A Mac is just fine for the casual gamer. As one of those whom consistently recommends building a Win box, have to say, a Mac is not just fine for a hardcore gamer / hardware enthusiast.
Village & Crimson have basically hit the nail on the head here. The true enthusiasts in this field, number 1, want access to the motherboard. They're going to at least be playing with overclocking. Show me that on a Mac. They're not interested in having the game run "ok".
Anyone that comes around and first post says their primary use is gaming or mentions they are a gamer... Half of them are just trolling, a quarter of them are not really hardcore gamers and a quarter of them are. The ones that are looking at buying a $700-$1000 off the shelf system or talking about a $100 video card in their home built system and comparing that to a Mac - those folks are not hardcore gamers by any stretch of the imagination and a Mac would suit them just fine... as long as the games they're interested in are available for OS X... These people are not "gamers". They are just people that play games on their computer. Kind of like my wife.
Someone says they are a gamer, I'm going to take them at their word. Not my job to try and second guess them or have them define what that term means to them. As much as I like OS X, it's my personal opinion, that if someone is going to be required to reboot the machine into Windows to play their particular assortment of games, they should be buying a Windows machine and not a Mac.
And as much as I like OS X and my iOS devices, which receive 90% of my computing time today, I personally take issue with a lot of things Mac. It's sort of funny. I have this sticky on connecting your Mac to a TV. Yet, my Macs have not touched a TV in over 2 years. I built a Win7 machine for that.
I've been looking at buying another computer for over 6 months now. I'd really like it to be a Mac instead of building another rig. But, OS X cannot do one of the primary uses I have in mind for the rig I want sitting back in the office. My HTPC could move back to the office and be totally adequate with just an upgrade to the video card and a sound card. Then replace it with what, a mini??? Not happening. It sends a chill up my spine everytime I even consider it.
I've been helping folks purchase the best computer based on their personal uses and their price range now for 15 years. And I take it pretty seriously. What "I" happen to like, only comes into play minimally. Most of the folks that I help out don't have much money, and assisting them in getting the best hardware as possible with the money they have is my top priority. I've been at least half broke most of my life, and for a lot of people out there, a computer purchase is a major investment when they have to go out on a limb and finance a $700-$1000+ toy. Yep, toy. That to me is what a computer still is today for a great many people.
