Buying an iMac... will it be sufficiant?

[sndwav]

Hello all!
This is my first post on macosx.com, glad to be here.

I'm a long time Windows user (actually, started with DOS, then windows and just a bit of Unix at highschool).
About 4 months ago, I tried Linux for the first time (first SuSE, currently Fedora Core 6) and I like it a lot.

At work (graphic design), I always used a Mac with OS 9.2, which I didn't like at all... don't know why.
At my current job, I have a Mac G4 and an iMac G5, both running OSX, which I love

I thought about getting an intel based iMac for home use... that way I could work in an environment which I like and trust, AND I could boot into XP if I want to play games (such as Pro Evolution Soccer 6).

My question is whether an intel based iMac (2.16GHz) with its Radeon X1600 256mb VRAM will be sufficiant enough for running the latest games with BootCamp... (lets say, Prey, PES6, Counter Strike Source and stuff like that).

I read a post here which says: "Choose Two: Power, Upgrade ability, Price".
I suppose that if I choose Power & Price, the iMac is the answer...
And if I choose Upgrade Ability & Power, the answer is MacPro.

So in your experienced opinion, is the iMac powerful enough? And is there a way to buy the iMac with a custom video card?

Thanks a lot!
-soundwave-

[fryke]

That's the one thing about the iMac which really _doesn't_ make it a good gaming device: The graphics card. Not that it's currently really bad, it's okay to play current games, but you won't be able to replace it yourself (and currently there are *no* aftermarket cards for that slot, just for production) and nowhere can you buy it with a different card - only those offered by Apple. If you want the machine to keep up with future games, the Mac Pro's the only way to go.

Although I personally would consider an Xbox or PS3 for games - and an iMac, MacBook or Mac mini for everything else. You won't buy console games that challenge the hardware too much. A good thing, I believe. Whereas PC games usually "outrun" the PCs only months after you've bought a nice graphics card.

[sndwav]

First of all... thanks for the super-fast reply!

I thought about buying a PS3, but buying a Mac AND a PS3 is committing financial suicide.

Here in Israel, the intel based iMac costs $2,300 (if I convert it to dollars).. and if I'll buy it at the AppleStore ($1,500), I'll have to pay importing taxes that will probably be $800.

Maybe I should smuggle one from the US, without paying the taxes? If only...

[fryke]

Maybe you don't need everything at the same time. Can use the iMac to play some games now and invest in some sort of console later on.

[Satcomer]

If you really want to play hard core Windows game in windows (on a Mac with BootCamp installed ) then I would urge getting a Mac Pro. This way you can get the latest games and they would play a full speed.

The one thing is I would wait one month for MacWorld in January. Apple may refresh the processor lineup then.

[MrTAToad]

You should have no real problems with modern games until they start making extensive use of stencils, shadows and shaders, which you cant turn off...

Until then, you may need to reduce the quality of these (if they are used) a little...