PLZZZ help me about shifting to MAC/APPLE

[saurabhsun]

Hi I was thinking from months to buy a new pc but now a brilliant idea struck me to buy a mac and use windows dualboot. I plan to buy mac mini (as i already have a new 20" lcd and wireless mouse-keyboard) the system configurations are on this page: http://www.apple.co.in/store/flash/macmini/macmini.html I wanted help that could i play games like- crysis, bioshock etc requiring high-end pc on mac os or windows(on that mac using bootcamp) plzzzzzzzz help urgently any other suggestions and advices would be appreciated Thanking in advance If anyone already owns it, could u share your experience??

[Charan]

if you want to play high end games with all eyecandy turned on then mac mini wont do any justice cause it uses intel GMA 950 for gfx also the system memory will be shared for the gfx. if you are into gaming then mini will be a bad idea, but if you want to use OS X then mini is the perfect choice.

[saurabhsun]

maybe at decreased graphics and eyecandy, but will i be able to play the games like- gta crysis, halflife etc ???????????????????????????

[drgrudge]

No way you can play Crysis in a Mac Mini. You should think of iMac and not Mac Mini for playing games. IMO, iMac is the most VFM Mac out there.

But why a Mac if you want to play games? Be happy with Windows.

[MetalheadGautham]

no chance. Mac hardware is too low for gaming. You must buy a dedicated graphics Card and install it to be able to play games on a Mac.

Do you know what GMA 950 is ? Its age old, and even GMA X3100 is out dated now. See the gamerz thread if you want more information on the fact that GMA950's successor, three generations later, (GMA X3000) can play crysis, etc. But GMA 950 sucks big time.

[Charan]

Originally Posted by drgrudge

No way you can play Crysis in a Mac Mini. You should think of iMac and not Mac Mini for playing games. IMO, iMac is the most VFM Mac out there.

But why a Mac if you want to play games? Be happy with Windows.

he already has a 20" LCD.. so I didnt recomend him a iMac

[aryayush]

If gaming is the primary objective, do not buy a Mac, specially a Mac Mini.

Otherwise though, Macs are awesome computers.

[saurabhsun]

is there any external hardware like something graphic card supporter to boost the configuration and play the games?? i want to badly buy an apple mac and the lcd is just 4 months old to be thrown away,,,so i will have to go with mac mini

[Charan]

^^ mini != gaming , nothing can be done to increase graphics on mini. forget mini is you want games

[iMav]

dude who says u cant connect ur lcd to windows based system buy a 8800gt and plug it in and scare ur neighbors with crysis

[drgrudge]

saurabhsun -
If I'm right, it's difficult to upgrade your Mac Mini. And as far as I know there's nothing like Graphic Card Booster too.

Do not buy a Mac for playing games. If you insist, then go for iMac. You can use for LCD screen as a secondary display.

[goobimama]

Yep. Gamers should stay out of the Macs. Although, you can use the iMac as a decent gaming system. I mean, you could sell that monitor of yours and get an iMac.

[MetalheadGautham]

Originally Posted by goobimama

Yep. Gamers should stay out of the Macs. Although, you can use the iMac as a decent gaming system. I mean, you could sell that monitor of yours and get an iMac.

Its possible to *try* to upgrade parts from a Mac Mini. Correct me if I am wrong, because I have heard this somewhere. You need a few screwdrivers and may break some warranties, but its supposed to be possible.

[debsuvra]

Mac is good for day to day tasks and also does not need any other maintenance for the OS X. But u cannot play game with the mini. For a great gaming performance from a Mac, the only way to buy a Mac Pro but it is too costly.

[Charan]

@saurabhsun: whats your budget?

[goobimama]

You can upgrade the hard drive and RAM of the Mac mini, nothing else. That too it is a little more painful than the one-screw method on the iMac and macbooks.

[saurabhsun]

as for my budget(i am a student), i would like to buy around 40k-50k but i could go upto 60k if the machine works for some years and makes me happy... also, on some website i read that the mac mini was released in aug 2007, so, it is going to upgraded to a new model in some months.

[MetalheadGautham]

Originally Posted by Charan

@saurabhsun: whats your budget?

the problem is that even if he has a high budget, a Mac mini costs 33K, and for the same price I can get a decent gaming rig minus monitor.

Mobo: ASUS M2A-VM - 3k
Procy: AMD X2 4400+ - 4.6k
ram: - Kingston 800 MHz value ram 1 GB pair - 2400K
HDD - 250 GB seagate/WD - 2600k
PSU + Cabinet - 2500K

now total is 15.1 K. You throw in 2 more K and make procy better and then it becomes 16.1K. rest for a good 8800GT 512 MB GDDR3 graphics card.

This rig can beat even a iMac in gaming.

Ofcource, you may make the mobo XFX 630i, and make ram single stick, then you can go for the Core2 Duo 6130 processor and it can beat the crap out of iMac any day at gaming.

[goobimama]

^^ Well yeah, only one difference, it's not a mac.

As for the iMac, it costs 64k. So if you sell the monitor, it can come well within your budget. Check out crysis being played on the iMac on youtube.

[iMav]

60k dude get urself a qx6600; abit ip35-pro; 8800gts 512 or get some in sli mode 3 gig ram and u will have a monster

[drgrudge]

Originally Posted by saurabhsun

as for my budget(i am a student), i would like to buy around 40k-50k but i could go upto 60k if the machine works for some years and makes me happy... also, on some website i read that the mac mini was released in aug 2007, so, it is going to upgraded to a new model in some months.

Even if it's upgraded, no way you can play Crysis and the likes.

Here's what you can do:
1. Sell your LCD and buy a iMac.
2. Buy a top end Windows based PC which plays all games in maxed out settings.

I'll be happy with your Mac if you forget gaming.

[MetalheadGautham]

Originally Posted by goobimama

^^ Well yeah, only one difference, it's not a mac.

As for the iMac, it costs 64k. So if you sell the monitor, it can come well within your budget. Check out crysis being played on the iMac on youtube.

but whats the point of spending the huge amount of difference in cost ? If he really wants a Mac, there must be a reason. Whats it ?

And with the budget he mentions, I can whip up an uber high end gaming rig complete with two 8800 GTs in SLI. Why would anyone want to spend a hell lot of bucks for an iMac then ?

Another tip: try to build a gaming rig first, with normal PC parts. For the rig, allot 40K. If you have a connection in the US, try to get a mac mini for 24k from there. Lo ! you have both a mac and a PC.

[saurabhsun]

ok if i leave the mac, the how is this configuration for my pc: intel core 2 duo e6850 3ghz 11.3k```````````xfx nforce 650i ultra motherboard 5k`````````````````````````` ram 2-3gb 2-3k ````````````````````` graphic card xfx geforce 8600gt 256mb 5.5k ````````````````` budget to be around 35k ```````` plz advice on better parts

[MetalheadGautham]

Originally Posted by saurabhsun

ok if i leave the mac, the how is this configuration for my pc: intel core 2 duo e6850 3ghz 11.3k```````````xfx nforce 650i ultra motherboard 5k`````````````````````````` ram 2-3gb 2-3k ````````````````````` graphic card xfx geforce 8600gt 256mb 5.5k ````````````````` budget to be around 35k ```````` plz advice on better parts

if you leave Mac, you can go for an awssome rig. But with sudden change in budget, at 35k, you will not get a hi fi SLI setup.
And yes, sadly, XFX 650i is no longer available. If you are lucky enough to grab one, please come back and tell us. Then we can set up a great rig. But otherwise, AMD is the way to go.

Don't buy C2D E6850. Instead, go for the E8xx0 series, like 8400, which has higher L2 cache, uses less power, and is faster, but cheaper at 8.5K.

Or, for 6k, go for the starting of the E6xx0 range. Like E6420(2.13 GHz, 4mb l2)

[saurabhsun]

thanks for ur really great advice and i will start a new thread for the new pc... also i will give a visit to apple store tomorrow to see the macs....

[MetalheadGautham]

Originally Posted by saurabhsun

thanks for ur really great advice and i will start a new thread for the new pc...

NO! Use this:
Basic Guide Purchase a New System

And yes, read this guide for you especially:
http://priceguru.in/archives/monthly...1158#more-1158

[saurabhsun]

ohh gr8. these threads were wonderful but still i am confused for mac mini as i can compromise for games.

[MetalheadGautham]

Originally Posted by saurabhsun

ohh gr8. these threads were wonderful but still i am confused for mac mini as i can compromise for games.

I told you already. Do you want to experience macintosh, but have a average system that can't game and lags often while running even light games, and be sad and depressed about it, or do you want a good powerful system thats made of the latest blazing fast hardware and kicks maximum @ss but lose the mac experience ?

Anyway, you can always buy a second hand mac mini as a secondary computer.

[goobimama]

Dude, seriously. Get a Mac. If you can compromise, get a mac. It is awesome. Do visit out ongoing thread on Apple. Get a feeler what what the Mac is about and make your decision. However, you might it regret it if only on the basis of gaming. Otherwise it's a solid machine.

[MetalheadGautham]

Originally Posted by goobimama

Dude, seriously. Get a Mac. If you can compromise, get a mac. It is awesome. Do visit out ongoing thread on Apple. Get a feeler what what the Mac is about and make your decision. However, you might it regret it if only on the basis of gaming. Otherwise it's a solid machine.

Anybody gets attracted to gaming. Besides, this guy is a student. All students Game at some point or the other. Mac is not for him. Or he may end up installing mac like iMav.