Can Maxed Out Mac mini do WOW in Ultra?

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title is pretty self explanatory. want to get a fully loaded mac mini and connect it to my 47" 3d 1080p tv. i want it to play world of warcraft in ultra settings. would that work or should i bite the built and get a macbook pro or imac?
 

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The Mini will do just fine connected to your 47" TV. You don't need a MBP or iMac.
 
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The Mini will do just fine connected to your 47" TV. You don't need a MBP or iMac.

so if i get a mac mini with a 2.6GHz quad i7 ivy bridge, 16gb ram, & 1tb fusion i should be able to do wow in ultra settings then huh.

is ther any external storage device that would be good for storing itunes tv shows and movies, maybe via thunder?
 

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My wife is a WoW player and has some doubts about whether that would be sufficient for Ultra mode particularly if that you are interested in raiding. She suggests posting in the Mac section of the WoW forum and get their input.

I don't suggest posting your question in the general areas of WoW. Their first response to these types of questions seems to be "Get a Windows Box".
 

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imho: if you want to play any 3d game, even WoW, at maxed out settings:

The simple answer is get a box with dedicated graphics - period.

Do not even look at computers with onboard graphics.
Computer has onboard graphics - move along - nothing to see here.
Even if the individual game you want works now, what about the next big update, 6 months or a year from now.

NOTE: To any "gamer" - never, ever buy a computer with on board graphics.
If you're not buying a computer based number one on the GPU and 2nd on the CPU - you ain't no gamer.
 
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I actually tried, cause I can, and it looks terrible. will it load? Yes. Will it be playable? No. Not in Ultra. I was getting 5 FPS standing still in the middle of nowhere. Went into Stormwind, had to log out.
 

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i want it to play world of warcraft in ultra settings. would that work or should i bite the built and get a macbook pro or imac?

I missed the part about "ultra". Sorry about that, the other replies are correct - especially the one from "bobtomay".
 

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I actually tried, cause I can, and it looks terrible. will it load? Yes. Will it be playable? No. Not in Ultra. I was getting 5 FPS standing still in the middle of nowhere. Went into Stormwind, had to log out.

Wife was suitably impressed. She was surprised that you did not crash out.
 
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I was about to throw this in but it already has been. I'll say it anyway: if you want to play games other than Angry Birds, get a computer with a dedicated graphics card.
 
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so ill be better getting mbp or a new mac pro when it releases then or at leastt a imac
 
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Considering the costs of the Mac Pro ($3k and up) a loaded down iMac with the 27" screen would be best bang for your buck. No matter what, plan on spending more than $2.2k for a proper Mac with the right video card.

Macs are not meant or marketed for gaming. If gaming is your main goal, you may still be better off with a high end Windows PC. There are some decent ones, when you get past the bloatware.

the MBP I have listed in my sig, I can run WoW on ultra with no issues and even during the firelands raids was over 45 FPS (great for a Mac, BTW). But it was a very expensive piece of hardware, and I did not intend on gaming on it. I use it for video and photo production. My Mini is my media center.
 

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so ill be better getting mbp or a new mac pro when it releases then or at leastt a imac

A Macintosh computer with a dedicated graphics card would be better. This means NONE of the following computers:

- MacBook Airs
- Mac-Mini's
- 13" MacBook Pro's

Knowing that...use your budget and portability needs as the deciding factors as to what you buy.

- Nick

p.s. Question for you. If you were originally thinking of purchasing a Mac-Mini (the least costly Macintosh computer)...why all of a sudden would you mention a Mac Pro (the most expensive Macintosh computer)??

This is like going car shopping...and wanting a Ford Focus...and coming home with a Ferrari.;)
 
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If your budget is unlimited and you really want a Mac I would NOT game on the mini. Maxed out iMac or MacBook Pro with bootcamp will get you the best gaming performance. WoW works fine in OSX but with my own experience even better in Windows (on the same computer).

Or just buy a gaming rig. You can get pretty nice and small m-atx cases now that fit large graphic cards. :) For a fraction of the cost of a mac! ;)
 
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well i like doing video and image work. wow is a way to relax at the end day. the main pourpous will be video edidting with imaging and light gaming. i have a ps2 fat, ps3, fat, ps3 slim, and plan to get a ps4 for gaming
 

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well i like doing video and image work. wow is a way to relax at the end day. the main pourpous will be video edidting with imaging and light gaming. i have a ps2 fat, ps3, fat, ps3 slim, and plan to get a ps4 for gaming

If this is what you do...then why were you considering a Mac-Mini in the first place? Totally the wrong choice for what you do...especially if purchasing a Mac-Mini was not due to budget constraints.

And if you do have budget constraints...then considering a possibly $3000+ new Mac Pro certainly isn't the solution either (if you cannot afford it)!;)

This leaves you with somthing in the middle from a cost perspective. Either an iMac or a 15" MacBook Pro if you need/want portability.

- Nick
 
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well was looking budget basically. i live on disability and money is hard. i used to build my computers but they keep catching fire. so basically was wondering f mac mini would be option.

was wanting to ask your opinion on a system since my windows caught fire and need a replacement. i have killed many windows computers with my multitasking. i love to edit photos videos and du a couple online games like world of warcraft and second life. those are for me tol relax. in fact i dj onlne in second life. but with my interests in video, picture, music ediing, with light gaming whaat would be best sytem fro me. im looking at a macbook pro, imac 27, future release mac pro, or a custom built pc.

on a side note i hope to get in to digital media degree oneday. so with all this info can u make a good rrecomndation?

edit: i forgot to mention i will be coming into a settlement evently for car antecedent. benn seeing dr 3 months now and was in hosp 3 days so expecting decent amount. that is why im considering a mac pro when it releases
 

pigoo3

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well was looking budget basically. i live on disability and money is hard.

edit: i forgot to mention i will be coming into a settlement evently for car antecedent. benn seeing dr 3 months now and was in hosp 3 days so expecting decent amount. that is why im considering a mac pro when it releases

Sounds to me that you're not 100% at the moment what the $$$ is all about. Why not wait until you get your settlement. Also...even if you had the money...and you wanted a new Mac Pro...its not supposed to be available till the Fall anyway.

In this thread we've pretty much been all over the map...from Mac-Mini to new Mac Pro...and we've gotten nowhere! Get your settlement finalized...wait for the new Mac Pro to be released...then let's talk.:)

- Nick
 
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chas_m

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GGAlice, you sound a lot like Deckyon from that description. I would pay attention to his posts. :)
 

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Video editing and digital media - once again, the GPU is what you need to be looking at first - CPU 2nd. CPU typically important for video editing/encoding unless you've got software that can make use of CUDA.

Win boxes catching on fire - the primary reason for that would be using el cheapo power supplies. Not a place to skimp on when building a video/gaming box. A video/gaming enthusiast also shouldn't buy any case that comes with a power supply - or at least don't use the one that came with it.

For what you've described, wouldn't recommend anything short of the 27" iMac and upgrading the CPU and GPU to the max. $2.4k with no other upgrades - $2.2 with one or the other. Less than that and you're making do based on your budget - and we all have to go there sometimes.

For about that same money would guess you could get a Mac mini and build your own Win box. Haven't built a new rig in 3-4 yrs now, but would think you can still build your own $2k Win box that would have better m/bd, power supply and cooling than the $3k+ pre-built gaming boxes being sold.

Time to start researching parts - aluminum cases with pull out m/bd trays (or at least easy to work in and good routing for cabling) and separate area for power supply - decide which GPU(s) and CPU you want - then look at m/bds - then at power supplies and cooling. Research - research - research.
 

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