I assure you many can - I can tell , be it in a mmorpg or fps when I am dipping from 60+fps to 30fps - it is easily different and noticeable between those two
 
atlanticza said:
Never quite understood why frame rates above 30fps are necessary - one's brain cannot tell the difference between 30fps and 60fps. Rather use the spare horsepower to increase screen resolution or detail, etc.
Click to expand...

For movies and motion pictures anything above 30fps is probably irrelevant, however games & real-time 3D are a different matter as the picture is being "produced" by the video card not "filmed".
 
Mine ran fine at 1900x1200 with the base ati 2600 card. There was room for improvement, but it was perfectly fine for playing.

Pretty much anything above that card would be ideal.
 
I say 8800GT.

I have on in my PC, and I get 150+ average with all settings maxed out.

I also have an 'old' e6300 that is overclocked to 3 ghz. So, a Mac Pro should be around the same or better.
 
From what I've seen, the HD 3870 seems to be a good all-rounder. :) Especially for those who only want a single graphics card solution or have no other choice. :p
Personally, I'm forced into this category. I need the other PCIe x16 slot for something else. :(
 
atlanticza said:
Never quite understood why frame rates above 30fps are necessary - one's brain cannot tell the difference between 30fps and 60fps. Rather use the spare horsepower to increase screen resolution or detail, etc.
Click to expand...

Maybe your monitor can't refresh faster than 30Hz.
For most computers, rendering games faster than 60 FPS is a waste, because most screens don't refresh faster than 60Hz.

I used to have a screen that would refresh at 120Hz.
Around 80Hz (Or 80 FPS) and higher is when it all looked the same to me.

This site will answer a lot of questions you may have:
http://www.daniele.ch/school/30vs60/30vs60_1.html



jaduffy108 said:
Purely for games or do you need good Core Image performance for pro apps too??

Cuz if you do need Core Image performance...I HIGHLY recommend reading this:

http://barefeats.com/harper17.html
Click to expand...
As far as the HD 3870 goes, I think it may actually be better than the 8800GT!
It does wow and pro apps better than the 8800GT. :)
Is the Mac Pro compatible with the ATI Radeon HD 3870 X2 using Leopard?
I've looked on Google and haven't seen any thing saying it isn't. There's still hope! :)

I've also noticed on most of these benchmarking sites, they list a bunch of GPUs that Apple never had on their site.
How can I determin if a graphics card will work in a mac pro?
 
plutoniumman said:
Is the Mac Pro compatible with the ATI Radeon HD 3870 X2 using Leopard?
I've looked on Google and haven't seen any thing saying it isn't. There's still hope! :)
Click to expand...

No, it isn't compatible. :(
Only if ATI tweaks it for Mac. :eek:
Or if someone creates a hack. ;)

plutoniumman said:
I've also noticed on most of these benchmarking sites, they list a bunch of GPUs that Apple never had on their site.
How can I determin if a graphics card will work in a mac pro?
Click to expand...

Go to the manufacturer's site, and carefully read the specs.
If you aren't sure, send an e-mail. :)
Companies do reply. ;)
 
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