iMac

[Deleted]

Howdy All,

Im playing wow on an iMac with:

Processor: 2,66 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
Memory: 4 GB 1067 MHz DDR3
Graphicscard: NVIDIA GeForce 9400 256 MB

its an older generation iMacs, but i was wondering, cause when ever i change liquid detail, shadow quality or viewing distance to anything than low, my fps drops to around 10. Dunno it thats normal with a iMac with those specs? And if so, is it possible to change graphics card etc?
Don't like comments: if you wanna play games get a pc not mac changed years ago from pc and don't wanna return ^^

thnx in advance.

[Ishayu]

Mac OS X is a decent gaming OS if the games were well written for it.
The iMac has a slow graphics card, but the modern iMacs do not. Even so, it's still plenty capable of running WoW.

If you like the design of the iMac there is nothing preventing you from slapping Windows on it for games. In the process of it, don't forget to whine at Blizzard for their piss-poor optimization on OS X.

I have a MBP Ultimo 2011 15" and it runs WoW on ultra on Windows, but on OS X it can barely run on high.

[Deleted]

Seems like fairly dated hardware to me, especially the GPU. If your gonna run wow on something like that, you're not going to be able to run things like shadows at anything other than low.

No idea how easily you can upgrade the hardware in a mac, but I'm sure google can help you :3

[Incognito Noctix]

Seems pretty normal to me. Those specs are rather old. I'm by no means a Mac expert, but I don't think you can actually upgrade them.

[Deleted]

MBP Ultimo 2011 15"

What resolution is that out of interest?

[Deleted]

Pretty sure the GPU with that low vRAM is dragging down the framerate.

[Vexan]

Graphics ATI Radeon HD 2600 Pro 256 MB

Memory 4 GB 667 MHz DDR2 SDRAM

Processor 2.4 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo

my iMac is from 2007 and it can run the settings you listed on medium and still have much higher framerate.

I have to turn down particle density or whatever when in dungeons with a ton of effects but that's really it.

well i did up untill last week when I got fed up and uninstalled

[Deleted]

i can pretty much have everything on good -high, viewing distance on good. But if i wanna change anything on shadows or liquid detail (even to fair) it drops below 10 lol

[vesseblah]

Dunno it thats normal with a iMac with those specs? And if so, is it possible to change graphics card etc?

Yep. Too old hardware. Will not run any modern games at acceptable speed. Can't upgrade anything except RAM, and it wont help you.

Don't like comments: if you wanna play games get a pc not mac changed years ago from pc and don't wanna return ^^

iMac never was or is meant to be a gaming computer. If you want to play games, it's PC or console.

[Adorada]

You can upgrade iMac, it's just dependent on the model, if I recall correctly. The main issue is the video card. I think the highest you'll probably be able to get is the AMD 5770. Even then, it's like a $250 upgrade. It all comes down to what you want to do, either buy a new card, or save up more money and buy a new iMac.

[Ishayu]

What resolution is that out of interest?

1440x900

That message was too short so more specs:
2.4GHz Core-i7 with 3.4GHz turboboost
8GB PC3-12800 RAM
AMD Radeon HD6770m

[Deleted]

iMac never was or is meant to be a gaming computer. If you want to play games, it's PC or console.

What a stupid comment, its an all rounder the new ones with some of the hardware available, it'll do pretty much anything you throw at it, all be it for a fair bit more money then a PC counter part. But people with the money that like Macs justify it

[Deleted]

What a stupid comment, its an all rounder the new ones with some of the hardware available, it'll do pretty much anything you throw at it

6970M (slower than a GTX460) @ 2560x1440 with good framerates. Yeah, not in anything demanding.

If you like the design of the iMac there is nothing preventing you from slapping Windows on it for games. In the process of it, don't forget to whine at Blizzard for their piss-poor optimization on OS X.

Its a Mac OS problem. Apple' OpenGL stack is between 3 to 5 years behind (depending on whether Lion or SL is used), and graphics drivers are heavily unoptimized. It takes much more work therefore to get Mac OS to run games smoothly than it does in Windows (and Linux), which sports both a superior OpenGL stack, superior GPU drivers, and naturally DirectX for when thats desirable.

[Cows For Life]

What a stupid comment, its an all rounder the new ones with some of the hardware available, it'll do pretty much anything you throw at it, all be it for a fair bit more money then a PC counter part. But people with the money that like Macs justify it

As I recall from a previous thread, the top end iMac has a 2560x1440 panel backed by a GPU that has hardware that's below a desktop Radeon 6850 and that's before drivers drag down performance some more.

It's definitely not going to be a speed demon at native resolutions.

[vesseblah]

What a stupid comment, its an all rounder the new ones with some of the hardware available, it'll do pretty much anything you throw at it, all be it for a fair bit more money then a PC counter part. But people with the money that like Macs justify it

High resolution screen combined with midrange mobile graphics card makes iMac really bad for gaming. There's no ifs or buts about it no matter how much you wish it ain't so.

[mpaskin1]

do yourself a favor and get a pc. you can get a really really good one at the price of a mac and it will out perform it in every aspect.

[Exelus]

I had a late-2008 iMac and found that it would actually take 6gb RAM instead of the spec'd 4gb max. You may want to research that for your model as it's a fairly cheap way to get more life out of your machine. (System RAM seems to have a particularly large effect on FPS on the Mac.) That combined with the upcoming 64-bit WoW client will definitely help your situation. Also make sure you are up to date with the latest OSX since the video drivers are "bundled" with the operating system.

[Adorada]

High resolution screen combined with midrange mobile graphics card makes iMac really bad for gaming. There's no ifs or buts about it no matter how much you wish it ain't so.

http://www.barefeats.com/imac11e.html...I wouldn't consider that 'really bad' at all.

Of course, top end Windows machines will generally always beat out a Mac OS X machine. But to say that Mac machines are terrible for gaming is just being arrogant.

But this topic is not about 'Windows is better than Mac' topic. The OP has a Mac, and doesn't want to go back to Windows.

do yourself a favor and get a pc. you can get a really really good one at the price of a mac and it will out perform it in every aspect.

'Every aspect', where's your proof? Or are you just saying that because 'it's what I was told or heard'. Research before you type.

[Truthcifer]

Since you've already got a PC with an Apple OS, and have already mentioned that you don't want to go back to a Windows box', I won't belabor the point by suggesting you 'get a PC'

I've got an older iMac:
Graphics ATI Radeon HD 2600 Pro 256 MB
Memory 4 GB 667 MHz DDR2 SDRAM
Processor 2.4 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo

Same stats as a previous reply and I've completed current raid content, and I'm currently playing the Beta at 'fair' settings, with distance set to high. I've got no problem playing the game(s) so far. Setting the graphics to the Default settings has been too low for my enjoyment, so I tweaked mine up until I could see that I wasn't having problems (stuttering, etc) while moving around a major city during normal activity hours for my server. My framerate isn't always the best in this situation, but if I tweaked it down a bit from that reference, I've been fine during raids.

With Diablo III and the eventual release of MoP, I'm actually considering building my own msWindows-driven PC to allow for upgradeability, as well as allowing me the opportunity to set my graphics up to screaming, but that will only to enhance my gameplay, not to make the game playable, since my current PC allows me to top the DPS charts without missing a beat. If you're determined to see more of the graphics offered, your only option is to get a new computer, or become really handy with customizing your iMac (think - taking one completely apart, and then reassembling it), since you must already know that Apple hasn't designed any of the currently available iMacs for upgrading anything but the memory. However, if you've already got plenty of places to spend your money, and don't really want to spend money you don't have on a new computer, you might just modify your expectations a bit (regardless of your OS choice), and be happy with what you've got after some slight adjustments.

[Deleted]

http://www.barefeats.com/imac11e.html...I wouldn't consider that 'really bad' at all.

There is no information as to how they tested and what the numbers actually show. My honest guess is that they have the maximum fps noted down in each title (honestly, those numbers can't be the average).

And we aren't saying that iMacs are terrible for gaming - they are just fine - but they aren't build or marketed towards gamers. If you want a Mac for whatever reason and want to do some gaming on the side it's perfectly viable, but please don't get an iMac if your main use will be gaming.