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Mac with OSX or Windows. Which is better for eve?

Author
Tippia
Sunshine and Lollipops
#21 - 2013-03-28 00:31:55 UTC
If you've got beefy enough a Mac, you might as well run the Mac client because of the hassle that is created by having to reboot every time you want to play the game (including just logging in to change skills). The real problem with the client is that it is immensely wasteful with video RAM — effectively, everything has to be loaded into memory three times (once by DirectX, once by Cider, once by OpenGL) before it can be chummed into something that appears on the screen. Everything else works as it should, but the one area where EVE can really start to punish any system is also the one area where the OSX client is the most inefficient. Still, enough oomph will solve that problem through sheer brute force.

The problem is that, as mentioned, a Mini doesn't really qualify as “beefy enough”, and to such a degree that it's questionable whether going Windows native offers much of an improvement to begin with.

On the other hand, it will still run the OSX client well enough to let you do some basic AFK-gameplay maintenance: alter sell orders, fiddle with industry, change skills and all that. Hell, my Air allows that without starting to cough up blood… well, not much at least. So in some cases, it might actually be worth doing both: an OSX install for the small stuff; a bootcamped Window install for longer sessions of heavy lifting.
ariana ailith
Dukalin
#22 - 2013-03-31 16:23:24 UTC
Well I gave it a go... Installed windows 7 64b on it. It runs better on OSX for this one.

On windows I had to disable all LOD and set everything to low to get slightly comparable performance to the OSX side where I can enable all LOD except trails and use low/med settings.

OSX Still superior :)

But... If my Eve addiction is a thing again I will be on the lookout for some better hardware in a while.
Mika Talus
Dirty Dabblers
#23 - 2013-03-31 16:56:51 UTC
The short answer is "maybe."

I run EVE on the same Mac Mini, except with only 2 GIG of RAM. With everything turned down to the bare minimum, I get the occasional stutter (frigging gas clouds) it's still very playable. The game does throw my Mini's fan into full-blow wind tunnel mode, though. If you're having serious frame rate problems with everything turned down, perhaps you are having heat issues.

Anyway, booting a real version of Windows on your Mini will eliminate the emulation layer (the Cider wrapper), but you're still stuck with the on-board Intel graphics which, while not the worst chipset they ever shipped, isn't very good. That's the major bottleneck you're likely running into.

My current plan is to replace--soon--this Mini with an iMac sporting an NVIDIA card, which is likely the most viable option for you as well.
Zxays
uncooperative freight company
#24 - 2013-03-31 19:15:57 UTC  |  Edited by: Zxays
Mark Munoz wrote:
I am not sure why this is so hard for you to wrap your head around.


One word: Troll.

-It's easier to let them starve then to fight them with good reason.
Whitehound
#25 - 2013-03-31 23:44:24 UTC
I do not know the technical details of a Mini Mac, but assuming it can run a decent Windows version with DirectX 9 or 10 should you go for Windows. Using the native OS has a good chance that you can run the game at its best settings or just save more power than you would with using a non-native system. If this does not appeal to you then stay with what you have and spare yourself the effort, because there is no difference in game content whether you run EVE on Windows or not.

Loss is meaningful. Therefore is the loss of meaning likewise meaningful. It is the source of all trolling.

Ace Uoweme
Republic Military School
Minmatar Republic
#26 - 2013-03-31 23:54:07 UTC
Mark Munoz wrote:
This is very true.

I find myself playing on the Mac side FAR more than Windows regardless of the performance hit. Usually the only time I am logged into the Windows side is if it's the weekend and I don't actually have to get real work done.


This thread reminds me of a Windows vs *nix threads.

And still missing the point: Windows is popular and the goto platform for gaming (and about everything else) because they long sealed the software market.

Everything else is moot.

To make it work on another platform just look at the rings folks have to run around. All I have to do is install it...bing...works. Thank you Windows 7.

Time efficiency and more you use the platform that works. Unless you're into publishing and maybe music production (where again software domination rules and this time for Macs) it's Windows.

Occam's Razor rulez.

_"In a world of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act." _ ~George Orwell

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