Tired of Mac Slowness and Problems

I am thinking of switching to another computer. I have a PowerMac G5 and it just sucks for gaming. I have another computer with dual Pentium 4 3.04 Ghz processors and 1GB DDR2 RAM with a FSB of 800Mhz. It has an Intel 945 graphics card so I will have to upgrade that.

Will the dual P-4 processors run SL better than the PowerMac?

"Tired of Mac Slowness and Problems"


I don't know what to tell you. Judging by all the specs and lingo you use, you certainly seem more knowledgeable than me when it comes to computers. The one thing that was made clear to me when I bought my iMac desktop was that Macs weren't really a gamer's 1st choice. So far, SL works very well, not much lag and I'm usually running multiple applications at the same time. As for laptops, most people find them inferior to desktops when running SL, unless they shell out $$$. Hope someone else gives you better advice.

Thanks. I get at most 15 FPS and I hear of others getting 30 to 60. Also, the G5 is kind of outdated. PPC processors are out. Maybe I will just tweak the Intel 945 and see how it runs.

If you do want some good tips when and if you choose to buy or tweak your existing hardware, check out the 'Mac discussions' part of the forums here,

/164/1.html

or 'Technical Issues' at,

/111/1.html

You don't always get a quick answer to your questions though (not as many visitors), but maybe your specific questions have already been answered there... Good Luck!

The dual P4's should run it very well. I would upgrade to an NVidia card if I were you.

My suggestion for a card would be an NVidia 8600GT or a 8800GT . The 8600GT will run you around $150 give or take ...depends on where you get it and the maker.

The 8800GT I think runs around $250 give or take.

Oh yes, the dual processors are great for doing all the tasks under the hood. I have a macbook pro with the dualies and it runs sl very well.

Whether you chose a Mac or PC, dual core does make a difference if you tend to do other things while using Second Life, like Photoshop, Poser, surf the web, etc.

If you stick with your P4 setup, then definitely get a better video card.

I'll take your G5 off your hands if you don't want it

My iMac runs it great - dual core intels are fun!

Mari

My work PC has an Intel card (I think it's the 945 - not at work right now to check). It runs SL okay and doesn't usually crash. However, the graphics aren't as good as my home PC with an NVidia 6600 card.

Technically, the Intel card is unsupported (for SL) but I managed to get it to work by turning off the VBO option and using an older set of drivers. If you IM me, I'll look up which driver I use and let you know.

I started using SL on a Mac iBook G4, but the graphics on that leave a lot to be desired compared to the NVidia machine. It's also way slower even with 2Gb RAM, but still better than nothing if I'm away from home

Wow! Just when someone thinks they have the fastest, along comes a kid from Germany with this machine:

http://www.theinquirer.net/gb/inquirer/news/2008/02/28/german-smashes-3dmark-06-record

You gotta have skillz to get into the OC'd liquid nitrogen cooled stuff. Plus some $$ to spare.

Wow, holy crap! Well, a little more than I need for SL I think.

As it turns out the dual P4 does not have an AGP slot so, I am selling the PowerMac and I'm going to build a system. I think I'll go for the Core2 Quad and an Nvidia 8800GS with 2GB RAM.

Holy Crap! I just played SL on an system with 2GB RAM, a dual-core AMD and an Nvidia 8600GT video card. It's like a whole different game! I maxed out every setting and still got no lag at all even on a crowded dance floor. Everything was fast and smooth. I can't wait to get my new machine!

Does increasing the speed of ones internet connection make a difference?
Love
June

It has for me, as well as having an up to date router (if needed) on the network.

Mari

The dual core iMacs work very well with SL, actually. If you really like Macs, I would recommend replacing your G5 with an iMac, and buying Windows -- that way you can run everything you like on your iMac, and with Boot Camp reboot it into Windows if you want to use Windows for games and things like that.

Thanks. It seems that most games are written for Windows. You often can't find Window drivers for Mac hardware, and they are expensive. It would cost me $1700.00 to get an iMac that is not as fast as the machine I just put together for $721.00.

Macs are nice, but they just aren't as versatile and cost-effective as PC's.