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Switcher Hangout (Windows to Mac)
Games under OSX or Windows via Bootcamp?
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<blockquote data-quote="wmprice1240" data-source="post: 840755" data-attributes="member: 99551"><p>It's a good question. </p><p></p><p>Being a relatively hard core gamer (and a diehard Mac user), there are a few technical things to keep in mind when it comes to games: </p><p></p><p>These days, games are typically developed using one of two graphics rendering/handling technologies:</p><p></p><p>DirectX (Windows only)</p><p>OpenGL (platform agnostic)</p><p></p><p>A majority of games out there these days are primarily written for DirectX. This is simply a financial reality for game companies wanting to develop for the platform with the largest install base. Any game written for DirectX and 'ported' to the Mac is typically going to run slower if it is using some form of API emulation software (ie Cider). </p><p></p><p>In contrast a game written using OpenGL performs much better because it can run 'natively' on the Mac platform. Doom3, which runs well on both Mac and Linux, is a good example of such a game. However, again because of the financial reasons (and some technical) a majority of games are written and optimized for DirectX.</p><p></p><p>Note, independent of the graphics technology in use, each OS handles games differently due to memory management, use of hardware etc. </p><p></p><p>While Mac gaming has made some strides in this area, at the end of the day (unfortunately), Windows is still king of the hill. Graphics drivers (the code that talks to your graphics card) are almost certainly optimized for Windows when it comes to games for the financial reasons listed above.</p><p></p><p>Fortunately for us there is BootCamp which makes the 'Macs aren't good for games' argument somewhat obsolete since you can always maintain a separate partition (as you have already done) and enjoy both OSX and Windows when necessary.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="wmprice1240, post: 840755, member: 99551"] It's a good question. Being a relatively hard core gamer (and a diehard Mac user), there are a few technical things to keep in mind when it comes to games: These days, games are typically developed using one of two graphics rendering/handling technologies: DirectX (Windows only) OpenGL (platform agnostic) A majority of games out there these days are primarily written for DirectX. This is simply a financial reality for game companies wanting to develop for the platform with the largest install base. Any game written for DirectX and 'ported' to the Mac is typically going to run slower if it is using some form of API emulation software (ie Cider). In contrast a game written using OpenGL performs much better because it can run 'natively' on the Mac platform. Doom3, which runs well on both Mac and Linux, is a good example of such a game. However, again because of the financial reasons (and some technical) a majority of games are written and optimized for DirectX. Note, independent of the graphics technology in use, each OS handles games differently due to memory management, use of hardware etc. While Mac gaming has made some strides in this area, at the end of the day (unfortunately), Windows is still king of the hill. Graphics drivers (the code that talks to your graphics card) are almost certainly optimized for Windows when it comes to games for the financial reasons listed above. Fortunately for us there is BootCamp which makes the 'Macs aren't good for games' argument somewhat obsolete since you can always maintain a separate partition (as you have already done) and enjoy both OSX and Windows when necessary. [/QUOTE]
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Games under OSX or Windows via Bootcamp?
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