Why bother with a Imac?

Hey all

im a complete noob when it comes to macs.

I need a new PC as my computer is on its last legs.
So you guys can help me join the mac revolution by telling me why i should buy a mac


First and foremost Im a Gamer ive played PC games since quake and im looking to continue.

So your thinking "this guy is a idiot just buy a **** PC if you want to game"

Well i love the look of the i7 Imac 2.8/9ghz? the screen is the best ive ever seen anywhere.

So my questions are:
Will i be able to play current and most of the future games on High settings with Good 60+ FPS?

The main games i play is Wow,COD,Starcraft,Bioshocks,Valve software ETC

Now I have no idea why people Buy macs if im honest, so let me tell you what i would like to get into.

Im a Gamer at heart and nothing will change that but im looking into getting into other things as computers are amazing in what they can do nowadays.

apart from Gaming i browse websites and watch videos constantly as well as listen to Music, i would say half the time im on my pc i listen to music and watch videos and browse Forums.

Im not really into video editing and music editing although i would love to try out music editing side of things.

So guys help me out and tell me why i should buy one of these awesome looking machines.

If your first and foremost issue is gaming you should not buy a Mac. You should do as every serious gamer and a good many members here (including myself) have been doing since at least the mid-nineties and build your own Windows box.

As a gamer and you can only afford a single box, then a Mac is not what you're looking for.

bobtomay said:

If your first and foremost issue is gaming you should not buy a Mac. You should do as every serious gamer and a good many members here (including myself) have been doing since at least the mid-nineties and build your own Windows box.

As a gamer and you can only afford a single box, then a Mac is not what you're looking for.

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I could not agree more.

The iMac is a nice machine for sure, but a gaming rig, it is not. With a purpose built gaming rig, you can fulfill all of your requirements, and still be able to inexpensively upgrade components like the CPU/Motherboard and GPU as more power hungry games are released. The iMac, in particular, is only upgradeable to a certain extent - you can easily add RAM. You can swap the hard drive if you're handy with electronics. But beyond that, you're pretty much stuck with the processor, chipset and GPU that you bought it with. So, although the 27" iMac can run most games at good framerates, it's certainly not future proof in that regard.

And since you'll need to run Windows on it to access all of the latest games, you might as well buy another Windows box. IMO, the biggest reason to buy a Mac is to run Mac OS X and Mac software. If you have no intentions on doing either, why bother? Sure the aesthetics are great, but at the end of the day, the computer is a tool to do a job. If it can't do the job it's intended to, it's just a pretty paperweight.

Agreed completely with Bob and CWA. Build a Gaming PC. An iMac is not a Gaming system. No Mac really is in fact.

Thanks for your inputs guys i will stick to my plan and get a gaming Rig

Maybe one day Mac will bring out a Gaming rig that is upgradable and i will be on the list to get one until then il stick to my Windows PC's

thanks guys

dredduk said:

Maybe one day Mac will bring out a Gaming rig that is upgradable and i will be on the list to get one until then il stick to my Windows PC's

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It would be interesting if Apple did...but I'm not going to hold my breath!

- Nick

pigoo3 said:

It would be interesting if Apple did...but I'm not going to hold my breath!

- Nick

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I would be thrilled with that as well. There's always the Mac Pro, but it's still super expensive and not nearly as cost effective to upgrade.

Also, build your own machine. Don't buy a pre-built system. You'll save a ton of money, gain a lot of valuable experience, and assure that you've got standardized parts that are simple to replace/upgrade.

At one time, it was a difficult proposition. Today, a trained chimp can do it. And NewEgg.com is your friend

cwa107 said:

I would be thrilled with that as well. There's always the Mac Pro, but it's still super expensive and not nearly as cost effective to upgrade.

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I think that the OP has presented a "double" hurdle for Apple...maybe even a triple hurdle:

- release a "gaming rig"
- upgradeable
- lastly...affordable

I could see Apple releasing a device that is more gaming focused...maybe affordable...probably not upgradable...maybe a new type of device more in line of the iPad (to make it affordable).

Of course the real key is...software (at least OS X based software). All of the gaming software companies would REALLY have to kick things up about 100 notches...so there's enough titles to make an Apple gaming computer/device worth while. Simultaneous software releases as well!

- Nick

Do not buy the iMac as they are glorified laptops with no upgradeable graphics etc. Stick with a PC if you are a serious gamer.

I disagree with most of the above.

I am a hardcore gamer, and yes I have a custom built Win7 machine at home. If I could have afforded it, I would have bought a 27in iMac Corei7 instead. In fact, I am trying to sell my Win7 box to cover the cost of a 27in iMac. Anyone interested, let me know.

Look at the specs:
2.93 Corei7
16GB 1333MHz RAM
Radeon 5750 w/ 1GB RAM
A B-E-A-Utiful 27in 2560x1440 screen

I am currently using the above machine at work, I installed WoW and play it from time to time, and it screams. With all the good Valve software going native Mac, gaming is great. Have a few games that require Windows? Bootcamp.

The hardware is solid, Macs are for games if you want them to be.

Yes, an equal Win7 box is a lot cheaper, but then you have to buy a sub-par screen, and lose all the Mac-ness that we all have grown to love.

Hi,

I bought my iMac for use with productivity software. But I did look at games and the first thing I noticed was that there was nowhere near as many games for a Mac as for a PC. Using Bootcamp, which is included in the operating system, you can dual boot an iMac with both Snow Leopard or Windows XP, Vista or 7. But, of course, there are PC's that have better processors and video cards then the iMac. Also, upgrading an iMac is really not as simple as upgrading something like a PC tower designed for gaming. If it is the monitor size that has caught your eye, you can get big monitors like the iMac uses for any PC. I have both an iMac and a PC I use. Both are good at certain things. The iMac is much more stable for doing photo editing and working with programs like Dreamweaver and Flash as well as working with the CAD programs available for the Mac. But the PC shines because there is so much software made for it. Although there is supposed to be a Mac version coming out, AutoCAD is pretty much only for the PC format. So I am stuck using a PC when I want to do any CAD drafting in AutoCAD. I have Viacad and that Google Cad on my Mac, but both suck when compared to AutoCAD.
To be frank, if gaming is your primary use for your computer, I'd stick with a PC specifically optimized for gaming. Although I prefer the Mac computer and OS for most things, if you want great gaming capabilities, the PC still rules.

recon731 said:

The hardware is solid, Macs are for games if you want them to be.

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Sure. But as with most things in life, you have to ask yourself if the ends justify the means.

Yes, an equal Win7 box is a lot cheaper, but then you have to buy a sub-par screen, and lose all the Mac-ness that we all have grown to love.

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Did you read the OP's question? He doesn't desire "Mac-ness", has no intention of running the OS. Just wants to play games and thinks the case looks cool.

Do you think Apple has cornered the market on good LCD panels? One can easily purchase a display that equals or betters the iMac's 27" panel (and for less money too).

cwa107 said:

Sure. But as with most things in life, you have to ask yourself if the ends justify the means.



Did you read the OP's question? He doesn't desire "Mac-ness", has no intention of running the OS. Just wants to play games and thinks the case looks cool.

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Getting a Mac to run Windows only is silly and a waste of $$$. Games or no games!

cwa107 said:

Do you think Apple has cornered the market on good LCD panels? One can easily purchase a display that equals or betters the iMac's 27" panel (and for less money too).

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Dell for one. Read Anands (Anandtech.com) excellent review on the new 27" Apple display. Excellent LCD but there are equal and better LCD's for less in almost every way and he demonstrates that in his review. Dell is not the only other brand to equal Apples panels either but it's one that stands out.

i think the real question that should be asked here is:

'Why Bother with a PC?'

copeland said:

i think the real question that should be asked here is:

'Why Bother with a PC?'

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If you run some flavor of Linux on them..... they Rock. The real reason to have a Mac is to "AS of now" surf with out all that anti virus stuff that bogs down a PC and is a kill joy.

Games are fun, but after many years I came to the conclusion that they are really best enjoyed on hardware specifically designed for them, ie consoles.

Sure, Windows PCs do a nice job with games, but for a high-end gaming rig you pay 5x-10x more than an Xbox for "not 10x" gaming experience.

Macs are for people who like to MAKE things not CONSUME things, so no they'll never be gaming rigs.