So, here's something I really don't get.
I'm on an iMac G5, 10.4.8
1.8 GHz
1 GB DDR SDRAM

But more importantly...
ATI Radeon 9600:

Chipset Model: ATY,RV351
Type: Display
Bus: AGP
Slot: AGP
VRAM (Total): 128 MB
Vendor: ATI (0x1002)
Device ID: 0x4150
Revision ID: 0x0000
ROM Revision: 113-xxxxx-117
Displays:
iMac:
Display Type: LCD
Resolution: 1440 x 900
Depth: 32-bit Color
Built-In: Yes
Core Image: Supported
Main Display: Yes
Mirror: Off
Online: Yes
Quartz Extreme: Supported


So... I have all the graphics settings all nuked. Single units, no animations, not even combat, I've tried having it in the smallest window'ed settings, etc...

Here's the performance description:
2x2 game, Duel size map. Every turn past, say, Medieval Era, takes around 30 seconds to complete. Once I'm into Modern Era it almost gets unplayable. I made a habit of having homework or TV or guitar or SOMETHING to do while I wait for a 2x2 game to end a turn after a minute or so. Imagine a big game, 4x4, etc. It's ridiculous. I can play things like Quake 4 with no real problem. It's nothing amazing, but at least it's playable. Why is Quake 4 playable but not Civ? It's absurd.

What version of the Civ4 software are you running?

Sorry, I thought I had listed that. v1.61 (v9565)

That sounds like the first released version.

The current release is 1.61 (25318). Would it be an idea to check with that version?

The only change I saw is that it added the GameSpy function. Which I was able to connect to. So that's all good and well, but it didn't appear to have any real system boost. A little, if any. I loaded an old 2x2 Duel Size game and it still ran pretty choppy.

There have been lots of fixes since the first version, not just the Gamespy addition. However, they don't seem to have improved your performance.

You can use the Activity Monitor to see what's using up your CPU cycles during the interturn - maybe you have some other rogue software installed. Other than that, I suggest you contact Aspyr support.

A nicely timed thread... Over the past couple days I've been walking my girlfriend through a small pangaea chieftain game, sucking her into it. All well and good, except that she's on a PowerBook G4, and it became unbearable after, say, 500 AD. Going to bring home an iMac G5 tonight, and wasn't sure how well it would run. Gist here seems to be that it *should* run well...

Just blathering, no reply necessary. :)

AlanH, Aspyr support is next to useless. I send them a support ticket and they linked me to a page on the wrong game.

AlanH, Aspyr support is next to useless. I send them a support ticket and they linked me to a page on the wrong game.
I agree, however, they are all we have. I was only suggesting that they are the sole source of authoritative technical support for this software, and you cannot rely on this forum as a means to contact them. I am on record elsewhere around here as saying I found contact with them unhelpful, and I avoid it whenever possible.