Gaming on iMac

[Nikez]

Hello there,

I'm playing WoW on my Macbook pro but i feel terrible when im playing wow on it since that low fps between 15-35 fps and setting was on (Fair) also its a laptop :P so i decided to buy a new PC that work good/super with gaming

Im gonna pick up iMac but before that i want your opinion on that iMac setup for games if it works ultra with it or shit xD

iMac with 27 inch
3.1GHz Quad-Core Intel Core i5
2560 x 1440 resolution
4GB (two 2GB) memory
1TB hard drive1
AMD Radeon HD 6970M with 1GB

this is the best iMac available on store, there are a few options i can choose to improve those setup before i buy it

what can i choose is :

1- the Memory (8GB 1333MHz DDR3 SDRAM - 2x4GB // or // 16GB 1333MHz DDR3 SDRAM - 4x4GB ) instead of 4GB memory
2- Graphics ( AMD Radeon HD 6970M 2GB GDDR5 ) instead of AMD Radeon HD 6970M with 1GB
3- Processor ( 3.4GHz Quad-Core Intel Core i7 ) instead of 3.1GHz Quad-Core Intel Core i5


some of info about iMac maybe helps :

Video ( Simultaneously supports full native resolution on the built-in display and up to a 30-inch display (2560 by 1600 pixels) on an external display
Support for extended desktop and video mirroring modes ).


I choosed iMac cause i like apple product and its style, so it's kinda hard to buy another PC only for games

now, all I need is do you think that iMac is usable for games and does it works very fine ? and what option that i can choose it for better gaming especially FPS ? :P



Hope you understand me and pardon for my english

[vesseblah]

iMac is basically a glorified laptop. It's somewhat usable with the highest possible GPU you picked, but still wont break any fps records. It really ain't a gaming computer, but if you refuse to get a PC you don't really have any reasonable options.

Problem is that the Radeon 6970M laptop version is somewhat similar to desktop 6770 in performance and the iMac has very high resolution. The GPU would give ultra settings on 1440x900 screen, but with three times the pixels you'll probably have to settle for medium/high-ish on most games today or play in smaller window instead of fullscreen. Going for 16GB of RAM will not do you any good in gaming use, and probably not for any other use either unless you know for certain you're going to need it, but the 2GB model of GPU will help with the high resolution screen.

[MikeLive]

I use a 27" iMac (early 2010, Core i5) as my primary machine, and while my PC gaming is limited to pretty much just Valve and Blizzard, I can play everything on max settings and max resolution (that's 2560x1440) without nary a hiccough. Don't listen to the naysayers, they just like to bash Mac because it's cool. It's really an amazing machine and I regret nothing.

[DeltrusDisc]

I use a 27" iMac (early 2010, Core i5) as my primary machine, and while my PC gaming is limited to pretty much just Valve and Blizzard, I can play everything on max settings and max resolution (that's 2560x1440) without nary a hiccough. Don't listen to the naysayers, they just like to bash Mac because it's cool. It's really an amazing machine and I regret nothing.

I'm sorry, but I'd like some legitimate proof. 2560x1440 in almost any game will make mobile parts (aka iMac, MacBooks) crumble and cry in a corner.

[vesseblah]

I'm sorry, but I'd like some legitimate proof. 2560x1440 in almost any game will make mobile parts (aka iMac, MacBooks) crumble and cry in a corner.

2010 iMac has Radeon 5670, which is about on par with the 6970M, but a real desktop GPU and not some laptop junk. So in theory it can be actually faster than the 2011 iMac, but it's definitely not playable on high settings at full screen.

[DeltrusDisc]

I'm going to guess you mean the 5970, but fair enough. I still agree though, at max settings 2560x1440? This guy is BSing us.

[vesseblah]

No, I really do mean 5670. iMacs have incredibly crappy GPU for the screen resolution.

[Nikez]

ok thanks for comments

helps alot