How to improve mac performance? [wow]

[snookiee]

I've been noticing how when i play wow, especially while raiding with my 25 man team, my fps drops so low that i have to change resolution to 1344 x 840 (wide) and set all the settings as low as they can go to hopefully get 30 fps while playing. Needless to say, I'm not very smart when it comes to computers, and would like some input from those of you who are more knowledgeable.

I'm running on an Imac, OS X 10.5.8 (yes this needs updating)
2.66 GHz processor
4 GB memory
(pulled from "about this mac" menu)

I ran a speedtest of my network, and got the following Result

Whenever I download things, I get on average about 300-320 kbps. I'm wondering if this is correct based on my speedtest results? or if it's even possible to tell. I'm wirelessly connected to a router that's about 25 feet away, through 2 rooms on the same floor.

So a couple things:
1) Would connecting through ethernet make my wow / download performance any better? assuming nobody else was using our network at the time (i.e. optimal conditions)
2) How much would upgrading to 10.7 (from 10.5.8) help me? I'm already planning to do this, just curious.
3) Are there any other things mac users do to improve performance? it baffles me that this huge machine is forced to run the game at lowest possible settings on a tiny resolution to pull 30 fps, when my guildmates complain when their fps drops from 150 to 120.
4) Is my internet connection simply slow? could that be the problem?

p.s. if there's any system information i could give you that would help, let me know! (non compromising ofc, ect ect)

inb4 get a pc :P

[skatblast]

just mentioning a 2.66ghz processor isn't enough info

[snookiee]

What should I add?

[Fuzzykins]

http://www.piriform.com/speccy
Paste info from that in here. I think it has a post online button of sorts. Use that.

[Irisel]

INB4 "Buy a PC" D

Please be constructive when posting. ~Uggor

[Fuger]

I really don't think there is anything you can do short of busting it open and making physical changes to the Motherboard.

[Thrive]

INB4 "Buy a PC" D

I saw this thread and i was going to say that. But then you did.

When posting, please be constructive. ~Uggor

[Idontlikeyou]

So a couple things:
1) Would connecting through ethernet make my wow / download performance any better? assuming nobody else was using our network at the time (i.e. optimal conditions)
2) How much would upgrading to 10.7 (from 10.5.8) help me? I'm already planning to do this, just curious.
3) Are there any other things mac users do to improve performance? it baffles me that this huge machine is forced to run the game at lowest possible settings on a tiny resolution to pull 30 fps, when my guildmates complain when their fps drops from 150 to 120.
4) Is my internet connection simply slow? could that be the problem?

p.s. if there's any system information i could give you that would help, let me know! (non compromising ofc, ect ect)

inb4 get a pc :P

1 and 4) Connecting it directly to the router can actually help your download speeds though. Your internet connection has very little to do with FPS in the long run. If you are skipping around, and your FPS counter in game stays high, then that is an bandwidth problem. When your FPS goes low, most times it is a hardware problem/limitation.
2-3) Cant help you there, sorry :*(.

[Obsession]

As far as your internet is concerned, there are 8 bits in a byte. In that screenshot you downloaded at 318.7 kilobytes per second, or 2.55 megabits per second.

[Brett Skullcrack]

http://www.piriform.com/speccy
Paste info from that in here. I think it has a post online button of sorts. Use that.

"System Requirements: Runs on Microsoft Windows 7, Vista and XP. Including both 32-bit and 64-bit versions."

[gmike]

Install windows XP and play Wow from that.

[Deleted]

Open up system info, export the xml file and paste it here

[Mawaru]

Since you stated that you have a Mac with a 2.66ghz processor, I'm going to assume you have the Mac Pro with the 2.66ghz Xeon processor?

If so, then increasing performance shouldn't be too difficult, granted I'm not too familiar with Apple computers so I don't know how anal Apple is about what upgrades you can and can't put in it.

But basically, your two upgrades should be more RAM and a new graphics card. You should get your system up to 8gb of RAM, and add an ATI Radeon HD 5870. From the little research I did for you, it looks like you'll need to upgrade to 10.7 to use the new graphics card without any issues.

[Deleted]

Since you stated that you have a Mac with a 2.66ghz processor, I'm going to assume you have the Mac Pro with the 2.66ghz Xeon processor?

If so, then increasing performance shouldn't be too difficult, granted I'm not too familiar with Apple computers so I don't know how anal Apple is about what upgrades you can and can't put in it.

But basically, your two upgrades should be more RAM and a new graphics card. You should get your system up to 8gb of RAM, and add an ATI Radeon HD 5870. From the little research I did for you, it looks like you'll need to upgrade to 10.7 to use the new graphics card without any issues.

He said it's an iMac And I don't think upgrading to 10.7 is gonna boost your fps. Also, OP, your speedtest is measured in megabits per second, while when downloading stuff is mostly measured in megabytes per second. 8 megabits=1 megabyte.

Depending on the screen, you may have a 2560x1440 resolution. If you lower that to something like 1920x1080 or even 1680x1050 you should notice better performance.

Upgrading RAM is a waste, since it'll only grant you like 1-2 fps at max (unless you run a shitton of other applications while playing).

apple menu > about this mac > more information > system rapport > export as text (that's under "archive" or something like that). That would give us more information to work with.

But macs aren't build for games at all, and if you want to play wow or newer games at a better fps, you should either buy a windows pc (preferably a self-assembled) or buy a new iMac.

[Prostyle]

I have been playing on a Macbook Pro for years, and I would highly suggest taking a look at this thread in the WoW Mac Support Forum:

http://us.battle.net/wow/en/forum/topic/969747052


Good Luck!

[Deleted]

just mentioning a 2.66ghz processor isn't enough info

Actually, with his OS and RAM amount it kind of is. It lines up with an iMac 9,1:

2.66 GHz (E8200) Intel Core 2 Duo
SODIMM DDR3 SDRAM-1066 (4gb)
nVidia GeForce 9400M with 256MB shared memory
20", 1680 × 1050 / 24'', 1920 x 1080

[Mawaru]

He said it's an iMac

Oh, didn't see that when I read it the first time, I just read it as "Mac" instead of "iMac". In that case, his best option is what you mentioned: to buy something new; whether it be a higher powered Mac that actually has a decent graphics card, or a Windows based gaming computer.

[Cows For Life]

Actually, with his OS and RAM amount it kind of is. It lines up with an iMac 9,1:

2.66 GHz (E8200) Intel Core 2 Duo
SODIMM DDR3 SDRAM-1066 (4gb)
nVidia GeForce 9400M with 256MB shared memory
20", 1680 × 1050 / 24'', 1920 x 1080

It's not the internet connection or any of the things the OP speculated about. It's the CPU. It's just too slow. Even on the Windows side, that CPU wouldn't be adequate for 25s. I'm assuming iMac CPU's can't be upgraded?

[Deleted]

It's not the internet connection or any of the things the OP speculated about. It's the CPU. It's just too slow. Even on the Windows side, that CPU wouldn't be adequate for 25s. I'm assuming iMac CPU's can't be upgraded?

Yup, since everything is directly combined with the mobo (hence the size).