How does the gaming performance of the "Late 2009" Aluminum iMac models compare to earlier Aluminum iMac models? How much faster are the graphics?

Please note that all Macs mentioned in this Q&A have been discontinued. The "Late 2009" iMac models were replaced by the "Mid-2010" models on July 27, 2010.

Apple formally reports that the "Late 2009" Aluminum iMac models with ATI Radeon HD 4670 graphics -- the higher-end MC413LL/A configuration of the iMac "Core 2 Duo" 3.06 21.5-Inch (Late 2009) and the iMac "Core 2 Duo" 3.06 27-Inch (Late 2009) -- are 4.4 times faster running Doom 3 and 2 times faster running Call of Duty 4 than systems equipped with NVIDIA GeForce 9400M graphics (which includes the entry-level iMac "Core 2 Duo" 3.06 21.5-Inch (Late 2009) and some previous models).

In turn, Apple reports that the high-end iMac "Core i5" 2.66 27-Inch (Late 2009) with its stock ATI Radeon HD 4850 graphics processor is 1.8 times and 1.5 times faster in Doom 3 and Call of Duty 4, respectively, than the "Late 2009" systems configured with ATI Radeon HD 4670 graphics.

A variety of third-party reviewers also enjoyed putting the "Late 2009" iMac models to the test in a variety of gaming challenges.

As part of a longer review, Electronista reported:

We tested gaming both in Mac OS X and in Boot Camp with Windows 7 -- which, as much as some Mac users may dislike to admit, is the most likely gaming environment on the new iMac. Here, the Core i5 along with the Radeon HD 4850 (actually a Mobility Radeon part) results in an iMac that can actually participate in reasonably high-end gaming. Titles like Heroes of Newerth and Left 4 Dead still have a modern level of detail but can run at the system's full 2560x1440 resolution, above 30 frames per second, without having to significantly lower settings outside of antialiasing. Other games like Crysis have to run at lower resolutions like 1600x900 but can still run with all but extreme details left turned on.

BareFeats -- always a must read source for Mac gaming benchmarks -- tested the "Late 2009" iMac models as well as some "Early 2009" and Mac Pro systems in a variety of games running at 1920x1200 and 2560x1440, and concluded:

The iMac Core i7 (quad-core) with the same Radeon HD 4850 as the Core i5 is not any faster when doing 3D graphics intensive functions at max quality and max resolution. . . If you are trying to decide which of the two quad-core iMacs to choose for 3D gaming or other 3D graphics intensive tasks, either one will do the job.

Site sponsor Other World Computing tested all of the "Late 2009" iMac models running Halo -- with the stock 4 GB of RAM as well as more memory -- and you may wish to review these results as well.

Ultimately, the "Late 2009" iMac models equipped with ATI Radeon HD 4670 and 4850 graphics provide entirely respectable results in gaming tests and are likely to make plenty of gamers happy. As always, extremely "hardcore" gamers no doubt will prefer to continue to build their own gaming boxen or fire up a dedicated console player.

Site sponsor PowerMax has new 21.5" and 27" iMac models (as well as used iMacs) available for sale free of sales tax. Other World Computing sells iMac memory and hard drive upgrades for substantially less than Apple charges.

Also see:

• How much faster are the high-end Core i5/Core i7-powered "Late 2009" Aluminum iMac models than the Core 2 Duo powered models? How much faster are these models than the "Early 2009" models replaced?
• How does the performance of the high-end Core i5/Core i7-powered "Late 2009" Aluminum iMac compare to the entry-level "Early 2009/Nehalem" Mac Pro? Is there still a reason to consider a Mac Pro over an iMac?