technology Anyone uses a Mac for Gaming?

[~Rule 63~ Lyeco 527]

I was asking a strange question if you guys have a mac to use gaming.

 

I am playing PC games on my Mac book pro with the use of Parallels Desktop. With a surprise that you can run windows in it

 

My next problem is that gamers hate the mac, I am a gamer who loves the mac and used for gaming. Maybe gamers just don't know how to run windows with it

 

How about you guys, Do you use mac for gaming or am I the only one?

 

Some notable examples

Also minecraft and WOW runs natively but the others were bootcamp

 

 

 

[Darkshift 85]

I use a PC because I have used a Mac before and just found that it has no value for money compared to regular gaming PC's,not to mention if you looked at every positive and negative of a PC and then did the same for Mac,PC would come out on top.

[repsol rave 2,963]

I don't use a mac simply because apple products are very expensive. I just can't afford one.

Still, I have nothing against mac in general. But I like my laptop better since it's cheaper and it runs the same games on same quality.

[Throwaway19573639385 764]

Using a mac for gaming? Blasphemy!!

 

I use windows because, well, they're a lot less expensive and far freer in what they can do. Not as much as linux, but I don't want that much freedom. I can play games without having to fret over workarounds. I know my equipment inside-out because it's a custom-build pc. It's far less expensive, my pc can beat all macs even if they combined for the small price of 700 euros and it still runs everything on ultra, even Far Cry 3 and Metro Last Light, with a steady 60 fps but often going far beyond 60. 

 

Just to make the cosmological difference even more clear:

 

A standard 27-inch iMac kosts 2.085 euros. What you'll get is a 3.2 GHz quad core i5 processor which can be overclocked to 3.6 GHz. 8GB 1600-MHz DDR3 SDRAM. 1TB diskspace. NVIDIA GeForce GTX 675MX 1GB GDDR5. You'll also get the horrifying Apple Magic Mouse and a simple Wireless Keyboard.

 

Alright, if we were to fully maximize this "beast" hardware-wise we get the magical price of 3.265 euros! That's 4338 USD. Even when we fully optimize this particular iMac, my pc is still far, far superior. The only thing that the optimized iMac beats my pc in is it's space, 3TB. Mine is 2TB

 

To compare: 786 euros (1044 USD). 3.7 GHz quad core i5 processor, can be overclocked to 4.2 GHz without much problem. 8GB DDR3 1600-MHz. 2TB Barracuda diskspace. EVGA GTX 670 FTW 4GB GDDR5 (plus a godly amount of features like Build-in Surround, GPU Boost, FXAA and TXAA). Razer Deathadder mouse and Roccat ARVO keyboard.

 

Let's not forget that with the price I paid I also bought a case, a cooler, a motherboard and a power supply. Now call that dirt cheap! Also, let's not forget my pc is pretty old so when I bought the stuff it was still new and more expensive, which these days must have gotten pretty cheap. PLUS I have lifetime warranty for my GPU, RAM, motherboard and CPU. Yea, that's right, lifetime warranty on the 2 most expensive parts of the pc.

 

I'm not saying you shouldn't play games on a Mac, I'm just saying it's not really that logical. With the power a custom-build pc has now, the price shouldn't even be considered to be a factor. Buying a mac just for games is pretty stupid to be honest. I know you can do more with it, but a custom-build pc will always be better for far less money, no matter what you're going to do with it.

 

There's one pro that a mac has that a pc doesn't have. The OS is far simpler for computer illiterate people to understand than any other OS.

[Rainbow Skywalker 642]

I play games on Mac, but thats just because I can't afford another computer.  The one windows computer I have is an old windows vista desktop with only about 1 Gig of RAM.  So yeah, it's not ideal for gaming.  

 

It's not very fun at all playing TF2 on a mac or anything else that requires good performance to be honest.  Macs just weren't meant for gaming, they were made for stuff like Adobe programs or Ableton Etc.  I would gladly accept a windows computer for gaming but I'm stuck with a macbook pro for now.

 

Also, your writing style burns my retina.

[Guusagi 18]

I do have a mac, but i can't afford any ways of using windows on it, so I can only play the games that support mac.. Although I do wish I could play more, since im a big fan of mmorpgs

[Foreigner And Lover 207]

If you're using an Apple product, you're doing it wrong. If you're doing anything that isn't owned by Apple when you're using a Mac, you're doing it wrong. Besides, you can't upgrade a Mac. I occasionally use my pc for gaming, but I prefer consoles myself.

 

In one of my classes in college, everyone who had a Macbook (ie everyone but me) had to download a windows emulator that was around fifty gbs. Is there some kind of advantage to playing games on a mac?

[Lost Profile 644]

I have a MacBook Pro, and I run bootcamp so I can use windows and all the Games that OSX can't run.

 

I have extremely good frame rate even when running the game at high quality.

[LMW-YBC 102]

I own a Mac and I have a Steam account, but I generally don't use it for gaming. I'll only play games that are exclusive to Steam (i.e. TF2, GMod), but even then I haven't played either in like a month.

 

I'm happy with my PS3 and Vita. Terrible integration between the two, but at least they are optimised to handle games coming in the future without needing upgrades. Macs tend to be difficult to upgrade, so they aren't usually used as a main gaming platform.

[akalink 163]

I am saving up to get a Mac Book Pro, but not for gaming. If I'm going to get into gaming I'm going to build my own PC. I have a couple friends who have done it before so I'm sure I could do it with their help

[PonyBoy15 428]

 

Macs are no good for gaming. There is very little out there compared to a PC. I personally use a Macbook and love it, but at the end of the day a PC is more worth it IMO. You can customize PCs, upgrade them, run more software on them, the list goes on.

 

Yes Macs are pretty and easy to work with and I love them for that but when I need work done, I use a PC. I only think macs are good for Media type work.

[~Rule 63~ Lyeco 527]

Macs are no good for gaming

 

If you were smart enough to know how to run games with, you wouldn't even switch to a PC at all, 

You are actually one of the gamers who really don't understand tech

[PonyBoy15 428]

If you were smart enough to know how to run games with, you wouldn't even switch to a PC at all, 

macgaming.png

You are actually one of the gamers who really don't understand tech

 

 

Um excuse me? I don't even use my mac for gaming. I'm just going by past experience. If I wanted to play games (if I even had the time anymore), I'd use a console.

[Lisa 5,553]

I don't play video-games on my Mac.

 

I have two laptops: 

 

- Macbook Air 

- Acer Aspire Gaming Computer

 

My Macbook Air is used for school, art and theoretical work. I like the Macbook Air because it's INCREDIBLY light. Have you felt one of them before? It's like a feather.

 

My Acer Aspire is obviously used for gaming. Though I'm not much of a PC gamer, (I prefer the PS3), every now and then I play Garry's Mod or Counter-Strike: Global Offensive/Source.

[soniccam1 242]

I use PC to play games, not Macs. PC's verity  which games they run and which don't run, like mine can run TF2 while it can't run Call of Duty games at the right speed.

[GrimCW 658]

If you were smart enough to know how to run games with, you wouldn't even switch to a PC at all, 

 

You are actually one of the gamers who really don't understand tech

 

 

couple of catches.

I like macs as a business/graphics design sorta platform and for stability, LOVE the iOS devices (have both iPhone and iPad) BUT..

for gaming their PC's, desk or lap, just don't cut it. Their mobile devices.... meh, some are nice titles, others i kinda whatever. But they're the best there when it comes to support as the Android devices are so widespread on specs that its a gamble with every app.

 

For one "bootcamp" is almost like emulating windows, and its a "most work some don't" situation.

Not all games will work with it. And many drivers won't play friendly either for that matter.

Hardware wise most macs can NOT be upgraded, while powerful, they just can't compare with the ability to just up and swap parts of a "PC" (constantly misused term mind you.... but whatever I'll bite)

 

And as others have pointed out, Pricing... Such a high price for a system thats not well supported by the game development side of things as is. 

Pricing and out of box compatibility are the two big ones though. Macs are good systems, but not for gaming, not anymore, they haven't been in many years.

 

I'm only not a fan of the "We tell you how its done" design of Mac products. Their designs and OS's are literally setup for you, and aren't well when trying to "customize" things. From Hardware to OS, they don't like letting the user make decisions. Hence my iOS products are jailbroken so i can actually customize my work space and place the icons where I want them. They tend to want to tell you how things are done, and even if thats a buggy approach (see iTunes duplication bugs as an example, and the lack of actual fixing despite its existence for YEARS. If anything they've made it worse. Now iCloud is duping things) they still will force it on the users.

 

I hate MS, and would LOVE to have an alternative. If Valve pulls off their Linux migration somehow and gets a good enough following I'm outta here. MS is abusive, where Apple is just controlling.  Linux is just undersupported, and its biggest flaw is again, emulation required to run things that aren't native.

 

Fun point though, many games are designed on Macs. Such as ID software designs, programs, and build their games on Macs usually.

Strangely enough though, ID games aren't usually Mac compatible.

Edited August 5, 2013 by GrimCW

[Sky Warden 2,243]

If you were smart enough to know how to run games with, you wouldn't even switch to a PC at all, 

 

Finally! Someone who starts a flame war! Oh thank you thank you thank you sooo much!

 

I would prefer to use Linux for gaming instead of Mac, seriously. Game industry's support for both platforms is nearly the same, and Mac is just too damn expensive for its so-so quality.

 

You can tell that it's possible to play Windows games with Mac. Of course, I know it. I can do that in Linux as well, using Wine, and PlayOnLinux, but there are still bugs can be found while doing this. Not every games can be played perfectly using 'emulator' like that. For example, my Mount & Blade Warband often gets an odd graphical bug (the text becomes block-y) which forces me to close the game and start it again if I want to see the text again.

 

If you were smart enough to know how to use Linux, you wouldn't even switch to other OS at all.

 

Now, here, Windows is the master race for PC gaming. I don't like Windows, and I'm a Linux fan, but I can't deny this fact. This is actually the main reason why many people don't use Linux. The game support (because game companies and marketing tactics).

 

Other users have mentioned some factors why using Mac for gaming is a bad idea. The hardware can't be upgraded without buying a new one, prices, etc, so I will just leave it here.

 

Oh, don't be sad. Mac is very good for artist stuff, like music, graphical thingy, etc, really. Each machine has its own pros and cons, but you don't have to bash people like that.

 

On topic: I don't use Mac for gaming.

Edited August 5, 2013 by Sky Warden

[~Rule 63~ Lyeco 527]

 

 

The hardware can't be upgraded

 

 

Hardware wise most macs can NOT be upgraded

Again.... What I said

 

 

You are actually one of the gamers who really don't understand tech

Macs are actually upgradable.... There also several YouTube videos you can find to upgrade a mac. Just Search "How to upgrade a mac" I am actually going to get a RAM upgrade next month as one my birthday gifts. Which I can go 4GB to 8GB RAM. Which that I can use my windows better on my mac. Also Macs can be storage upgraded too. Just search it and you will thank me later.

[Sky Warden 2,243]

Again.... What I said

 

 

Macs are actually upgradable.... There also several YouTube videos you can find to upgrade a mac. Just Search "How to upgrade a mac" I am actually going to get a RAM upgrade next month as one my birthday gifts. Which I can go 4GB to 8GB RAM. Which that I can use my windows better on my mac. Also Macs can be storage upgraded too. Just search it and you will thank me later.

 

Yeah, even if that's as easy as upgrading a PC, the OS itself isn't good for gaming. Wait, not really. It's the games themselves which aren't made for the OS.

 

Windows has conquered OS market for many years, and game companies prefer to support a platform which is used most (because it means that they can get more customers). It's not only about the OS capability of running games. It's also marketing matter.

 

Now why don't those game companies try to support those three OS-es so they can get more and more customers? Money, and time. These two factors are essential in software development. Of course developers want to support all OS-es too, but they don't have the money and time to do that. The sooner the software gets ready and comes to customer's hands, the better.

 

This market domination makes gaming support for both Mac and Linux horrible, and it makes it a bad idea to use Mac and Linux for gaming. That's why people don't use Mac for gaming. End of story.

 

Now let's go back on topic. We can continue being friendly to each other as long as none of us start bashing each other.

 

Edited August 5, 2013 by Sky Warden

[GrimCW 658]

There also several YouTube videos you can find to upgrade a mac.

 

And again what i stated.

 

 

 

Hardware wise most macs can NOT be upgraded

 

You'll notice the bold word there "most"

SOME of the systems can be upgraded.

But on that same note if you need a Youtube video to teach how its done and its less of a common knowledge among the communities factor, than its not technically a supported upgrade either.  Doing so in a Mac voids your warranty permanently (unless you buy FROM apple), doing so in a home built "PC" grants you new lifetime warranties per part.

 

 

For non-Mac systems you can upgrade freely and not just memory or storage (and for the few that allow it, video). Video, Power, Motherboard, audio, disk drives, etc.. literally every part.

You can also BUILD a new system for half price what some ripoff company will charge you to do it for.

Building also gives other benefits. Such as Per part warranties (most companies offer lifetime warranties), customized pricing, custom design preferences, and often reusable parts.

 

Your also avoiding the issue of Bootcamp being an emulation that can't be said to be fully functional when gaming. Cutting framerates, limiting options, and sometimes just not working due to compatibility issues.

 

My Ex used to use it, and until the Mac native versions came out for GTA3 and GTAVC, she was rather well angry they didn't work in BC, same with the old FFVII PC version and several other titles she played.

She did get Mass Effect working eventually, but it was prone to random crashing, and framerate drops.

 

 

Edit: for the record, no ones saying its wrong, bad, stupid, or anything else to play a game on the Mac, but they have given reasons why they don't use it.

 

So far

 

Pricing

Comparability

Serviceability

Lack of customization

Upgrade limitations

 

Seem to top the list.

Its not that people don't know you can run windows on it, Most people know that. 

And i wouldn't say people "hate" the mac platform, they just don't find it as useful since 99% of publicly released programs aren't mac compatible.

When the system you own doesn't sell its software in publicly accessible locations EVERYWHERE (I.E. Apple stores have a tendency of sticking to strictly "high class" rich locations)  people lose respect, and many aren't even exposed to them.

 

Just to get mac programs though you need to special order from an apple site or store. Not an exclusivity people tend to enjoy. Most prefer to walk into wal mart and go "oh hey new game/program! awesome!" Even if the alternative may seem easier, its the delivery time that kills.

Edited August 5, 2013 by GrimCW

[DusK 1,264]

"Doesn't understand tech"? Freudian projection.

Let's start off with the cost/power ratio. Look up any given piece of hardware. Look how much it costs to buy it for a PC compared to how much it costs to add it to a Mac. Mac hardware is, for no discernible reason whatsoever, astronomically expensive, often over twice as expensive as PC hardware. And despite that cost, their computers keep getting worse as far as customization options go.

Look at the Mac Pro: A $2,500 computer.

CPU: 3.2GHz Quad-Core Intel Xeon
RAM: 6 GB DDR3
HDD: 1TB 7200-rpm Serial ATA 3Gb/s hard drive
GPU: ATI Radeon HD 5770 1GB
Optical Drive: 18x SuperDrive
Mouse: Apple Magic Mouse
Keyboard: Apple Keyboard

Let's compare that to my $1,109 (at the time, prolly cheaper now) build.

CPU: 3.3GHz Quad-Core Intel i5 2500k Processor (better)
RAM: 8GB DDR3 (better)
HDD: 1 TB Seagate Barracuda SATA-6 (better)
GPU: nVidia GeForce GTX 480 1.5 GB (better)
Optical Drive: 24x ASUS DRW-24B1ST (better)
Mouse: Logitech G600 (better)
Keyboard: Logitech K120 (equal)

There you have it: My build which ran me over $1,000 two years ago is better than Mac's $2,500 desktop today in nearly every single way. There's no excuse for that.

Edited August 5, 2013 by DusK

[dishraglord 41]

Yeah I only use a Mac for gaming, because I'm only 13 years old without sufficient funds to build my own PC. I really don't like my Mac, my ping stays consistent in most multiplayer games like tf2, WoW, and LoL but I still seem to get lag spikes randomly, the load times also take ages (Maybe this is because I have a OSX lion not a leopard iunno). There's also the fact that they're as upgradable as a pie. Some positive things are that they never get viruses, and uh... they look pretty. PC's also are far cheaper then mac's. The thing that ticks me off the most is that so many games and hardware run on PC and not Mac, I know I can install bootcamp, but I'd rather it be where I can keep my computer normal and still play games that I want to play. Coming from a young mac user, I want a PC.

[Moonlight 7,287]

I'm not really an Apple fan, so I don't own a MAC. I think PC is A LOT better than Mac, especially gaming-wise. I do plan on getting a PC later this year, and I'm not even going to bother looking at any computer made by Apple. So, yeah, it's a big "No", from me.

[Alex Kennedy 1,228]

I don't have windows on my mac, so gaming possibilities are pretty limited, but I play a few games. The main problem is the low RAM. I'm not sure if that's just my computer, or if macs in general just don't have the capacity for serious gaming, but since my computer is supposed to be a souped up version of a normal macbook, I can only guess it's the latter. Granted, I really don't know that much about such things.

[Milk Wave 454]

I do not like Macs at all, since they don't meet my needs most of the time. A PC is good enough for me if it can run Borderlands at 60fps, while only buying the computer for $450.

Though the price was originally $700, it still pretty much beats out a Mac.