Questions for Hardcore Gamers

S

Spuckler

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First off, after seeing someone else "persuaded" to search the forums before posting about something because it has probably been posted before, I did just that. I got through about 50 some odd posts and didn't really see the answer I was looking for...Please forgive me if i needed to search another 100 more to find the answer. But anyways, here goes... ;)

I read up a bit on Parallels and Boot Camp, but again, I still don't find any "real" answers to my burning questions. Actually, I think I can boil it all down to one question, ok maybe not.

1. Are any of you long-term Mac users out there hardcore gamers?
2. If so, what has been your experience so far loading up and running games on an Intel-based Mac using either of the two programs listed above?
3. Do you prefer one over the other? If so, why?
4. Dual-booting the Mac to WXP...now, I might be over analyzing here, but wouldn't this potentially open up the Mac to WXP-based viruses?
5. Any other tips you could provide me with? If I purchase, I'm going for the G5-type machine...I figured it would be closest to my slightly outdated current PC.

I know a lot of people insist that if I want to play games I should get a console, but I'm a hardcore on-line gamer with passions for Counter-Strike, WoW (Yeah I know I can get it made for the Mac, but I don't want to buy it twice.), Day of Defeat, EQ2, upcoming Vanguard, etc. but I also like single player only ones like NWN2 and Splinter Cell.

Thanks,
Spuck

p.s. Now, if I happen to find myself a Wii in the next couple months...then I'll just skip the computer gaming and go to a console. :)
 
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1.Yep
2. Don't even bother with Parallels. Parallels runs XP within OS X so you are sharing resources. BootCamp loads them one at a time so you are getting every ounce of ability out of your computer in whichever OS you load into
3.BootCamp if only because you get the full system power. I still use Parallels for my linux distros but they aren't as system resource intense
4. Separate partitions, and Windows viruses don't effect OS X
5. You can't run parallels or bootcamp on G5's
 
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Don't buy a G5 Mac if you want to play those games, look for the Mac Pro. I still believe that if you are a hardcore gamer your best option is to make your own system and the main reason for this is the video card options.

I have seen the beta of Vanguard running in a Athlon 64 3600 with an ATI 1600 with 512mb of memory and it runs with lag at low video settings, this is a game that will requiere top hardware, also it's been said that the retail version will require DirectX 10 (Vista). Of course Vanguard is an extreme case.
In the case of Everquest2 you may want to get at least 256mb for video, this is only available with the iMac 20' and more. With the price of that, if you already have the monitor, it would be cheaper to build your own system.
About Counter Strike or WoW i wouldn't worry, those games have lower requirements, about Never Winter Nights 2 or Splinter Cell i don't know.

If you don't mind spending +$2000 for a Mac Pro or if you were considering buying a Dell, Widow PC or similar, go for it. Check the requierements for the heavy games and check the gamer's forums to see what they recommend you and then make your choice.
 
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4. Dual-booting the Mac to WXP...now, I might be over analyzing here, but wouldn't this potentially open up the Mac to WXP-based viruses?
They couldn't affect OS X directly and Windows can't natively read or write to OS X volumes. Even if one could write the the OS X volume, code typically relies on the OS for system calls and has a certain structure for it to load. These are incompatible between the two systems.

What I'm waiting to see is a virus that reformats partitions or messes up the partition structure. That could be bad news for any partition including an OS X one. Of course it would execute under Windows. My interest in Windows is minimal so I don't know if that might already exist.
 
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2. If so, what has been your experience so far loading up and running games on an Intel-based Mac using either of the two programs listed above?

Specifically ... I run NWN2 on my MBP (2.33 C2D, 256M ATI X1600, 2G RAM) at medium-to-high video settings without any problem. For all intents and purposes, you can pretend than an Intel-based Mac is a PC for gaming.

If you get a higher-end Mac (like a Mac Pro) with a better video card and faster processor, it will play games even better.

3. Do you prefer one over the other? If so, why?

Boot Camp is a necessity. Parallels, at least presently, does not emulate Direct3D which means the vast majority of games won't play on it to begin with.

When dual-booting to XP using Boot Camp, your computer is essentially a PC. It's running WinXP natively just like any other Intel-based computer. The difference is that when you're done playing, you can boot over to the Mac OS X side so you can get the rest of your work and play done in a safer, more user friendly environment.

4. Dual-booting the Mac to WXP...now, I might be over analyzing here, but wouldn't this potentially open up the Mac to WXP-based viruses?

WinXP cannot read an OS X partition. If you got a virus while running WinXP in Boot Camp, your worst case scenario is that your WinXP installation/partition will be lost. In a sense, it's like running your games on a separate computer. You might lose your installs and savegames, but if you only play games on the WinXP side (which is what I do), you never have to worry about losing anything important or having your computer crash completely.

5. Any other tips you could provide me with? If I purchase, I'm going for the G5-type machine...I figured it would be closest to my slightly outdated current PC.

To run BootCamp, you must have an Intel-based machine so the G5 is out.

I know a lot of people insist that if I want to play games I should get a console

That's like saying "if you want to use Office, get a PC." Not a lot of people here would trumpet that. :)
 
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An X Box is a PC in a box, but the games cost £50 instead of £25.
 
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I play CS:S competitively and actually make some money off it as well, and I have gone to 2 LANs with my MBP. (I think I may be the first semi-professional gamer that has ever LAN'ed on a mac!) Anyways, I use bootcamp and installed XP pro sp2 and it runs perfectly. Only downside is in playing fastpace games on your MBP is that the refresh rate on the screen isn't amazing. I normally use my LCD I bought and hook it up to the Mac. Make sure you download omega drivers after you install the mac drivers you have.
 
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1. Are any of you long-term Mac users out there hardcore gamers? At some point in my life, I have owned every major console that's existed and even some flops, like the Atari Jaguar and 3DO. I certainly have been hardcore... I don't have time now, but am still a gamer!
2. If so, what has been your experience so far loading up and running games on an Intel-based Mac using either of the two programs listed above? I haven't used Bootcamp, but it should be no different from having a native 'PC'. With Parallels, I have played Unreal Tournament, Half Life and a few others. Currently Parallels only gives you a modest 8mb gfx card, but I hear improvments are on the way. Any old game that runs in software or openGL seems to work ok. DX gives issues.3. Do you prefer one over the other? If so, why? I prefer Parallels because there is no need to reboot and you can share stuff more easily.
4. Dual-booting the Mac to WXP...now, I might be over analyzing here, but wouldn't this potentially open up the Mac to WXP-based viruses? Yes it does, but obviously only on your XP partition and OS. OS X will be immune.
5. Any other tips you could provide me with? If I purchase, I'm going for the G5-type machine...I figured it would be closest to my slightly outdated current PC. You need an Intel based mac to use wither parallels or boot camp.
 
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Now, I don't actually play Wow, but from what I've heard, aren't you just paying a monthly fee for access to the servers? And I've also heard that, other than this, it is free to download. So, if it can run on Mac, wouldn't the only cost for it be the same monthly fee? Again, excuse me if I'm wrong about this one.
 
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Now, I don't actually play Wow, but from what I've heard, aren't you just paying a monthly fee for access to the servers? And I've also heard that, other than this, it is free to download. So, if it can run on Mac, wouldn't the only cost for it be the same monthly fee? Again, excuse me if I'm wrong about this one.

Right now you can get the full version for free for both, Mac and PC. However, when you try to create an account you will requiere a code that comes only with the retail version, otherwhise you will be able to create only a trial account that lasts for 10 days only. At the end of the 10 days the trial account will gie you the option to upgrade to a regular account, but it will ask you for the code included in the retail version. You pay a monthly fee to keep your account, you can use your account in any computer you want, if you have the game installed in your PC and your Mac (or even twice with BootCamp) you will still only pay to keep one account.
 
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get a mac pro or the top of the line imac. you will need to use bootcamp.

with the mac pro even if you keep the cheap gpu you can still run flight simulator x on medium high settings
 

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