getting a mac pro???

Question

Level 1

40 points

getting a mac pro???

im getting a new computer for sure but im a gamer and i was wondering if the mac pro can handle more serious games...the video card is weak from my view but does anyone hav eany experience with it....also is it possible to add more cores into the mac pro?

thanx

if anyone knows of a store that ships to canada, and lets users customize their computers for their likings for gaming then please let me know....

-bjarec

mac mini, Mac OS X (10.4.6)

Posted on May 30, 2007 3:50 PM

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Answer 1

May 30, 2007 5:03 PM in response to jarec

Hi,

I'm not sure using a Mac Pro will be 'sufficient' for your needs in gaming. It's not that it's not 'powerful', but why not just go for a dedicated gaming machine from a manufacturer like Alienware/Dell? Furthermore, a larger part of the games are PeeCee/Windoze. Yes, you can run Windoze, but ... unless it was for work/business needs, I'd wouldn't think it'd be worth it.

I'd say that if gaming is your primary criteria, you might want to go that route instead. If using for design, video, music, or even general ease-of-use were your criteria, then naturally, consider the Mac.

Good luck in your search.

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Answer 2

JoshD

Level 1

89 points

May 30, 2007 5:10 PM in response to jarec

If you're going to be using the machine to do other things besides gaming, I would say that the Mac Pro can definitely handle whatever games you're going to throw at it. The addition of the X1900 makes a huge difference. I've read varying opinions on whether or not SLI can be enabled but I would assume that the gaming you'll do will need to happen on one card. Also, adding more cores doesn't usually help that much with gaming; AFAIK most games don't even use more than 2 cores.

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Answer 3

gilesjuk

Level 2

195 points

May 30, 2007 5:30 PM in response to jarec

4 cores is twice what most PCs have. Adding more is just wasteful for games.

You only really need 8 cores if you are doing video editing and compression or 3D graphics day in day out. The OS doesn't really handle 8 cores that well, 10.5 will improve this.

You can buy as many X1900 cards as you like, but they don't have the SLI connectors (or so I remember). So you'll gain nothing.

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Answer 4

The hatter

Level 9

61,031 points

May 31, 2007 6:15 AM in response to JoshD

Seems like until there are more than one 16x slot, and something like X2950 from AMD, or something, SLI isn't going to buy any or much for you. Yes?

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Answer 5

jarec Author

Level 1

40 points

Jun 4, 2007 9:16 PM in response to jarec

decided on windows sigh...and all the problems that come along with them...

heres what im getting...im building it myself

E145-8004 :: EVGA GeForce 8800 GTX Superclocked / 768MB DDR3 / SLI Ready / PCI Express / Dual DVI / HDTV / Video Card (2.9 lbs)

$811.99

$811.99

CP1-DUO-QX6700 :: Intel Core 2 Extreme QX6700 2.66GHz / 8MB Cache / 1066MHz FSB / Kentsfield / Quad-Core / Socket 775 / Processor with Fan (1.6 lbs)

$1,409.99

$1,409.99

P33-5022 :: Patriot Signature Dual Channel 2048MB PC6400 DDR2 800MHz Memory (2 x 1024MB) (0.1 lbs)

$186.99

$186.99

O261-2010 :: OCZ / GameXStream / 1010-Watt / ATX / 120mm Fan / SATA-Ready / SLI-Ready / Active PFC / Power Supply (6.05 lbs)

$398.99

$398.99

ULT31752 :: Ultra Blue/Titanium 80mm Ball Bearing Fan 3-Pack (0.5 lbs)

$10.97

$10.97

ULT31048 DUAL PACK :: Ultra 3.5" Black Hard Drive Cooler with 2 60mm LED Fans (2-Pack) (0.3 lbs)

$17.99

$17.99

E145-2018 :: EVGA nForce 680i LT SLI (A1 Version) NVIDIA Socket 775 ATX Motherboard / Audio / PCI Express / SLI Ready / Gigabit LAN / S/PDIF/ USB 2.0 & Firewire / Serial ATA / RAID (4.65 lbs)

$272.99

$272.99

L12-1124 :: Lite-On Super-Multi LH20A1H / 20x DVD±R Burn / 16x DVD±R Read / 8x DVD+RW / 6x DVD-RW / 8x DVD±R DL / 12x DVD-RAM / Internal / Black&Beige / DVD Burner with Lightscribe (2.3 lbs)

$59.99

$59.99

K450-1018 :: Kingwin - Arctic Liquid Cooler - Self-Contained CPU and VGA Liquid Cooling System (5.5 lbs)

$119.99

$119.99

TSD-320AS :: Seagate / 320GB / 7200 / 16MB / SATA-300 / OEM / Hard Drive (1 lbs)

$89.97

$89.97

A107-3016 :: Apevia Black/Black X-Plorer ATX Mid-Tower Case with Clear Side, Fan Controller, Front USB and Firewire Port (15.7 lbs)

$79.99

$79.99

SUBTOTAL
$3,459.85

S&H
73.07
TAX
$459.28

TOTAL
$3,992.20

Total Cart Weight: 40.6 lbs

srry links didnt copy over from the text file i made it in.......

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Answer 6

Jun 4, 2007 10:34 PM in response to jarec

I'm not a gamer, so please forgive me, but can you really tell the difference between 200 fps vs 400 fps?? I played Unreal a few times just to see and I was getting well over 200 fps with pretty much every setting maxed out. And since our eyes can't really see anything beyond 30 fps, how much does it really matter?

Just a question.

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Answer 7

jarec Author

Level 1

40 points

Jun 5, 2007 9:04 PM in response to jarec

lol good question.....dunno.....i just like my comp fast...and i cant wait for crysis to come out..

btw i dont thin k its coming out for mac...took like 4 years to devolope for direct x 10......dont think mac will have a release...as much as i love macs windows just has more compatibility...myb once i go off to the polcie academy ill get a mac for work and stuff.....

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Answer 8

Jun 6, 2007 8:40 AM in response to jarec

Just a thought, have you considered buying yourself the mac that you want along with a console? I've recommended this combo to many and most do go this route. Those that don't tend to want to play PC only games that you can't get for the Wii, PS2/3 or XBox. For those PC only game, they'll still run under Windows on a Mac Pro (or other Intel Mac).

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Answer 9

jarec Author

Level 1

40 points

Aug 13, 2007 4:54 PM in response to jarec

.

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