How the 27-Inch iMac Stacks Up as a Gaming Rig
Posted 01/23/2013 at 3:43pm | by Matt Clark
So, maybe you're thinking of buying a brand new iMac. Obviously, it's a powerful machine capable of editing high-definition video and running a multitude of professional design programs, but even the most determined creative mind needs a break once in a while. And when we think of unwinding, our thoughts quickly turn to videogames — so we decided to check out how the new Late 2012 27-inch iMac handles some of today's biggest Mac-compatible titles.
While there are certainly plenty of reasons to play games on a Mac Pro rig, we wanted to see just how well the more consumer-friendly — and newly redesigned — 27-inch iMac performs with hardware-intensive experiences. First, let's take a look at what's under the hood of the all-in-one desktop we used for our tests.
The Hardware
- Late-2012 27-inch iMac, OS X 10.8.2
- 3.4GHz Intel Core i7
- NVIDIA GeForce GTX 680MX with 2GB dedicated memory
- 32GB 1600MHz DDR3
- 1TB Fusion Drive
As you can see, this configuration represents the highest possible setup available from Apple for the late-2012 27-inch iMac, with the exception of a 1TB Fusion Drive instead of the larger 3TB option. Also, this particular machine was fitted with four after-market 8GB RAM sticks, because Apple somehow feels the need to charge $600 for a 32GB upgrade (we spent less than $200). The same rig should set you back around $2800 with the cheaper memory modules.
How We Looked at the Games
Instead of utilizing a set benchmark standard to test the new iMac, we decided to analyze how five of the biggest Mac-ready games perform on the high-end hardware. Our main priority was testing frame rate consistency with graphics options pushed as far as possible. But more importantly, we were interested in conveying the level of performance you can expect, should you choose to use the new iMac to play triple-A videogames.
Some of the games we utilized featured built-in console commands enabling frame rate monitoring. But for those without such an option, we used Apple's Quartz Debug monitor to keep an eye on speed performance.
The Games
Call of Duty: Black Ops – Mac Edition
After spending some time with Black Ops on our iMac, the results were very favorable. Pushing all graphics options to max — including a 2560 x 1440 resolution — Black Ops ran without a hint of problems at around 60 frames per second, producing smooth gameplay on popular multiplayer maps like Nuketown. Unfortunately, in order to get anything above 40fps, you're going to have to make some adjustments to the game's configuration file, but it's worth the effort. Be sure to check out our Black Ops review, too.
Borderlands 2
Gearbox and Aspyr certainly treated Mac gamers right with Borderlands 2. While it's not uncommon to wait for upwards of a year or more for some major videogames to make their way to Apple machines, only a two-month delay stood between us and Pandora. And thankfully, if your hardware is up to snuff, Borderlands 2 looks absolutely fantastic.
We were able to set the game to max settings on all fronts, with the exception of PhysX (which frustratingly still isn't supported on Mac regardless of the compatible NVIDIA card). Even at native display resolution, Borderlands 2 ran incredibly well with speeds almost universally above 60fps. More frantic combat sequences with multiple enemies did occasionally cause a frame rate spike, but even then, we were still cruising at a very playable 40-plus. Backing off a bit on resolution resulted in a slight increase in frame rate. Check out our review of Borderlands 2 for more info on the game.
The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings Enhanced Edition
All of the games on this list require some decent hardware, but The Witcher 2 is the only game we couldn't run favorably on absolute full-spec. Granted, even most PC machines will crumble under the game's “uber” settings. But the iMac still managed to keep the game looking absolutely amazing at native resolution, on high settings, with a very playable 35fps. Moving the resolution down to 1920 x 1080 jumped speeds up to about 60fps without much noticeable loss in visual quality.We loved the mature role-playing experience of Witcher 2, and it's hands-down one of the prettiest games on Mac (or any platform, for that matter).
Diablo III
Blizzard's venerable dungeon crawler series may feature an isometric viewpoint, but Diablo III still requires a decent machine to really get the monster guts flying. Playing through a number of Diablo III levels with maxed specs and native resolution, frame rate generally hung around the 80fps mark. When your screen is overtaken with large masses of enemies — as tends to happen in Diablo games — the frame rate may drop slightly, but it never dipped below 60fps. Overall, the game flowed smoothly, and even highly detailed scenes looked great. Head over to our review of Diablo III for all our thoughts on the game itself.
Definitely the second-most demanding game on our list, Batman: Arkham City pushed the iMac fairly hard. But despite the demanding specs, Arkham City looked picture-perfect on the 27-inch iMac, when played at native resolution with maxed graphics options. Interestingly, features like ambient occlusion and motion blur didn't seem to affect our frame rate, despite the same options causing some slowdown on Witcher 2. The dark, neon-lit setting and fast-paced combat looked crisp and fluid, rarely ducking below 60-70fps. Read our review of Arkham City to find out why it's worth your cash (especially if you have a nice, new Mac).
Conclusion
The 27-inch iMac does an admirable job of running pretty much anything you throw at it, in regards to current videogames. But, we're also talking about the highest configuration, and as any of the internal components decrease in power, you can expect a decrease in game performance. Ultimately, the viability of an iMac as a gaming machine is constantly fleeting, due to a lack of upgradability outside of memory. And moreover, it's prohibitively expensive when compared to a PC rig of similar characteristics.
But until the day — maybe — when Apple fully embraces videogames beyond the scope of iOS and casual titles, the iMac will get the job done for those using their machines for more than work and internet surfing.
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