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bonzoa
Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2006
 
2006-12-16, 02:14

hey all -

i was trying to wait for the next mac pro to come out, but looks like i can't and now i have to buy. does anyone own the mac pro with the x1900 card that can tell me how it performs on games? i'm obviously not buying it for gaming, but i would like to do some on it....
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Eugene
careful with axes
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Hillsborough, CA
 
2006-12-16, 02:27

Quote:
Originally Posted by bonzoa View Post
hey all -

i was trying to wait for the next mac pro to come out, but looks like i can't and now i have to buy. does anyone own the mac pro with the x1900 card that can tell me how it performs on games? i'm obviously not buying it for gaming, but i would like to do some on it....
It'll be fine for pretty much any game out there at the moment. Just remember you don't need to run with 6969x FSAA, octocubic filtering, and 25600x16000 res.
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scratt
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Join Date: Jul 2004
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2006-12-16, 03:14

I'm on the x1600 and that is better than my G5 with a RadeonPro 9800 128MB. (In real world use anyway. I have not actully compared specs)
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seek3r
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Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: NYC
 
2006-12-17, 04:19

Out of curiousity, how loud is the x1900? Part of the reason I love the Mac Pro so much is that it so much quieter than the G5s. I'm thinking of picking up a mac pro for myself soon, so subjectively here, tell me, does the x1900 hurt that aspect of the machine a lot?

MBP 2.33 Core2 (10.4/Debian/XP); MP Quad 2.66 X1900XT (10.4/Debian/XP/Sever 2K3), Dell 2407WFP + Samsung 910t
I met a traveler from an antique land...
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Zodiac
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Join Date: May 2004
Location: The Beer Store
 
2006-12-18, 17:42

Quote:
Originally Posted by seek3r View Post
Out of curiousity, how loud is the x1900? Part of the reason I love the Mac Pro so much is that it so much quieter than the G5s. I'm thinking of picking up a mac pro for myself soon, so subjectively here, tell me, does the x1900 hurt that aspect of the machine a lot?
Yes, running the X1900 is like running a lawnmower in your house. It overheats so badly that the rest of the computer slows to a halt so not to melt into a pool of liquid or explode, but it usually does. Suggesting your house hasn't burned down yet, the fans will blow out flames from the sheer intensity of the heat emanating from the X1900.

Founder of the Applenova Folding Team
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dmegatool
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Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: At home
 
2006-12-18, 17:54

It is pretty loud at startup but after then it's fine. Sometimes you hear it spin for a couples of second but it's not really annoying.

But for the gaming it's a pretty good machine ! I got no problem with oblivion or company of heroes. As you don't seems to be a hardcore gamer, what Eugene says is what I would added after this sentence.

Dave Mustaine :"God created whammy bars for people who don't know how to solo."
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MegaManXcalibur
Member
 
Join Date: Dec 2006
 
2006-12-19, 00:36

I use my Mac Pro for gaming and haven't had any issues with it. The only thing that is kind of iffy is the graphics card since I went with the cheap nVidia card, but it does work well enough for my needs. The machine is also suited for Supremem Commander which is one of the only games I know of currently which will us multiple cores (although it's currently only in beta).
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Kraetos
Lovable Bastard
 
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Boston-ish
 
2006-12-19, 03:21

Works great. Replaced my Alienware/mostly custom built rig. No problems.

Can run F.E.A.R., Company of Heroes, Empire at War, Call of Duty 2, Oblivion, and many more at 1920x1200, all settings maxed out.

Full specs in my profile, but the gist of it is: 2.66 GHz, 2 GB RAM, 250 GB Boot Camp partition, and X1900XT.

As for noise, it spins really loudly on startup, and then during an intense battle in EaW or a shootout in F.E.A.R. But other than that, very quiet.

I would also venture to guess thats it's somewhat futureproof... that is, keep bumping the RAM, and if ATi/nVidia releases a new Mac GPU every year or so, you should be fine. I bet this time next year there's an X2800XT upgrade available. Of course, an X2900XTX will be available for PC, but likely unnecessary unless you are pushing some serious pixels.

In theory, and this is strictly theory... if you had a monitor with multiple DVI inputs, you could install a PC video card in a separate slot, and then toggle your monitor every time you reboot. (Or switch the cable, but that would be a colossal pain the ass.) But thats completely theoretical, I don't even know if it would work, and probably unnecessary unless you are compelled to drive twin 30's or something.

Logic, logic, logic. Logic is the beginning of wisdom, Valeris, not the end.
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Schnauzer
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Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Arizona
 
2006-12-19, 10:11

Quote:
Originally Posted by MegaManXcalibur View Post
I use my Mac Pro for gaming


Quote:
Originally Posted by MegaManXcalibur View Post
The machine is also suited for Supremem Commander which is one of the only games I know of currently which will us multiple cores (although it's currently only in beta).

LOls sounds like a good game
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MegaManXcalibur
Member
 
Join Date: Dec 2006
 
2007-01-02, 23:00

Quote:
Originally Posted by Schnauzer View Post
Yeah I probably forgot to mention I have a Windows XP parition for the actual gaming


Quote:
Originally Posted by Schnauzer View Post
LOls sounds like a good game
It is a great game and it really pushes systems. The reason it actually uses multiple processors/cores is for the opponent A.I. Needless to say when you are playing a game and the A.I. has their own processors they really become quite difficult to fight.
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