Is the new iMac good?

Amu · Oct 21, 2009

Hi there. First of all I would like to say that I am new here, and apologize if this is on the wrong place.
I was wondering if you guys and gals could help me out if the new iMac is the right choice for me. I currently don't have a computer nor laptop, therefore I don't have a monitor or hardware. I have always used a pc, but have used the older iMacs at my college campus, but this will be my first Mac to own.
The iMac that I am interested in is the 27" iMac that just came out. I would like to use it for watching movies/videos, listen to music, surf the web, convert videos/audio, and play games (like Ragnarok, Rose Online, Maplestory, WoW, Aion...). The specs that I chose were the i7 processor and 8GB DDR3 RAM, ATI Radeon 4850 512MB.
My questions in regards to the hardware are:
Is the ATI Radeon 4850 with 512MB enough to play the games that I listed at high settings (at 1200x800 resolution)? Will it play videos with no problems, or any other graphic intesive software?
Is the graphics card better than the nvidia 8400m gt? (my previous computer had it)
Will the hardware be more than enough to run win xp or win 7 64 bit with no problem? (using boot camp).
Will the iMac overheat if I play games running on win xp or win 7? If so how could I lower the overall temps?
Does the iMac have good heat management (ie fans, heatsinks,...)? Is it better than a laptop?

Sorry for all the questions, but if I do buy this iMac I don't want to regret it. Thanks in advance for the help

Sur3Mac · Oct 21, 2009

Amu said:
Hi there. First of all I would like to say that I am new here, and apologize if this is on the wrong place.
I was wondering if you guys and gals could help me out if the new iMac is the right choice for me. I currently don't have a computer nor laptop, therefore I don't have a monitor or hardware. I have always used a pc, but have used the older iMacs at my college campus, but this will be my first Mac to own.
The iMac that I am interested in is the 27" iMac that just came out. I would like to use it for watching movies/videos, listen to music, surf the web, convert videos/audio, and play games (like Ragnarok, Rose Online, Maplestory, WoW, Aion...). The specs that I chose were the i7 processor and 8GB DDR3 RAM, ATI Radeon 4850 512MB.
My questions in regards to the hardware are:
1) Is the ATI Radeon 4850 with 512MB enough to play the games that I listed at high settings (at 1200x800 resolution)?
2) Will it play videos with no problems, or any other graphic intesive software?
3) Is the graphics card better than the nvidia 8400m gt? (my previous computer had it)
4) Will the hardware be more than enough to run win xp or win 7 64 bit with no problem? (using boot camp).
5) Will the iMac overheat if I play games running on win xp or win 7?
6) If so how could I lower the overall temps?
7) Does the iMac have good heat management (ie fans, heatsinks,...)? Is it better than a laptop?

Sorry for all the questions, but if I do buy this iMac I don't want to regret it. Thanks in advance for the help

First of all... those are some impressive specs, but to answer your questions....

1) Yes, more than enough, I play Call of Duty 4 on a MBP with a 256 mb 9600M GT, so I'd say yes.

2) of course it will play videos with no problem, 720p, 1080p High def, take your pick.

3) Oh yes...

4) I'm not sure if Bootcamp supports a 64 Bit OS at this time.

5) It will be hot, but no... it will not overheat.

6) You could blow on it...

seriously, you can't.

7) That's in the eye of the beholder, but sure it has good heat management.

Well... I hope this helps you in some way;D

ImageX · Oct 21, 2009

On the list of computers that can run 64-bit Windows through Bootcamp, the iMac is not one of them. This new iMac may change things up a bit, but I don't think Apple has refreshed their list of compatible computers. You may want to call them to find out. Good luck.

dtravis7 · Oct 21, 2009

All I know is I can boot my C2D (64-Bit) Mac Mini from my Windows XP SP2 64 CD. I would bet all the C2D Macs would run 64 Bit Windows. Only issues I can see with Windows 7 would be 64 Bit drivers for all the hardware in the new iMac.

Sur3Mac · Oct 21, 2009

I concur, I had to sell my 64 bit version of Win XP to trade it in for a 32 bit, it does install, and run... but no drivers.

Amu · Oct 21, 2009

Cool, thanks for the help

. So far I'm 98% certain that I will buy it, but I have two last questions. Will it run win xp like the pc does, without lags/glitches? I really don't mind it I can't use the 64bit version of windows as most of the software that I will use are mostly 32bit. But I just want to make sure that win xp runs smooth :]. And the last question is, will it be difficult to find the drives for the hardware in win xp? It's really complicated to find drives for win xp, especially if the hardware is considered like that of laptops? If so what places would you recommend me to find the drives? Thanks for the help, I really appreciate it

.

deus_ex_machina · Oct 21, 2009

do you mean drivers for hardware? all the drivers XP needs are included if you use the Apple CD on the Windows side, if PnP doesn't find them already. And being the same hardware, XP will run very smooth.

Amu · Oct 21, 2009

Yeah I meant drivers sorry. Ohh ok, that's perfect. So that means no hunting for the drivers

. Awsome, so that settles it, iMac it is :]. Thank you all for the help :]

True Bassist · Oct 21, 2009

Buy 3 just because =]

deus_ex_machina · Oct 21, 2009

True Bassist said:
Buy 3 just because =]

And have the most expensive multi-monitor setup to date

JCP21 · Oct 21, 2009

The new imac is very good, i would recommend it to anyone who can afford it! If you have money get the quad core you will notice difference compared to dual core when you have lots of apps running. Hopefully il get one soon

gagnerants · Oct 21, 2009

I own one of the older ones and I love it, though I would gladly trade it in for the new 27" quad core, lol.

ZorroAMG · Oct 21, 2009

I own a now ancient 24" Core2Duo 3.06 with 8gb of ram and it's a GREAT machine.

The 27" will rox yo sox.

Amu · Oct 21, 2009

Wow, I looked at a YouTube video with a core2duo @3.06ghz and an ati 4850 and it had a score of 5.9 in widows 7, the highest being 6.5 :O. Will the i7 @2.8 raise up the index score? I know the gpu part won't since it will use the same graphics card. But wow, I am definately getting it now lol. Can't wait to play games on it XD. I hope that the iMac won't shut on me if I play for long hours lol.

dtravis7 · Oct 21, 2009

Vista's high score was 5.9. I just ran it the other day on my gaming system and got a 5.9 and checked the help. It flat out said 5.9 was the high score. Is Windows 7 different in that test?

Amu · Oct 21, 2009

Yea, i think windows 7 sets the cap higher than 5.9. Here watch the video:
YouTube - iMac (ATI 4850) running Crysis in dx10

RawTimePhotos · Oct 21, 2009

ZorroAMG said:
I own a now ancient 24" Core2Duo 3.06 with 8gb of ram and it's a GREAT machine.

The 27" will rox yo sox.

AGREEDED! I am picking mine up next week! can't wait!

Amu · Oct 21, 2009

Check out this video:
YouTube - iMac (ATI 4850) running Crysis in dx10

Chris H. · Oct 21, 2009

Isn't it funny how Apple hardware scores a very high score and yet for cheaper hardware, it gets a much lower score on a Windows computer? This is why I prefer Apple- it's just higher quality. Heck, my HP media center running 64bit Windows Vista with a 3gHz Intel Core 2 Quad scores just 4.3 (better than my old laptop, which scored no higher than 3.0) and it cost nearly as much as brand new iMac w/ near identical specs (at the time that we purchased it).

fiolu · Nov 23, 2009

i got the exact same spec machine as you described and it runs everything you listed exceptionally well. W7 64 bit is nice, but OSX has better management of it's hardware, this is to be expected. It has not overheated on me yet. However, playing Aion for hours in W7 64 bit will bring the GPU to the mid 80's to mid 90 degrees C. Once in the 90's the fans will finally kick on and it will go back to mid to high 80's. This should be OK since the card is rated to go a bit higher. Though if any1 has any tips on perhaps a good manual fan control prog for the new hardware plus W7, please let me know!! THX!!