Which iMac would you run Civ 5 on?

[phos_hilaron]

Out of the line up of iMacs which would you run it on? Suggestions?

I used to run Civ 5 on a MacBook Pro that was a dual-core 2.2 Ghz Processor with 4 gig of RAM and an integrated graphics card. Everything in Civ 5 was dropped to the lowest settings. Painful, but still playable.

I'm buying a new iMac and here are the specs:

Option 1:
21.5" Monitor
2.5GHz Quad-Core Intel Core i5
1920 x 1080 resolution
4GB (two 2GB) memory
500GB hard drive1
AMD Radeon HD 6750M with 512MB

$1,200

Option 2:
21.5" Monitor
2.7GHz Quad-Core Intel Core i5
1920 x 1080 resolution
4GB (two 2GB) memory
1TB hard drive1
AMD Radeon HD 6770M with 512MB

$1,500

Option 3:
27" Monitor
2.7GHz Quad-Core Intel Core i5
2560 x 1440 resolution
4GB (two 2GB) memory
1TB hard drive1
AMD Radeon HD 6770M with 512MB

$1,700

Option 4:
27" Monitor
3.1GHz Quad-Core Intel Core i5
2560 x 1440 resolution
4GB (two 2GB) memory
1TB hard drive1
AMD Radeon HD 6970M with 1GB

$2,000


Now obviously Option 4 is the best, but my question is does anyone have a lower model iMac and run Civ 5 on high graphic settings with no problems? I'm wondering how Civ 5 takes to the mid level current generation iMacs.

Oh, and please don't troll. If you are a PC, fantastic. If you are a Mac, fantastic.

 

[DarkMaster]

If you are playing on OS X it will run badly no matter the machine because the port is poorly optimized (and Apple's graphic driver don't help either).

I'm playing Civ V on Windows with the base 2011 iMac (the 6750M one) and it runs very well with all settings on High.

 

[phos_hilaron]

Thats good to know. Are you running boot camp? or another set-up? Are there any Mac users out there running the native Cv 5 port with success?

 

[The_J]

Moderator Action: Moved to the Mac section.

I have no idea how the performance is on a Mac in comparison on a Windows PC, but i'd say even option 1 should be totally sufficient.

 

[rahuqraf]

I've been running native on a macbook pro myself, only difference in specs is a 2.4 Ghz processor, and I can typically play most standard size map games on high well into the late game before it becomes frustratingly slow. Medium settings are smooth sailing the whole way through

 

[phos_hilaron]

I didn't know there was a mac section to the forum, thanks for the direction and repost.

rahuqraf, that's good to know! I think I'm going to opt for the second tier of iMac.

 

[phos_hilaron]

I didn't know there was a mac section to the forum, thanks for the direction and repost.

rahuqraf, that's good to know! I think I'm going to opt for the second tier of iMac.

 

[Frederico]

Option 2 is what I would have choosen as well as it has a faster graphics card compared to option 1 and a less graphically demanding native resolution compared to option 3.

 

[forty2j]

Moderator Action: Moved to the Mac section.

I have no idea how the performance is on a Mac in comparison on a Windows PC, but i'd say even option 1 should be totally sufficient.

Macs suffer a performance penalty due to general lack of hardware acceleration in OpenGL drivers. It's an unfortunate fact that the game performs somewhat better in bootcamp, so people who wish to play in OS X should up their spec or lower their expectations.



That said.. I find that 27" screen irresistible and would go for at least Option 3 if budget allowed. I'd also start considering the SSD options - I'm not sure if anyone here has tried, but I'd bet the interminable load wait would be almost eliminated if the game were installed on SSD.

 

[phos_hilaron]

That said.. I find that 27" screen irresistible and would go for at least Option 3 if budget allowed. I'd also start considering the SSD options - I'm not sure if anyone here has tried, but I'd bet the interminable load wait would be almost eliminated if the game were installed on SSD.

I agree with the whole 27" thing, the whole SSD thing really has me interested...for macs it is an additional $500 to the price tag. $500!!! not like $100 or $150. its half a grand.

So frustrating. I know the extra graphics card is obviously worth it, but I'm really debating on the whole SSD or Serial drive

Does anyone run Civ V on an SSD native to Mac out of BootCamp that can add to this conversation?

 

[fmlizard2]

I run Civ V on a 24" iMac, mid 2009 edition. Core 2 Duo, Radeon HD 4XXX (don't know for sure) and it runs just fine on high everything, 1920 resolution, on standard size maps. I get some pixelation when moving fast across a map but otherwise everything is peachy.

Any 2011 iMac ought to crush the game at full everything.

 

[markh]

I have a late 2010 27" iMac with an i5 quad core and Radeon HD57xx and I am quite ok with it. Settings concerning the map details and units are set to high. Others to medium and it runs well on standard maps. On larger maps in the late game I have a lot of redrawings of the map when scrolling, but these redrawings of the map are quite fast and I can live with it. In bootcamp everything runs very smoothly and no problems at all, but I have not been playing in bootcamp very much, so I do not know how it handles larger maps.

 

[phos_hilaron]

thanks for the insightful reviews. I think I'm going to go with the second tier imac, and i'm really debating the SSD I just dont know if its worth the extra $500... I'm gonna go out on a limb and say, probably not.

 

[Sandgrounder]

Sorry I'm a bit late replying, but I have a 27-inch 3.2 GHz i3 which runs the game well both native and under Windows 7 running BootCamp. As others have mentioned above, the new machines run things OK especially with the latest patch - and don't forget, you get the Windows version free if you already have the Mac version !

 

[civ_king]

I agree with the whole 27" thing, the whole SSD thing really has me interested...for macs it is an additional $500 to the price tag. $500!!! not like $100 or $150. its half a grand.

So frustrating. I know the extra graphics card is obviously worth it, but I'm really debating on the whole SSD or Serial drive

Does anyone run Civ V on an SSD native to Mac out of BootCamp that can add to this conversation?

err, you do realize 256GB SSDs are like $450s right?

 

[manu-fan]

I bought an Option #2 recently, and Civ 5 is running very smoothly for me.

Cheers.