What kind of Mac would be best for serious but not AAA serious game development?

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What kind of Mac would be best for serious but not AAA serious game development?

Postby Never thirsty! » Sun Jul 31, 2016 5:48 am

I am looking for a Mac that would be ideal for something more serious than angry birds and 3d using lots of particle systems but not having graphics quality of something like Assassin's Creed somewhere in that very broad middle. Any recommendations? You know when you grow up on Windows buying a Mac is completely rocket science.
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Re: What kind of Mac would be best for serious but not AAA serious game development?

Postby LecktheTech » Mon Aug 01, 2016 5:00 pm

Most of the crowd here are on Win/Linux, but I think that any iMac would have a decent enough GPU for that.
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Re: What kind of Mac would be best for serious but not AAA serious game development?

Postby Ante Bellum » Mon Aug 01, 2016 11:18 pm

Why would you buy a Mac? There is no special advantage you get with one, maybe iOS development, but even then you wouldn't have much need for more powerful machines given an iPhone/iPad's relative lack of power. You could argue that you'd want it to develop Mac apps, but it's pretty pointless if you're making games, since it's possible to do that on a PC with something like Unity.

I'd say have fun dumping a couple grand for nothing, but by now I know that not only will you NOT get it, but you wouldn't end up making these games anyway. Also,

You know when you grow up on Windows buying a Mac is completely rocket science.


If Macs are this hard, you've already lost.
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Re: What kind of Mac would be best for serious but not AAA serious game development?

Postby Never thirsty! » Tue Aug 02, 2016 5:59 am

Ante Bellum wrote:Why would you buy a Mac? There is no special advantage you get with one, maybe iOS development, but even then you wouldn't have much need for more powerful machines given an iPhone/iPad's relative lack of power. You could argue that you'd want it to develop Mac apps, but it's pretty pointless if you're making games, since it's possible to do that on a PC with something like Unity.

I'd say have fun dumping a couple grand for nothing, but by now I know that not only will you NOT get it, but you wouldn't end up making these games anyway. Also,

You know when you grow up on Windows buying a Mac is completely rocket science.


If Macs are this hard, you've already lost.


I heard that Windows was more for business type stuff and Macs were more for creative artsy type stuff like 3d modeling and game engines such as unity which is what I use currently. Yeah I had heard that they were better for things like game design. I guess buying a Mac would not be that hard just knowing if I am getting a good deal for my given specs but I mean 2 grand for any computer seems ridiculous if there is no advantage over a $300-$500 computer then there is no point to waste 15 G's difference if it's exactly the same or just slightly different.
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Re: What kind of Mac would be best for serious but not AAA serious game development?

Postby Xeno » Tue Aug 02, 2016 11:42 am

1. "Any iMac" would not be up to the task, most iMacs now run off of Intel integrated graphics, which are fine for what a lot of people do, but they lack the ability to render high end graphics.
2. A $2000 Macintosh, depending on what kind you get, is equivalent to about an $1000-$1500 PC of a similar type, not $300-$500. The kinds of systems you could build for $500 would be absolutely crushed in compute power if put up against a $2000 Macintosh of the same type.
3. You want to do this kind of work on a PC, not a Mac. Macs have a lot of support for artist, as in people who draw, edit images or film, make music, develop "apps". If you're wanting to make a game, you're better off using a PC with the more flexible software available for Windows.
4. If you're not up to the task of custom building a PC, your best bet is to just buy a properly high end pre-built system from Dell or HP for that $1500-$2000 you were looking to drop on a Mac.
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Re: What kind of Mac would be best for serious but not AAA serious game development?

Postby Never thirsty! » Thu Aug 04, 2016 6:24 am

Xeno wrote:1. "Any iMac" would not be up to the task, most iMacs now run off of Intel integrated graphics, which are fine for what a lot of people do, but they lack the ability to render high end graphics.
2. A $2000 Macintosh, depending on what kind you get, is equivalent to about an $1000-$1500 PC of a similar type, not $300-$500. The kinds of systems you could build for $500 would be absolutely crushed in compute power if put up against a $2000 Macintosh of the same type.
3. You want to do this kind of work on a PC, not a Mac. Macs have a lot of support for artist, as in people who draw, edit images or film, make music, develop "apps". If you're wanting to make a game, you're better off using a PC with the more flexible software available for Windows.
4. If you're not up to the task of custom building a PC, your best bet is to just buy a properly high end pre-built system from Dell or HP for that $1500-$2000 you were looking to drop on a Mac.


So if I hear this correctly stick to PC just get something powerful is that accurate? If not please clarify because I am trying to find the best tool for the job.
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Re: What kind of Mac would be best for serious but not AAA serious game development?

Postby LecktheTech » Fri Aug 05, 2016 5:32 am

Never thirsty! wrote:So if I hear this correctly stick to PC just get something powerful is that accurate? If not please clarify because I am trying to find the best tool for the job.


Yeah, that is what Xeno is saying. However, if you don't want to build a pc, look on Amazon for pre-built desktops. There should be quite a few.
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