02-16-2007, 05:21 AM
I haven't kept up with the latest FPS's (first person shooters) but there are some good reviews over at http://www.barefeats.com of the latest video cards running various MacPro's and G5's. Some of the older games that have been optomized well, like Quake 3, can get over 300fps, but pretty much anything over 40 is just fine for me.
The thing about screen refresh rate vs. frames per second is that your refresh rate is constant and the fps from your game can change, A LOT, during a game. Periods of intense special effects like explosions, many players on the screen can drop your fps well below the refresh rate of the screen. The goal is to get the best hardware so that you don't experience these intermittent slow-downs. Sure, you can sit still looking at a wall and get great frame rates, but start jumping and shooting rockets all over the place while a couple dozen of your buddies to the same and things can get ugly. And then there is lag...
The thing about screen refresh rate vs. frames per second is that your refresh rate is constant and the fps from your game can change, A LOT, during a game. Periods of intense special effects like explosions, many players on the screen can drop your fps well below the refresh rate of the screen. The goal is to get the best hardware so that you don't experience these intermittent slow-downs. Sure, you can sit still looking at a wall and get great frame rates, but start jumping and shooting rockets all over the place while a couple dozen of your buddies to the same and things can get ugly. And then there is lag...