Why do so many people buy iMacs for gaming?

[iSayuSay]

I want a Mac for work/normal use but, IMO the problem is I also want to keep current with demanding games like BF4, BF5, etc.

My reasoning behind the iMac has been: resale value is high, so I can just resell after 1-2 years and get the top gpu iMac to continue gaming. This allows an all-in-one work/play setup. Keep in mind it will still be mid-range gpu. With 20nm mobile maxwell coming within 1-2 years and %40-%50 more performance, it could take the iMac into 'current' desktop high-end gpu levels.

But looking at late 2012 maxed iMacs on eBay, I'd lose at least $500-$800 after fees for just 1 year of ownership.

If I invest in a gaming rig, it would save me from having to sell my entire Mac every 1-2 years just for the gpu. I wouldn't need to upgrade my iMac very often just for normal work. Then all I need to do is upgrade the gaming pc's gpu every couple years.

So I'm thinking of going iMac or Mac Mini and Gaming PC. More expensive at first but might pay off after a couple years. You get better gaming performance, and don't have to sell a $3k machine every time you turn around.

Any input, am I nuts? Please guys I'm going in circles with this crap lol. I'm just getting back into gaming after quitting for several years. I'm used to getting by on a MacBook Air for work.

1) Should I go iMac 780m and lose $800 or more resale value by the end of next year?
2) Or should I go iMac iGPU / Mac Mini and Gaming PC.

In contrary to most member here, I'm a long owner of an iMac (mine has 680MX) I recommend you going back to gaming PC + any not-so-high-end Mac.

I had the same idea as you are back then. When I bought iMac I though I could have an all in one compact computer for working and playing. Admittedly iMac nowadays has decent GPU, usually a top notch mobile graphic but in the end it's just too much of a risk.

If you buy a computer for work purpose, you expect it to be reliable with minimum to zero downtime. iMac is NOT that computer. When something, anything failed inside you need to bring the whole machine to Apple for repairs. That's a total $h1t storm because all your works halted at once. Everything stopped.
With PC there are possibilities you could go on with your work while failed component being taken care of.

And talking about resale value. As you mentioned earlier Mac value is no better than PC when it's old. People could lose $500 - $800 for just a year old iMac, horrible! Especially when a newer, faster model Mac supersedes yours already. With PC you could minimize the pain when you only need a partial upgrade for your graphic, RAM, or even CPU. You don't have to sell the whole package, and therefore you don't need to pay as much for a better hardware.

Seriously, next year I'm going to upgrade my iMac. Most likely with a custom built Intel Broadwell + GTX 880Ti or whatever it's called next year, along with Dell 27" 1440p monitor which is excellent and only costs you around $600. I don't miss the display quality but I also enjoy a better machine for gaming and heavy-lifting. And the beauty of it is that I could still get any Mac for works and connect it through the monitor.

Sounds perfect?

 

[Ice Dragon]

Why? Because Apple is finally getting it since last year. 680MX with 2 GB in last year and now a 780M with the full 4 GB of memory this year. They still need to pick up the slack a bit for the other models (excluding the base) but they make good gaming machines.

 

[MythicFrost]

I want a Mac for work/normal use but, IMO the problem is I also want to keep current with demanding games like BF4, BF5, etc.

My reasoning behind the iMac has been: resale value is high, so I can just resell after 1-2 years and get the top gpu iMac to continue gaming. This allows an all-in-one work/play setup. Keep in mind it will still be mid-range gpu. With 20nm mobile maxwell coming within 1-2 years and %40-%50 more performance, it could take the iMac into 'current' desktop high-end gpu levels.

But looking at late 2012 maxed iMacs on eBay, I'd lose at least $500-$800 after fees for just 1 year of ownership.

If I invest in a gaming rig, it would save me from having to sell my entire Mac every 1-2 years just for the gpu. I wouldn't need to upgrade my iMac very often just for normal work. Then all I need to do is upgrade the gaming pc's gpu every couple years.

So I'm thinking of going iMac or Mac Mini and Gaming PC. More expensive at first but might pay off after a couple years. You get better gaming performance, and don't have to sell a $3k machine every time you turn around.

Any input, am I nuts? Please guys I'm going in circles with this crap lol. I'm just getting back into gaming after quitting for several years. I'm used to getting by on a MacBook Air for work.

1) Should I go iMac 780m and lose $800 or more resale value by the end of next year?
2) Or should I go iMac iGPU / Mac Mini and Gaming PC.

I think if you want to keep current with games (and play on high settings, at 1440p) that you should go with the PC + a Mac suitable for work.

Would PC + Mac Mini + display work? Find a way to share the display (or easily switch) between the two?

 

[MartinAppleGuy]

Apparently not. Apple doesn't want you to do anything with your iMac. It's a closed system.
You can't replace the harddrive or ssd
You can't replace the graphic/cpu
You can't even add your own RAM on 21.5" iMac

Yeah sure you can smash your Mac if you choose if that's what you call freedom. But in a sense of authority, Apple controls what you may or may not do with your Mac. Step over the line and Apple might stop covering your hardware.

You don't need to tweak the hardware to play games; buy a high end model in the first place.

 

[Serban]

let me talk about value of the Mac because i just sold my 21.5" late 2012 high end model for the new 27" late 2013 high end model. So, i got my 21.5" model in April 2012 and on 1st of November the maximum amount of cash that i got for it was 250$ fewer. In other words i bought the imac with around 2000$ and sold it with 1750$.

Now on the PC side...i had a PC (until i went full apple products) that i bought it with 1000$(without monitor) and after one year...i preferred to give it to one of my friend because the maximum cash for it i would've get was 200$-250$

 

[mslide]

Lol. Allow me to debunk some of these points. Parts in the iMac (or any OEM like Dell, HP, Lenovo) are superior to aftermarket stuff, even if branded identically. Superior in either quality or cost or both. Apple, as the OEM, has superior pricing power over the suppliers. The suppliers beg Apple to be their supplier, and they get the business with rock-bottom pricing, yielding very low or consistent margins to the poor supplier. Suckers such as us, the regular consumer, then pay a very high margin for the "rest of production", basically all the production that didn't meet Apple's A+++ requirements. We pay more for less quality.

Lol, yeah whatever. I wouldn't call that debunking. It's all coming from the same part of the world, manufactured by people of the same caliber. You really think the person on the apple assembly line gives any more of a **** than the person making any other PC component?

Someone else's custom rig is worthless to everyone else. A Mac, even if older, still has very high resale. So you can put that extra cash into your next machine. Try doing that with your old GPU in order to buy the new model....

Do the math over, say, a 10 year period. PCs will always come out ahead even if you never sell the PC or its components. Some of the people here sound like car salesmen who try to convince buyers that it's cheaper to trade in their 3-5 year old car than it is to maintain it.

 

[TheyCallMeBT]

In contrary to most member here, I'm a long owner of an iMac (mine has 680MX) I recommend you going back to gaming PC + any not-so-high-end Mac.

I had the same idea as you are back then. When I bought iMac I though I could have an all in one compact computer for working and playing. Admittedly iMac nowadays has decent GPU, usually a top notch mobile graphic but in the end it's just too much of a risk.

If you buy a computer for work purpose, you expect it to be reliable with minimum to zero downtime. iMac is NOT that computer. When something, anything failed inside you need to bring the whole machine to Apple for repairs. That's a total $h1t storm because all your works halted at once. Everything stopped.
With PC there are possibilities you could go on with your work while failed component being taken care of.

And talking about resale value. As you mentioned earlier Mac value is no better than PC when it's old. People could lose $500 - $800 for just a year old iMac, horrible! Especially when a newer, faster model Mac supersedes yours already. With PC you could minimize the pain when you only need a partial upgrade for your graphic, RAM, or even CPU. You don't have to sell the whole package, and therefore you don't need to pay as much for a better hardware.

Seriously, next year I'm going to upgrade my iMac. Most likely with a custom built Intel Broadwell + GTX 880Ti or whatever it's called next year, along with Dell 27" 1440p monitor which is excellent and only costs you around $600. I don't miss the display quality but I also enjoy a better machine for gaming and heavy-lifting. And the beauty of it is that I could still get any Mac for works and connect it through the monitor.

Sounds perfect?

Is what you're saying that you believe that regularly stressing the components in your iMac to play high end games is risky, in that it makes them significantly more likely to fail within, say, three or four years?

 

[iSayuSay]

Is what you're saying that you believe that regularly stressing the components in your iMac to play high end games is risky, in that it makes them significantly more likely to fail within, say, three or four years?

All i'm saying is iMac is about putting all your eggs in a basket. Sure there's a chance it's doing just fine with no failures whatsoever. In that case, great. Good for you.

But it is a piece of electronic.. Meaning **** happens anytime. And when it does, the whole basket needs to go down too. That's the price you have to pay for this sexy computer.
I've been there. Having my iMac dragged down several times for display, hdd, gpu problem. Messing with my work and dead line. I am personally not willing to deal with that anymore.

 

[Arfdog]

A little out dated wouldn't you say. Windows 7/8 is pretty stable unless you don't know what you're doing. I haven't seen a Windows blue screen in years.

My work Dell uses Win 7 and while no blue screens so far, it still messes up and freezes or does something weird occasionally. My Mac doesn't seem to have a single problem. Just some slight color warmth on the bottom half of the screen.

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Lol, yeah whatever. I wouldn't call that debunking. It's all coming from the same part of the world, manufactured by people of the same caliber. You really think the person on the apple assembly line gives any more of a **** than the person making any other PC component?



Do the math over, say, a 10 year period. PCs will always come out ahead even if you never sell the PC or its components. Some of the people here sound like car salesmen who try to convince buyers that it's cheaper to trade in their 3-5 year old car than it is to maintain it.

If you know anything about production, not every component comes out with sufficient quality. It therefore takes more resources to have stricter tolerances. Apple and other big OEMS with big wallets can mandate strict specifications whether geometric, temperature performance, etc that the supplier will not apply to the consumer version because it costs them more. They sell consumers the less-rigorously tested product, whether on purpose or not.

Also if you think electronics are assembled by persons on the assembly line, I just have to lol again.

You can't sell PC components for jack. Check ebay or try selling your own PC.

 

[Arfdog]

I want a Mac for work/normal use but, IMO the problem is I also want to keep current with demanding games like BF4, BF5, etc.

My reasoning behind the iMac has been: resale value is high, so I can just resell after 1-2 years and get the top gpu iMac to continue gaming. This allows an all-in-one work/play setup. Keep in mind it will still be mid-range gpu. With 20nm mobile maxwell coming within 1-2 years and %40-%50 more performance, it could take the iMac into 'current' desktop high-end gpu levels.

But looking at late 2012 maxed iMacs on eBay, I'd lose at least $500-$800 after fees for just 1 year of ownership.

If I invest in a gaming rig, it would save me from having to sell my entire Mac every 1-2 years just for the gpu. I wouldn't need to upgrade my iMac very often just for normal work. Then all I need to do is upgrade the gaming pc's gpu every couple years.

So I'm thinking of going iMac or Mac Mini and Gaming PC. More expensive at first but might pay off after a couple years. You get better gaming performance, and don't have to sell a $3k machine every time you turn around.

Any input, am I nuts? Please guys I'm going in circles with this crap lol. I'm just getting back into gaming after quitting for several years. I'm used to getting by on a MacBook Air for work.

1) Should I go iMac 780m and lose $800 or more resale value by the end of next year?
2) Or should I go iMac iGPU / Mac Mini and Gaming PC.

Did you even try running BF on the new iMacs yet?

 

[yjchua95]

Did you even try running BF on the new iMacs yet?

BF4 is super smooth on my 27" (4GB GTX780M)

 

[TheyCallMeBT]

All i'm saying is iMac is about putting all your eggs in a basket. Sure there's a chance it's doing just fine with no failures whatsoever. In that case, great. Good for you.

But it is a piece of electronic.. Meaning **** happens anytime. And when it does, the whole basket needs to go down too. That's the price you have to pay for this sexy computer.
I've been there. Having my iMac dragged down several times for display, hdd, gpu problem. Messing with my work and dead line. I am personally not willing to deal with that anymore.

So what you're saying has no relation to using the computer as a gaming rig, then? You're just saying that an iMac is risky because the screen is integrated and/ or because you can't (easily) replace a broken component?

That can be said about any computer. Other than a tower. I almost lost a client when I was getting my business started in 2010 when the board on my MacBook Pro was fried. That resulted in me buying an iMac. Now I have backups, that if mine were to fail, I'd be OK until I could get it fixed.

 

[iSayuSay]

So what you're saying has no relation to using the computer as a gaming rig, then? You're just saying that an iMac is risky because the screen is integrated and/ or because you can't (easily) replace a broken component?

That can be said about any computer. Other than a tower. I almost lost a client when I was getting my business started in 2010 when the board on my MacBook Pro was fried. That resulted in me buying an iMac. Now I have backups, that if mine were to fail, I'd be OK until I could get it fixed.

I don't know whether my old iMac has so many problems induced by heat or not. But I did use it intensively to the point its body is hot to the touch. The new designed iMac is cooler though. It's been less problematic than the old one but I could see the display having a smoke-like stain.
Oh yeah I need to bring in the whole machine again. F that

Problem is, iMac is not a "tower" .. 90% of iMac component is laptop's but it's stuck beneath a 27" display. So it's just as risky as having a laptop. All in one package.

 

[Shivetya]

Honestly, the amount of gaming-related questions I see on this site is phenomenal.

I do! I do not consider just games on OS X since the iMac can run Windows perfectly well.

 

[Georgio]

So many trolls in this thread it's starting to smell real bad...

Anyways I use an iMac for work/gaming for the following reasons:

• My late 2012 i7 with 2GB 680M GPU handles anything I throw at it.
• Bootcamp works and so gives you two operating systems in one footprint.
• I'm a graphic designer so a Mac is the only option for a work machine.
• iMacs are slim, sexy and fast.
• Resales on iMacs are excellent; sold my last iMac which was 2 years old for 60% of it's initial price; try doing that with a PC.

The bottom line is that if you need or want just one computer but need both MacOS and Windows then the modern iMac is a fabulous solution.

 

[IA64]

So many trolls in this thread it's starting to smell real bad...

Anyways I use an iMac for work/gaming for the following reasons:

• My late 2012 i7 with 2GB 680M GPU handles anything I throw at it.
• Bootcamp works and so gives you two operating systems in one footprint.
• I'm a graphic designer so a Mac is the only option for a work machine.
• iMacs are slim, sexy and fast.
• Resales on iMacs are excellent; sold my last iMac which was 2 years old for 60% of it's initial price; try doing that with a PC.

The bottom line is that if you need or want just one computer but need both MacOS and Windows then the modern iMac is a fabulous solution.

I never got this. What can an iMac or OSx do more than windows for graphic designers ?

 

[MacOG728893]

I never got this. What can an iMac or OSx do more than windows for graphic designers ?

The simple answer is nothing really. Because OS X can be perceived as being more efficient and fluid than Windows, the creative class prefers it. Nothing wrong with that.

 

[panzer06]

I'm just here asking a simple, genuine question. I'm not trying to be hostile or 'troll' the forums, I'm genuinely curious as to why so many people buy iMacs for gaming over cheaper/better alternatives and hope to have a nice discussion about it, and people are answering well and putting thought into it. There's no need to bother if you're just gonna ask more questions and write 'facepalm', the goal here is to feed my curiosity and change my views.

In a way I agree with you. I used to buy the best GPU equipped mac that I could afford so I could bootcamp and play games on one screen. However, with Apple's move away from (or to iOS) dedicated GPUs I've since given up on Macs. I sold my iMac earlier this year and I'm selling my MBP, getting a low cost mini for the OS X programs I need and sticking with a dedicated gaming laptop or PC.

I happen to like Windows 8 and do not like the closed, non-upgradable systems Apple is producing. I can see having a Windows machine as my main computer for the first time in more than 10 years. I already use my Windows Tablet more often than my iPad.

Cheers,

 

[2Turbo]

let me talk about value of the Mac because i just sold my 21.5" late 2012 high end model for the new 27" late 2013 high end model. So, i got my 21.5" model in April 2012 and on 1st of November the maximum amount of cash that i got for it was 250$ fewer. In other words i bought the imac with around 2000$ and sold it with 1750$.

Now on the PC side...i had a PC (until i went full apple products) that i bought it with 1000$(without monitor) and after one year...i preferred to give it to one of my friend because the maximum cash for it i would've get was 200$-250$

The 21.5" has better resale value than nearly maxed 27" (gaming). In the US after eBay fees you end up loosing a ton if you resell a 3k iMac every year. If you don't believe me, head over to eBay completed listings and see, plus go to an ebay/paypal fees calculator.

Must have been a really crap PC because if it had anything good in it you could at least sell off the components for more than $200 on eBay. I get that nobody wants to pay much for a custom built PC. But saying you can't even get $200 out of a 1k build in 1 year don't quite seem right, but maybe I'm wrong.

I'm not saying the 780m can't play BF4 just fine. I'm just looking at the long term viability of investing in a 3k machine for work/gaming. Will BF5 work great with 780m? What about iMac resale value vs PC GPU upgrade? These are questions I'm asking to try and determine which would be best for my needs.

I'm leaning towards the Mac Mini + PC/Steam Machine provided I can find a good monitor. If the iMac just had HDMI input I'd be set.

 

[Arfdog]

Will BF5 work great with 780m? What about iMac resale value vs PC GPU upgrade?

I think the choice is clear on that:

Case #1: you take the loss of $500 on selling the older iMac and getting a totally new one
Case #2: you spend $500 on a GPU upgrade only.

 

[MacOG728893]

Just finished beating Call of Duty Ghosts. I thoroughly enjoyed the story! All my settings were set to high and I averaged 60-80FPS. No reason to complain. Best part of it, I simply restarted my computer and I'm back in OS X.

 

[Shivetya]

But much of what you've listed there can be picked up for less.

A good case, motherboard and PSU can be had for ~$100 each; you can pick up the NH-D14 for ~$80 which will run circles around the iMac's cooling; 4x4GB of RAM can be picked up for $140 and Windows 8.1 OEM for $100.

Oh be honest, the case is one of the most stand out features of the iMac. Why do people insist on making clones but cheap out on components to make their suggestion work?

Apples to Oranges, all in ones are very specialized manufacturing and components that go into boxes have a lot of leeway.

Boxes are better for shipping computers in, not being a computer.

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Sorry but the iMac in terms of thermal dissipation and noise wins hands down.

The machine is dead silent even when running intensive tasks ( late 2013 ). I have yet to see a gaming desktop running as cool and silent as the iMac ( excluding water cooled systems )

Was playing games last night on my new iMac and two things stood out.

Zero noise and it wasn't even warm! That new cooling system is amazing.

 

[frega]

Because Apple won't make a consumer / gaming Mac Pro?

 

[MythicFrost]

Oh be honest, the case is one of the most stand out features of the iMac. Why do people insist on making clones but cheap out on components to make their suggestion work?

Apples to Oranges, all in ones are very specialized manufacturing and components that go into boxes have a lot of leeway.

Boxes are better for shipping computers in, not being a computer.

The iMac case is great, and if that's an absolutely must have then buy the iMac, because you won't find it anywhere else.

It's not cheaping out at all. You can pick up a great case, PSU, etc., for $100 easily. The question I wonder is why people think that you have to spend an exorbitant sum on each part for it to be "good" or "Mac" quality.

 

[Irishman]

I think if you want to keep current with games (and play on high settings, at 1440p) that you should go with the PC + a Mac suitable for work.

Would PC + Mac Mini + display work? Find a way to share the display (or easily switch) between the two?

To that end, KVM switches still exist.