Which version of Windows 7 to get?

64-bit Professional would be best for you.

Yes, nearly every program and application can. Older 16-bit programs cannot.

Void5150 said:

Here is the MacBook I'm getting:

2.5GHz quad-core Intel Core i7
Turbo Boost up to 3.7GHz
16GB 1600MHz memory
512GB PCIe-based flash storage
Intel Iris Pro Graphics
NVIDIA GeForce GT 750M with 2GB GDDR5 memory​

Will a 64 bit version of Windows 7 be best? Does having a 64 bit version limit you in any way?

Should I get Home Premium or Professional?

Thank you.

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Nope, best would be Mavericks

Void5150 said:

Here is the MacBook I'm getting:

2.5GHz quad-core Intel Core i7
Turbo Boost up to 3.7GHz
16GB 1600MHz memory
512GB PCIe-based flash storage
Intel Iris Pro Graphics
NVIDIA GeForce GT 750M with 2GB GDDR5 memory​

Will a 64 bit version of Windows 7 be best? Does having a 64 bit version limit you in any way?

Should I get Home Premium or Professional?

Thank you.

Click to expand...

Only 64-bit versions of Windows are supported through Boot Camp. Also, Windows 7 is not the best choice for Retina displays as that operating system was not designed with ultra high resolutions in mind. Windows 8.1 is a better option, and unless you need remote desktop host and other advanced networking features, the standard version (not Pro) of the operating system will be fine. Software compatibility is largely unchanged. Pretty much everything that runs on Windows 7 will work on 8.1.

If you insist on using 7, Home Premium will do what you need. Only if you needed the aforementioned advanced networking capabilities or were running a system with more than 16 GB of RAM would you need to consider Professional.

Windows 7 professional, hands down.

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Intell said:

Yes, nearly every program and application can. Older 16-bit programs cannot.

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Can, with the MS offered XP Support VM ( free ) for W7.

macenied said:

Windows 7 professional, hands down.
Can, with the MS offered XP Support VM ( free ) for W7.

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Only with Professional and Ultimate, so that would be another consideration for getting either of those two versions.

Still doesn't change the fact that 7 is poorly optimized for Retina displays.

Win 7 pro as others stated. I found that to be the best option.

macenied said:

Can, with the MS offered XP Support VM ( free ) for W7.

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Not many people know about that feature. Those that do don't find it overly easy to use or maintain. Those using older 16-bit programs should probably get a dedicated off network machine Windows XP machine for best results.

A good read for this thread:

The Bootcamp Support contains all windows drivers for MS Windows. In fact, my MacBook Pro is the best Windows Laptop I've ever had .

I use OS X 10.9.5 ( native ), Windows 7 SP1 Pro ( Bootcamp = native ) and emulate Ubuntu 14.04 in a VirtualBox with Windows 7 SP1 as the hosting system. XP Mode is installed as well. No complains, everything runs stable.

If you have a fresh installed OS X it is easy, just follow the instructions. Use a DVD and an optical drive to install W7. You can always pay for installation when there would be problems.

Do NOT delete OS X completely. You can keep it in a small partition. Some hardware related tasks can only be done with OS X.

macenied said:

Do NOT delete OS X completely. You can keep it in a small partition. Some hardware related tasks can only be done with OS X.

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It's a bad idea to purchase a Mac if you're going to primarily run Windows.

saturnotaku said:

It's a bad idea to purchase a Mac if you're going to primarily run Windows.

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Can you explain ? It is an excellent laptop.

macenied said:

Can you explain ? It is an excellent laptop.

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• Poor trackpad performance compared to OS X
• Worse battery life compared to OS X. Discreet GPU MacBooks suffer the most because automatic graphic switching is not supported in Windows.
• Different keyboard layout: Command is the Windows key, and there's only one Control key.
• System runs hotter in Windows. Again, discreet GPU models are worse in this regard because the NVIDIA card is active at all times.
• Driver support in general is worse than a comparable Windows ultrabook.

Void5150 said:

I'll be using both Mac and Windows.

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I'm running both as well. The acceptance of OS X in business is low, where I live. I don't want to blame somebody or something, it's just a fact.