iMacs, gaming and heat

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I've searched about a bit but no answer so much on this one...

At the moment I have an MBP which I hook up to my 20" monitor for comfort. Now, I play World of Warcraft, which works quite nicely (aside from some graphical/driver issues atm that MBP owners like msyelf are awaiting a fix for :( ).

But I get worried with it as it gets really hot, the fan starts going, etc. I don't feel happy playing it for too long like that, and I'd rather if I were playing at a desk, to use a desktop system.

So I still use my PC for that, which of course has a nice big case and doesn't cook.

But I hate using my PC! :p So I do want to get a Mac desktop some time, too. It could be a ways off though...

How do iMacs cope with WoW play? Will I be worried about the heat/fans if I went for an iMac, too? Maybe I should just save some more and get a Mac Pro at some point down the line.

It's not like I play loads of top end games - it's literally JUST WoW and the rest of my computer time is all wonderful on my MBP :) I know Macs aren't gaming machines so not recommended for serious gamers, but fact is they do play WoW quite nicely ;) :D And everything else is just amazing.
 
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My Brother is transitioning over to Mac from PC and I've got him running WoW on a G4 iMac, it's runs great though. An his friend is running WoW on an iMac G5. I'd go with the iMac G5 1.8GHZ it's running really smoothly with his friend's iMac.

Good Luck!
iMacKid500 :)
 
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I have one of the white iMacs. I play WC3 all the time and don't notice any heat issues. I downloaded and installed the trial version of WoW and didn't notice any performance or heat issues when playing. Make sure you keep the computer in a well ventilated area.
 
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I run WOW on a New 2Ghz intel iMac it runs absolutely fine no heating issues at all.
 
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Your computer will not be damaged from using it for one of the purposes it exists for - playing games.

All Macs can play intensive games for days on end. Yes the fans may come on occasionally and yes it will feel hot to the touch, but there is really nothing to worry about. The computer companies know these things get hot, which is why they call them notebooks and not laptops anymore. The computer can handle the heat far better than your lap.

The iMac can run intensive games no problem. There's no need to get a Mac Pro due to heat concerns.

Yes, components can have shortened lives due to heat stress, but face it, you're not going to be using any computer you buy in 2007 in 10 years time.
 
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Thanks for allaying my fears guys.

Tonight I've been running WoW on my MBP for a few hours just to try and 'coach' myself to get used to it. I've got the hottest part (left of keyboard, near the speaker) basically hanging off my desk so it has air underneath it, temp is between 60-80 degrees celsius and it sorts itself out very quickly if it gets too hot.

I still want an iMac though.. somewhere down the line... :> :D
 
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Hey sprite, I play a few hours a night generally of WoW on my Aluminium iMac without any heat issues, plays quite well. No lag or anything in game which is great.
 
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I played WoW on my 2.1Ghz G5 with no problems with overheating.
 

Cam


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Much as I love macs, I wouldn't be buying one if you want to play games. You can get a far superior games focussed pc for the cash.
I've a mac pro 2.0ghz, and it really struggles with some games (anyone played supreme commander?) - I see 1fps during intensive parts. On the other hand, half life runs beautifully.
 
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See Sig...
Cam, I saw your system specs in another other thread; your Mac Pro struggles is because it has a 7300, which isn't even fit for a place on my keychain. The Mac Pro with an x1900, though still slower than a modern gaming PC (by virtue of the fact that one x1900 is still slower than 2 8800 Ultras), is acceptably fast for games.

As far as the OP's concerns about heat go... Both the iMacs and the MBPs run warm; downright HOT in the case of the MBP. There's nothing that can be done about the iMac and only so much that can be done for the MBP (at least without voiding the warranty on either system...) I think that you'd be better off investing a small fraction of the money you'd spend on an iMac in a decent notebook cooler (the Vantec Lapcool 2, for example) and AppleCare on the MBP, so when it does fail, it'll be covered under warranty.
 
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Much as I love macs, I wouldn't be buying one if you want to play games. You can get a far superior games focussed pc for the cash.

Meh :\ Did you read my post? :>

It's literally JUST WoW as I said, which plays well on Macs. And I already have a high spec PC. :p

For other gaming (lol, other gaming + WoW doesn't happen!) I have consoles.
 

Cam


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Totally, I'm not a gamer really, but occasionally I like to relax for a few hours, no doubt just like you... If you just dislike Pc's because of windows then fair enough, and like geeky1 stated, get a decent video card with it and you'll have a half decent little system which will easilly run most games...

For me, I find mac osx clumsy, unstable (I have many more freezes and unexplained quitting problems in osx than I do in windows) and simply not as flexable. I do like the fact I can boot in both osx and windows though.

Hmmm, this might be the most useless post ever, don't think I've said anything! Oh well.
 
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Much as I love macs, I wouldn't be buying one if you want to play games. You can get a far superior games focussed pc for the cash.
I've a mac pro 2.0ghz, and it really struggles with some games (anyone played supreme commander?) - I see 1fps during intensive parts. On the other hand, half life runs beautifully.

I love supreme commander, I play it all the time! I play it using my iMac (specs below my name) on windows through bootcamp.

For the most part, it plays great, but you are right that the FPS lowers greatly at some points, such as 500 units all firing at the same time. Anyway, I have read that Supreme Commander will bring even the most powerful of computers to its knees, as its such a resource intense game. Its the only one (that I know of), that has actually been designed to use the two cores of your processor.

Sprite,

To answer your question, an iMac will play WoW absolutely great! I have tried all of these games on my iMac, and it performs flawlessly (apart from said problem with supreme commander), so have no fears!

related reading....

I normally have a fan that sits behind my computer that faces up, directed to the little vent on the top-back of my iMac, that lets the heat out. By my figuring of how heat loss works, this should help your macs cooling, much the same way as blowing over a cup of hot tea really.

With this, I have never noticed my iMac to go over 60 degrees C! So its def a great job.
 

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