Mac benchmark scores

If you're leaving Civ 6 open during a game when away/not using it, switch to strategic mode. It makes a big difference in fan speed on my computer.

If you're in the menus rather than a game, there is no significant hit on the computer.

 

If you take the plunge, don't forget to post your scores so the next person knows what to expect.

 

I will! (I'm a little distracted as I'm building out a Druid miniature for my wife at the moment)..

 

Mac Pro 2013 w/ D700 and Quad 3.7 GHz

Minimum settings @ 2560x1600 = 48ms
Ultra settings @ 2560x1600 = 73ms

(note: medium settings = 50ms, so not much point using minimum settings. There is also little benefit in using a lower resolution: 1280x800, 75% less pixels, makes it 46ms at min, 62ms at ultra)

Strategic view ranges from 28 to 36ms.

I know 14-21fps sounds awful, but it looks smooth and scrolls and pans are fine (the latter may be worse on video cards with less memory — the D700 is an outlier at 6GB, but in my case is also driving 3 monitors).

As long as you meet the basic graphics requirements, your CPU will determine much of your (waiting) experience. I see 520% CPU use during game setup/reloading, and CPU use during the benchmark ranges wildly between 165% and 705% (of a potential 800%).

tl;dr? It’s better than Civ 5.

 

iMac (27-inch, Mid 2011)
3,4 GHz Intel Core i7
16 GB 1333 MHz DDR3
AMD Radeon HD 6970M 1024 MB

Average Frame Time: 38.703ms
99th Percentile: 75.889ms

 

Mid 2012 Retina MacBook Pro, El Capitan, 2.3 GHz i7, 8 GB, NVIDIA GeForce GT 650M (window mode)
Average: 99.379 ms
99th percentile: 225.158 ms

On a related note, I am going to buy a 2016 MBP today or tomorrow. Will post the results. Not sure if it will be a 13 or 15 inch, but if anyone has any feedback on that point please let me know ASAP (though I could always return).

 

Definitely get the 15". It comes with a discrete GPU, the 13" models do not. Discrete GPUs are essential for gaming. If you can, pay for the upgrade to the AMD Radeon 460. It's faster and has 4GB of VRAM (the stock 450 and 455 only have 2GB). This is what I'm getting.

 

I'd be interested in your overall review of the new MBP also. I'm not quite ready to pull the trigger but probably sometime next year. I've got lines running down the left side of the CRT that drive me crazy. The rest of the rig is sufficient for what I use it for (vacations mostly with a little bit of work).

 

Just to update... I bought the new 13" baseline MacBook Pro. Long story short I returned it.

I got the baseline because at this point in my life the only gaming I do is Civ. Everything else is word processing, web browsing, or movie/tv watching. I checked the specs versus the minimums for Civ 6 and wasn't totally sure if it met them (the naming conventions for the intel GPUs befuddled me), but figured it was a 2016 $1600 computer, it has to be able to play this turn-based game. Brought it home, first thing I did was install Civ 6 and run the benchmark. I was happy to see substantial improvement in FPS over my 2012 MPB, but there were black line running vertically across the map. Checked settings, tried to play an actual game, etc., but lines still there. I did some research and it looks like the GPU isn't supported, resulting in the lines. You could play the game, but I'm not paying $1600 for that kind of experience.

Perhaps the GPU will be supported in the future. Perhaps their is a workaround I didn't find. Perhaps I did something to screw it up. Regardless, I wasn't super impressed by the new MBP and so I didn't mind taking it back. It simply costs too much money for what you get (and I've loved Apple for most of my adult life). I'll just pay the $400 to get my battery replaced on the 2012 MPB, or wait a few more generations (if I don't just jump to a PC).

edit: PS. this was about a week ago now, so if anyone has any additional information on the problem, I'd like to hear it in case I decide to look at the MBPs in the future.

 

My 2016 15" MBP arrived on the weekend, so here's some graphics benchmarks for those interested.

2.7Ghz i7, AMD Radeon 460, 16GB RAM, 4GB VRAM
All tests performed in fullscreen 1680 x 1050 (highest resolution available for some reason). Antialiasing off, Quick Moves on, Quick Combat on.


Minimum



Low



Medium



High



Ultra



Haven't had time to play a proper game yet. Let me know if there's anything else you'd like to know.

 

Early 2015 Macbook Pro
2.7 ghz Intel i5
8 GB ram
Intel Iris 6100

Average Frame Time: 44.168ms
99th Percentile: 54.957ms
Average Turn Time: 35.22 sec

 

I had the same problem. Returned mine too. haha Those black lines were driving me crazy. I started telling myself they were just time zones. haha But yeah, the Intel Iris 540 is unsupported and that was the cause of the black lines. The early 2015 I got when I returned the late 2016 model has the Intel Iris 6100, which is supported, and the game runs great. I posted my benchmark stats for it above.

 

Once you get a game going, I'd be interested in how long a turn takes mid to late game. I realize you just bought it, but what's your overall feeling of the new design? Looks gimmicky, but I'll have to admit, I'm ready to upgrade so I'll probably bite the bullet even if it is. Wonder when the iMac's coming out.

 

Can do. There's an AI benchmark test that tests turn time (I think?). Would that be useful?

Here's my impressions. Bear in mind that my previous MBP was a pre-Retina 15" from 2010, so this is a massive upgrade for me.


Positive

• Space Grey is sexy as hell. Design and build quality are impeccable.
• Thinness and lightness aren't things I considered important... until it arrived. Wow.
• Performance is subjectively fantastic.
• Doesn't get nearly as hot as my old MBP. That could push 100ºC while gaming, haven't seen this one go over 70ºC yet.
• Screen and speakers are just incredible. Extremely impressed.
• Pleasantly surprised by the keyboard. I'd heard so much negativity about new design, but I adjusted really quickly and have no desire too ever switch back. Only thing I don't like is how the left/right arrow keys are larger than up/right ones.
• Not sure why the trackpad is so freaking huge, but I've no complaints. No-one makes trackpads as good as Apple. I could never go back to using a mouse.
• Absolutely loving TouchID.
• Haven't had any wake from sleep or wifi connectivity issues so far. Not sure if these were hardware or software issues, but they seem to be gone. Yay!

Neutral

• Still getting used to it, but the Touch Bar isn't as immediately useful as I thought it might be. I definitely wouldn't consider it a gimmick or a hindrance, but it's not (yet) as intuitive as it needs to be. I don't like touchscreen laptops though, so I'm pleased they haven't gone down that path. Would compromise macOS too much.
• Battery life is easily better than my old MBP, but I don't think anyone will be getting 9-10 hours like Apple claims is possible. Not a problem for me as I'm rarely away from a charger for more than a few hours, but this may be an issue for some.
• Lack of ports isn't much of a problem for me. I bought a USB-C to USB-A dongle and I already had an USB SD card reader. Didn't use anything else.
• Loss of magsafe is a pity but I really like that I can plug in on either side and use the charger for other devices as well. Magsafe chargers were far too prone to fraying and far too expensive to replace, won't miss that at all.

Negative

• Nothing internal is upgradeable. This is not a problem for me now, but I worry it might be in the future. I want this machine to last me at least 5 years. Thunderbolt 3 alleviates that concern a fair bit though, I'm hoping Mac-compatible external GPUs become available in the future.
• Too expensive, even by Apple standards. It's an absolutely wonderful machine and I'm very happy with it, but I freely admit that I've overpaid. If you don't rely on macOS or you already have a reliable MBP from the last 2-3 years I cannot recommend buying it. Definitely don't buy it just to play Civ6. Only consider it if it's a huge upgrade in multiple aspects.

Rumours are late January or February.

 

So, here's my rig, and I haven't come across anyone with this one yet, though close!
Mid 2015 MacBook Pro ($2499 model
-" 2.5 GHz Intel "Core i7" processor (4870HQ)
- 16 GB of onboard 1600 MHz DDR3L SDRAM
- AMD Radeon R9 M370X 2GB

My question is their reccomended settings calls for a Quad Core i5 @2.7ghz. Since the i7 is a Quad Core also (just with hyper threading), is my processor just barely under those reccomendations (is the i5 better in this case with a higher base speed)?That's what throws me off. I know the game will run, but I'm clueless to the fps which I'd be getting. Loved civ 5, and want the whole sh'bam with this thanks.

 

Thanks! Are you able to use the Touch Bar as a traditional function key bar also? Looked around and there are some external GPU's for Macs out there, but very pricy ($1,200'ish for a decent GPU). Hopefully the prices will come down. Anything you've noticed since the original post? Buyer's remorse? I'm probably going to look after the holidays but may wait until the iMac info is out there. Thanks again for the detailed review. Much appreciated.

 

It switches to function keys whenever you hold down the fn key, and you can set it to display the function keys whenever specific applications are open. I'm finding I hardly ever need them.

Interesting. Definitely not worth the price for the Mac-compatible cards available and it curiously doesn't seem to be compatible with the 2016 MBPs. I'm sure better, cheaper ones will become available in the future. The Radeon 460 is perfectly fine for my needs at the moment.

No remorse at all, I just won't look at my bank balance for a bit.

 

Asking again in this thread (sorry if you see it twice) but how slow between turns? Thanks.

 

It's very hard not to notice this happening! Is it any danger to my MBP?

 

I don't know. But I've been playing lots of CiV and now civvi in the last few years with the fan going at full speed. The battery is weaker than a few years ago, but that is just normal afaik. I never had the MBP shut down because of heat (I heard it does exactly this when it reaches dangerous temperatures).