do macs make good gaming pc's?

[n00bian god]

hiya! so im looking for a good gaming pc and i see a vid on youtube of someone with a mac and i like teh keyboard and mouse. i recall hearing that macs r good for graphics. so that got me wondering are macs good gaming pc's??

[Disconsented]

No.

[Lanackse-Kanvae]

Compared to the amount of games that can be played on Windows, MacOS is EXTREMELY limited. It is getting better but it is still very limited. You can dual boot with Bootcamp but you still need a valid Windows license.

If you're looking for a gaming PC (Macs are PCs as well) we will need the following:

What games you will be playing. Playing the latest 3D games will require something completely different from someone who only plays on sites like FB, Newgrounds, Mochi, etc.

Your budget. No point me recommending a £2000+ system (yes they exist) when your budget is £1400, which does bring me to my next point.

Are you willing/able to order online? You can get some stuff cheaper this way and no having to deal with a slimy salesperson trying to push a load of bullshit extras that you don't need and/or are completely useless.

[Darc Krow]

I agree, you'll get compatibility issues with Mac with some games. Though, mac computers are less prone to get viruses.

[SimgaPmP]

No!

[Minion4Hire]

Demon Azure

I agree, you'll get compatibility issues with Mac with some games. Though, mac computers are less prone to get viruses.

Not really. Mac OS just a smaller target. It's not really any more secure than Windows at this point, but there are far fewer people attacking it. More people jumping on the Mac-bandwagon will help change that however.

[Aven Donn]

Sir Hao

I agree, you'll get compatibility issues with Mac with some games. Though, mac computers are less prone to get viruses.

Hello. I haven't had a virus since... 2006. Meanwhile my friends on Macs are asking me for help to remove malware. Malware exists for everything. Oh did I mention I've been using Windows my entire life? Pretty much all virus infections can be traced back to the actions of the user. Just a bit of basic precaution will save you from 99.9% of all viruses. Not to mention a competent anti-virus.



As for the OP's question... Yes. Macs make great gaming PCs, if you install Windows. Thing is, you'd be paying over twice as much for the parts. For the same money, you could build a serious top tier gaming rig. Meanwhile you'll get a mediocre mainstream-hardware Mac for the same money.

[anush3459]

yes.

[GrimFusion]

Aven Donn

Sir Hao

I agree, you'll get compatibility issues with Mac with some games. Though, mac computers are less prone to get viruses.

Hello. I haven't had a virus since... 2006. Meanwhile my friends on Macs are asking me for help to remove malware. Malware exists for everything. Oh did I mention I've been using Windows my entire life? Pretty much all virus infections can be traced back to the actions of the user. Just a bit of basic precaution will save you from 99.9% of all viruses. Not to mention a competent anti-virus.



As for the OP's question... Yes. Macs make great gaming PCs, if you install Windows. Thing is, you'd be paying over twice as much for the parts. For the same money, you could build a serious top tier gaming rig. Meanwhile you'll get a mediocre mainstream-hardware Mac for the same money.

I second this, but would add that as a personal opinion, I don't suggest buying any kind of laptop for gaming unless you make enough money to buy a new laptop every three to four years to keep up with brand new game releases. With a desktop, the power supply and graphics card can be swapped out and upgraded every few years. Assuming you aren't buying the best and newest-to-market beastly graphics card but settle for something a little more middle-of-the-road but capable, upgrading a desktop would be more cost effective in the long run.

[Bento the spazcat]

no. For the price of the cheapest imac, you can get a liquid-cooled overclockable i7 gaming PC from ibuypower/tigerdirect.

Or, for the price of the BEST mac, you can build a BETTER pc, get an extra laptop, two of the best screens on the market, and 100 boxes of pop tarts

[Aven Donn]

Bento the spazcat

no. For the price of the cheapest imac, you can get a liquid-cooled overclockable i7 gaming PC from ibuypower/tigerdirect.

Or, for the price of the BEST mac, you can build a BETTER pc, get an extra laptop, two of the best screens on the market, and 100 boxes of pop tarts

That's an exaggeration. But not too far from the truth.

[Sitwon]

GrimFusion

... I don't suggest buying any kind of laptop for gaming unless you make enough money to buy a new laptop every three to four years to keep up with brand new game releases. With a desktop, the power supply and graphics card can be swapped out and upgraded every few years. Assuming you aren't buying the best and newest-to-market beastly graphics card but settle for something a little more middle-of-the-road but capable, upgrading a desktop would be more cost effective in the long run.

Let's be realistic here. With the exception of people could be equally well served by a netbook, any laptop you buy for nearly any purpose will probably need to be replaced every 3-4 years anyways. That's not something that's exclusive to gaming laptops.

If you compare a 5 year old laptop to what is available today, it's basically a larger, heavier, more power-hungry, shorter battery life version of a $400 netbook. It's relatively rare to see 5 year old laptops out in the wild, many of them simply aren't rugged enough to last that long. As they grow older, they also get more expensive to repair as they fall out of warranty and certain parts become scarce.

Any laptop that you buy intending to use for more than just Internet will be approaching obsolescence after 4 years, assuming it even holds it together that long.

I do know people using 5, 6, or even 10+ year old laptops, but in all those cases one or both of the following is true.
1) It's not their primary computer. They have easy access to another more powerful/recent computer.
2) They are too poor to afford even a netbook so they're making due with what they've got.


Desktops tend to last longer and lose value more slowly, in large part because they aren't subjected to as much physical abuse and they are easier/cheaper to repair/upgrade.

[Red DiamondStar]

n00bian god

hiya! so im looking for a good gaming pc and i see a vid on youtube of someone with a mac and i like teh keyboard and mouse. i recall hearing that macs r good for graphics. so that got me wondering are macs good gaming pc's??

Missing the following items:

Well remember that the pc company themselves do not make the games. They only license them. So the pc/laptop is only as good as what is inside of it. As far as macs go, a lot of games NEWLY made are compatible for mac but there are still some that are made only for windows. Almost every pc game is made for windows first, and then mac.

As far as the pc's themselves, any pc can "look" cool. You can change out the casing on the computer itself for better looking ones, add glowing lights, special decals, all kinds of things. They have cool looking keyboards/mice ALL over the internet, you just have to look.

But if you are looking for a cool looking laptop that can be used for gaming, the only kind I would suggest are Alien Ware laptops. They have all kinds of options for what's inside, the keyboards glow, and they have personalized metal plaques on the bottom. You can make them AMAZING for gaming, they have a long life span, and you can always send them in to be upgraded. Downside, they are REALLY expensive compaired to other laptops. The last time I looked into one, it was estimated to cost me a little over $4,000. So if you have the cash to burn, and want a laptop for gaming, go that way. Other wise just stick with PC.

White inks 158/500

[Sirtet]

I personally have a Mac and it is wonderful, i love it... as for gaming it sucks lol, if your into gaming i recommend Alienware

[Bento the spazcat]

aguinasa

I personally have a Mac and it is wonderful, i love it... as for gaming it sucks lol, if your into gaming i recommend Alienware

Brand doesn't matter as much as people want you to think it does.

People generally blame brand for three things.

1. How well the computer runs.
   
   Dell and HP and Apple and other companies don't "build" machines, they "assemble" them. They take core parts (like the processor / ram / graphics card / harddrive) from other companies that make them, put it all together (with their own cases and accessories) and sell the completed package to you. If you ever take a computer apart, you'll notice that the company names on the parts vary widely. There's a few companies that make ram, a few that make processors, a few that make harddrives, and so on and so forth.
   
   So, for example, there's nothing that makes an HP processor better than a Dell processor... because there's no such thing. Dell and HP can both be using the same processors in their machines. So you can buy a Dell that kicks an HP's a**, and then turn around and buy an HP better than that Dell.
   
   A big part of how well a computer runs is the software installed on it (specifically the drivers and programs like that). Most computer issues are software, have nothing to do with the brand itself, and can be permanently fixed with a little bit of effort.
   General Computer Speedup/Maintenance.
   That guide will show you how to properly fix most common computer issues, including slowdown, for free.
   
   So if you want a faster computer, you should make sure to pick one with the right parts, and maintain it properly.
   
   
2. How well the computer is physically built.
   
   You get what you pay for. If you buy a company's lowest-end model and find that the case is made out of cheap plastic, it's because you paid for cheap plastic. If you buy a higher-end model and get a sturdy metal case, that's because some of the extra price went towards a metal case. You'll pay more for a computer that's built with better parts and more care, because it costs more for the better parts, and it costs more to have workers spend more time on it. Every computer manufacturer makes multiple lines of computers, and generally the "it fell apart" complaints are from people that bought the cheapest one.
   
   So if you want a more sturdy computer, don't buy the cheapest models.
   
   
3. Tech support.
   
   As said above, you get what you pay for. The standard tech support is the foreign people because they are cheap. If you buy the better warranty/support package, then you're paying for the better support people. You have a better chance of getting somebody that knows what they're talking about and who can speak english (or your native language), because they cost more to hire.
   
   So if you want better tech support, you should get the upgraded warranty/support.