Gaming On A Mac Is It Possible?
However, over the last couple of years Apple has begun to boost the processing power
of their machines through partnerships with NVIDIA and AMD, and game developers have begun to target the growing Mac install base. We decided to check out one of Apple's 27-inch iMacs to see how the system performs as a gaming machine and explore the idea of the Mac emerging as a popular gaming platform.
In terms of hardware, the iMac has come a long way since it was originally introduced in 1998. An integral part of Apple's aggressive brand reimagining campaign in the late nineties, the iMac has gone from a highly stylized general use machine to a powerful all-in-one desktop, with a sleek modern design and an impressive array of components, including powerful Intel Core i5 and i7 processors and high-performance ATI graphics cards. For our purposes, we tested Apple's 27-inch iMac, which utilized a 2.66GHz Intel Core i5 processor, an ATI Radeon HD 4850 graphics processor, 4GBs of DDR3 memory, and a 1TB hard drive. The system we used was acquired prior to the company's most recent refresh, which adds slightly more processing power with a 2.8GHz Intel Core i5 and an ATI Radeon HD 5750 GPU.
The system we used, like many Apple computers, comes with a fairly steep MSRP compared to PCs of comparable specs; approximately $1,999. The hefty premium associated with Mac products is due largely to the quality of the built materials and design, as well as for the stability of the operating system, which for many, is worth the extra cash.
There's no questioning that purchasing an iMac to use exclusively as a gaming machine would not be a sensible use of funds, however, if you're in the market for a Mac for general use, as well as some light to moderate gaming, you may be surprised to find how apt they are at handling 3D graphics.
As we mentioned, the other half of the battle for the Mac platform is software, and as such the range of available titles is still a little fairly limited. As of the time this article was published, some of the more recent Mac-compatible titles are StarCraft II, World of Warcraft, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, Bioshock, and Valve's Half Life 2 series and Team Fortress Because the available titles are either on the older side of the spectrum or less graphically intensive, it's hard to get a real accurate sense of how well the iMac may have fare with newer, more demanding titles. However, from what we've experienced with the current crop of titles, the iMac can service general gaming needs.
We gave StarCraft II a whirl, running the game at high specs at maximum resolution (2560 x 1440) and achieving framerates of 30 frames-per-second or more. Similarly, we tested Team Fortress, Portal, and Counter Strike at the same resolution with maxed out settings and maintained steady high framerates of 50 or 60 FPS for a smooth gaming experience. One inherent benefit of gaming on the iMac is the quality of Apple's choice of built-in displays, which are LED backlit and feature a rich color range, which gives games new life.
But despite the decent performance and experience of gaming on the iMac, there are also other factors to consider. While many USB peripherals support plug-and-play use, the ability to fine tune gaming mice and keyboards with custom macros and profiles is inconsistent from product to product. Most specialized software for peripherals is Windows-only, save for a few companies like Razer, who have made their entire range of software Mac-compatible.
There is also the matter of gaming-related software, like chat clients and screen recording programs like FRAPS, which are generally Windows-only. Obviously these types of programs are generally reserved for more enthusiast players, but the lack of support definitely works against the move toward more extensive Mac gaming.
In terms of multiplayer, Steam is leading the charge for Mac gaming. Steamplay, which is essentially the company's term for cross-platform integration between Windows and Mac is incredibly refined. Valve has streamlined the Steam client to be uniform across both OS' which makes connecting to multiplayer games identical regardless of which system you're using. There are also no noticeable performance variations either or any additional steps for Mac users to take. Steam is representative of the ideal environment for platform independent experiences, which hopefully other developers will embrace and want to be a part of, especially with Valve's new set of tools to assist them.
The Mac platform has a lot of catching up to do to really compete with PC when it comes to gaming, and in reality, it seems unlikely that Apple would ever really want to. But again, for those looking for a Mac with some potential for gaming uses, the 27-inch iMac is not too shabby.
by: games windows
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