I've just placed an order for my first MacIntel ... did a lot of research
and, especially when considering an iMac, sought out user opinion about
the graphic card(s).
The consesus is that while the nVidia cards are superior vis-a-vis their
specs, the *drivers* are not mature enough at present to make the best use
of them. They excel at games and apps using OpenGL, but (currently) lag
behind the Radeons in Apple core/pro apps. Many hope/suspect that Apple
will be updating the drivers soon, but it's a bit of a gamble.
Reading about experience's such as your daughter's was one significant
factor in my decision not to go for an iMac. I got the new (Jan 08) Mac
Pro: tons of expandability, including two (!) PCIe 2.0 slots.
This mean you have room for a second 'pro' GPU. When I read that Apple's
nVidia drivers are up to snuff, then I'll likely buy that card and sell of
the Radeon ... or maybe keep both! In your situation, you'd likely have to
swap them out (I've read nothing concerning PCIe 1.0 cards, but would
assume they're not camparable).
There is some debate about the ability to upgrade the GPU in a new iMac.
It uses a MXM PCIe connector, so it's theoretically possible (though
undoubtedly voids your warranty), but would require some technical
expertise.
Google is your friend. There is lots of info and comparison test results
out there. As well, selling off your current Mac to offset the costs of a
new one is always a viable option.
HTH
Madwen (wyvern@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
) wrote:
: I'm very curious what the Mac Pro owners think of their GPUs---
: especially those of you who also use your Mac Pros for some gaming.
: I've read some nice things about the Nvidia 8800 GT, which is an
: alternative Mac Pro configuration. But I've also heard some not-so-nice
: things and wonder if the firmware update from Apple corrected all the
: issues.
: I'm getting the impression that the graphics cards are going out of date
: pretty fast these days. Many new games seem to spec the max in terms of
: equipment. My daughter's 2 GHz Intel iMac isn't even a year old yet and
: already cannot handle a number of new games.
: Madeleine
--
Non Illegitimi Carborundum
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