Windows gaming on a high end iMac

I'm a lifelong Mac user and fanatic but I'm debating getting a windows gaming computer or a new high end iMac. I know the ideal - and cheapest - way to play games would be getting a windows computer, but I would love to have a new Mac. The game I am buying the new computer for is Star Wars: The Old Republic. I don't know the specifications of this game because it's not out yet, but it doesn't look extremely graphically demanding. Of course I would play other games too. Do you think a new iMac would be good for this, or would it be too slow? How well does bootcamp run this kind of stuff?
Thanks.

EDIT: I meant Star Wars: The Old Republic (the upcoming mmorpg), NOT Knights of the Old Republic

If you are hardcore about gaming then I would keep them separate. I build my own rigs for Gaming and I have my iMac, Macbook, and MBP for my work/school.

You can game on a Mac but the hardware is not going to be nearly as good compared to a machine that is built for a specific task. I would keep that in mind.

I agree with Crimson. For hard core gaming, putting together a Win box specifically for gaming is the way to go. You can game fairly well on a high end iMac and of course a Mac Pro, but even at that a custom made Win machine would be better.

I know that for "hard core" gaming a windows box would be best, but I really don't want to buy two computers if I don't have to. Or at least I'd like to buy a new Mac before buying a PC. Again, it would be nice to be able to play anything, but I'm mostly interested in Star Wars: the Old Republic, for now. (And I want to be able to play Half-Life 2, portal, etc. and run steam.)

Rob D,

According to CNet, the top end 27 inch IMac out performed any other computer (running Windows),when running in boot camp mode. But, its going to cost you over $2000.00. So, it just boils down to what you are willing to spend.

Just to clarify, Bootcamp does not play games. All Bootcamp is:
An Fdisk Partition Magic like utliity to split the hard drive in to 2 partitions.
An Installer and Driver downloader for Windows.

Otherwise It's Windows running natively on the hardware just like on a Windows computer.

On the gaming part, I agree with Chscag and Crimson, If you want a system that will play any Windows game, build a Windows gaming system. If you do some occasional gaming that will work with the hardware in the iMac, then it will work just like a PC with the same hardware.

I have a dedicated Windows box for demanding gaming, but play some like GTA3, Vice City and others on my 2007 iMac C2D and they play smooth as can be, but no newer game will on my older iMac.

You can build a "decent" Windows gaming rig (minus the OS) for @ $600-700. Choose your components wisely and you can always upgrade them later when time and/or budgets allow. I have a 2008 24"iMac and a mid-09 MBP. I tried gaming on them but the performance was low. Bought myself an Asus G53 for gaming only and love it. My Mac's are still my primary machines for everyday use though. I should add though that with the current high prices on bare HDD's you might be able to get a prebuilt rig for @ the same price as a home build.

I have a top of the line Mac Pro with dedicated graphics cards, etc.. and it works fine for high-end gaming but will cost you about $3,200 + cost of the graphics cards.

I overpaid but I consider it savings the opportunity cost of not having two computers...

It all depends on your financial perspective. Also, I already have a Mac Pro with two apple displays and my wife's iMac 24 in our office. If I tried to add a 3rd one for gaming she would divorce me

Buying a Mac Pro just for high end gaming makes no sense. It's a nice machine but that should not be the reason to buy one. Saves space etc is a nice and all.

However you need to look at the big picture. Finding graphic cards that work with the Mac Pro can be a hassel and no support for SLi or Crossfire configurations is just blah.

CrimsonRequiem said:

Buying a Mac Pro just for high end gaming makes no sense. It's a nice machine but that should not be the reason to buy one. Saves space etc is a nice and all.

However you need to look at the big picture. Finding graphic cards that work with the Mac Pro can be a hassel and no support for SLi or Crossfire configurations is just blah.

Click to expand...

I really have to agree completely for a gaming system.

It turns out I was wrong, the requirements for Old Republic are out:
Processor:

AMD Athlon 64 X2 Dual-Core 4000+ or better or Intel Core 2 Duo Processor 2.0GHz or better

Operating System:
Windows XP/Vista/7

RAM:
Windows XP: 1.5GB
Windows Vista and Windows 7: 2GB
PCs using a built-in graphical chipset are recommended to have 2GB RAM

Graphics Card:
ATI X1800 or better*
nVidia 7800 or better*
Intel 4100 Integrated Graphics or better*

DVD-ROM:
8x or better

*Minimum of 256MB of on-board RAM and Shader 3.0 or better support.

Would a $1500-$2000 iMac run this?

Another question: where is the best place to buy a gaming pc? I'm looking for a place where you can buy assembled rigs or assemble them online because I do not know how to put them together.

As to first question, yes, a new iMac would meet those requirements. But as discussed above, it would not run the game (those are absolute minimum requirements, not recommended ones) as well as a dedicated gaming PC. having said that, many users here game via Windows on their Macs via Boot Camp and are very happy with it.

Will defer to others on the second question.

i have the 27" imac i picked up this summer, and was running sw:tor for the beta over the weekend fine, with no issues.

windows 7, on bootcamp