Hi i've got some questions to ask about moving over to Windows on a more permanent basis. I use Maya daily and am fed up with the Mac version of maya (buggyness getting too much to bare!) so am moving up to maya 2009 and moving over to Windows.
i) Is it advisable to install windows on a separate drive for both performance and "virus" issues (jumping partitions etc)? Is this easy to do through the boot-camp wizard? What size HDD is needed for day to day running of windows? I plan to have a 250GB drive as my daily work drive (a scratch if you will) would an 80GB drive be big enough for the OS and all applications or i suppose these days HDD space is so cheap should i just stick a 250GB for the OS and another 250GB for my scratch even if it's a waste of space?
I have a 320GB that came with my mac pro. Would i be better to split this in two thus having 160GB for each OS (i still intend on using Mac OS X for video editing and iLife stuff) but then what are the downsides of using a partitioned drive for two OSs that get used intensively?
ii) Perhaps not the best question to ask on here and i know it's a boring one to answer but honestly - which version of windows should i plump for? I'm thinking XP with SP3 as it's apparently rock solid although i have used Vista Enterprise version and it is fantastic (i suppose a properly SysAd managed enterprise network should run well!) Are the vista home/business versions a chore to run day to day? I'm leaning more towards XP as i know it's a pretty damn good OS.
iii) Graphics Card. I'm looking forward to breaking free from the shackles of my ATi 2600 Mac Pro card, but don't know what to install instead. I think i have a couple of options: Stick with the 2600 and install something like a 4870 to blast through computer games and maya comfortably, or buy the 3870 and get rid of the 2600 so i can run one card in OS X and Windows without a second thought - bit cheaper too. Is it still a pretty good card for games? I'm not a big player but i do a bit. I'm not even looking at nVidia cards - i've had too many headaches with them in maya before. Which option would you suggest?
iv) Blu-Ray. I have a 1900x1200 monitor that is HDCP whatever. Can i install a blu-ray drive and watch blu-ray movies easily? I connect to my monitor through DVI do i need HDMI?
Any advice on any of the above much appreciated!
i) Is it advisable to install windows on a separate drive for both performance and "virus" issues (jumping partitions etc)? Is this easy to do through the boot-camp wizard? What size HDD is needed for day to day running of windows? I plan to have a 250GB drive as my daily work drive (a scratch if you will) would an 80GB drive be big enough for the OS and all applications or i suppose these days HDD space is so cheap should i just stick a 250GB for the OS and another 250GB for my scratch even if it's a waste of space?
I have a 320GB that came with my mac pro. Would i be better to split this in two thus having 160GB for each OS (i still intend on using Mac OS X for video editing and iLife stuff) but then what are the downsides of using a partitioned drive for two OSs that get used intensively?
ii) Perhaps not the best question to ask on here and i know it's a boring one to answer but honestly - which version of windows should i plump for? I'm thinking XP with SP3 as it's apparently rock solid although i have used Vista Enterprise version and it is fantastic (i suppose a properly SysAd managed enterprise network should run well!) Are the vista home/business versions a chore to run day to day? I'm leaning more towards XP as i know it's a pretty damn good OS.
iii) Graphics Card. I'm looking forward to breaking free from the shackles of my ATi 2600 Mac Pro card, but don't know what to install instead. I think i have a couple of options: Stick with the 2600 and install something like a 4870 to blast through computer games and maya comfortably, or buy the 3870 and get rid of the 2600 so i can run one card in OS X and Windows without a second thought - bit cheaper too. Is it still a pretty good card for games? I'm not a big player but i do a bit. I'm not even looking at nVidia cards - i've had too many headaches with them in maya before. Which option would you suggest?
iv) Blu-Ray. I have a 1900x1200 monitor that is HDCP whatever. Can i install a blu-ray drive and watch blu-ray movies easily? I connect to my monitor through DVI do i need HDMI?
Any advice on any of the above much appreciated!
