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X1900 For A Very Light Gamer?

T

thePhilster

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Aug 11, 2006
20
0
Hi

I'm about to order a Mac Pro for my business (I'm self-employed) and am debating whether or not to go for the X1900 upgrade. I play the odd game of Call of Duty 2, but the Mac will be used 99% of the time for web/graphic design.

I'll be leasing the Mac over 3 years, so I want to make sure I get the configuration that a) I can afford and b) won't be out of date in a year.

Now, I know that a lot of people moan about the old gfx cards in Mac Pros, but as I'm not a gamer, I can't see that being a problem. Am I being naive? Surely a 256Mb gfx card will be able to handle my requirements for 3 years?

Any advice would be most appreciated!

Phil
 
thePhilster said:
Hi

I'm about to order a Mac Pro for my business (I'm self-employed) and am debating whether or not to go for the X1900 upgrade. I play the odd game of Call of Duty 2, but the Mac will be used 99% of the time for web/graphic design.

I'll be leasing the Mac over 3 years, so I want to make sure I get the configuration that a) I can afford and b) won't be out of date in a year.

Now, I know that a lot of people moan about the old gfx cards in Mac Pros, but as I'm not a gamer, I can't see that being a problem. Am I being naive? Surely a 256Mb gfx card will be able to handle my requirements for 3 years?

Any advice would be most appreciated!

Phil
Click to expand...

you will want at least a x1900xt for COD2...
 
The 7300 is not really an option, even for 'light' 3D gaming.

Therefore, the X1900 is the only option.
 
I once saw a chart on a retail video card box that showed the 7300 only twice as fast as integrated graphics. I was shocked that it was that slow. A decent card ~$200 should give you about 30 times better performance.
 
slughead said:
The 7300 is not really an option, even for 'light' 3D gaming.

Therefore, the X1900 is the only option.
Click to expand...

I disagree. The 7300 is perfectly capable for playing games like World of Warcraft and Call of Duty.

To the OP, I would hold off. Better cards will surely be released soon, and then the price of the X1900 will go down.
 
I think it depends on your resolution settings.
For playing on a 24" screen at native 1920x1200 resolution I would definitely recommend getting the ATI card. If you are playing at 1024x768 or lower resolutions the the 7300GS should be fine.
 
id be partial to the X1900 but only b/c i play games alot and the 7300 is really just that bad. but i think it would get you by for the "odd game of COD2" b/c ive played it on my pb and been fine with the slowdowns. but then you realize the 7300 isnt that hot for graphic design/work either, but its manageable.

the mac pro line really needs a mid range card, which i feel would come eventually but knowing apple its hard to count on that sort of flexibility. going by what you said about wanting a card that wont be outdated in 3 years, i have to recommend the X1900. in 3 years it will prolly be a mid lower range card which makes you think where the 7300 will rank
 
I'm sure the 7300 will run the game with playable framerates, although with most settings turned to low (I don't know the game). The X1900 will no doubt enable you to play COD2 on the highest quality on a large monitor.

Ask yourself: In three years time, are you going to be still playing COD2, or are you going to be playing the equivalent of COD2 today? If it's the latter, the X1900 should still give you enough power to play these games. The 7300, however, will not.

By the way, I'm not sure I would classify someone who plays COD2 a "very light gamer". To me, that's reserved for chess and "bejewled" players.

Go for the X1900XT, but if you can wait, wait. Good chance some time (before the end of the year?) Apple will update the Mac Pro with "Stoakley Seaburg" (still don't know what it is, but apparently it will be good) and of course brand new DX10 graphics cards.
 
Erasmus said:
Good chance some time (before the end of the year?) Apple will update the Mac Pro with "Stoakley Seaburg" (still don't know what it is, but apparently it will be good)
Click to expand...
LOL! :)
I've been reading and reading and reading about it and I probably don't know a heck of a lot more than you do.
The main thing is like you say we should get a nice new card out of it.
 
Get the X1900XT. Enough said.

What if you want to play a game that's more current in those 3 years?
 
slughead said:
I'm never upgrading to vista, so DX10 is worthless anyway.

Though Cider may someday support DX10...
Click to expand...

But you're not the OP...

Wait for the Refresh and get an 8800 or 2900!

And, uh, yeah, SS brings higher FSB speeds, which should be useful, but other than that...

...Oh, and you can swap out the Woodies or Clovers for "Xenryns" when they are released.
 
Erasmus said:
But you're not the OP...

Wait for the Refresh and get an 8800 or 2900!

And, uh, yeah, SS brings higher FSB speeds, which should be useful, but other than that...

...Oh, and you can swap out the Woodies or Clovers for "Xenryns" when they are released.
Click to expand...

You've lost me a little bit here.
You mention "SS."
I think Apple will wait for Stoakley/Seaburg which will probably be released in November.
By that time the "Xenryns" (as you call them) should already be out.
I doubt Apple will install Woodies or Clovers in a SS computer.
 
if you can wait , i'd advise wait

the s-s board and new chips plus upgraded cards and even the possibility of blu ray makes for a tempting proposition !!!

as long as sdave agrees , anyway :)
 
Once Apple has a custom BIOS for lets say a 8800GT, I'll be buying one from NewEgg, changing the BIOS, and putting it in my Mac Pro and replacing the X1900 ;)
 
Topper said:
You've lost me a little bit here.
You mention "SS."
I think Apple will wait for Stoakley/Seaburg which will probably be released in November.
By that time the "Xenryns" (as you call them) should already be out.
I doubt Apple will install Woodies or Clovers in a SS computer.
Click to expand...

Firstly, by SS I meant Stoakley/Seaburg, which I thought had already been released.
I don't think the Xenryns (Penryn Xeons) will be released until next year.
 
I put this one down to experience.

If you get the 7300 you may save yourself the $200 BTO option - but should you find it sucks major bumhole then prepare to pay $450 for the X1900 or another top card afterwards.

False economy. Get the X1900 as more applications - not necesserily games - begin to offload tasks to the GPU it's the wisest thing to do.
 
I am also a casual gamer. I also thought the 7300 would be just fine. I was wrong. I was very disapointed that even an old game like UT2004 had to have the settings toned down to get acceptable frame rates. The X1900 was a vast improvement. (Yes, I installed the UB patch, it didn't help much).
 
MacRumorUser said:
I put this one down to experience.

If you get the 7300 you may save yourself the $200 BTO option - but should you find it sucks major bumhole then prepare to pay $450 for the X1900 or another top card afterwards.
Click to expand...

Apple charging $450.00 for the x1900 upgrade kit is nothing short of highway robbery.
 
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