Windows 7 Bootcamp not working well on 2012 Macbook Air?

yoyoma1992 · Jul 4, 2012, 10:26 PM

So I heard someone was saying Windows 7 Bootcamp isn't working that well on the 2012 macbook air? Something about benchmarks being low compared to os x? I'm not really sure what's going on with that, anyone care to explain?

Galatian · Jul 5, 2012, 05:33 AM

I haven't installed Windows 7 on my MacBook Air so far, but on my old MacBook Pro there still is the problem of proper AHCI support, so my SSD had to be tricked to run in AHCI mode on the nvidia chipset. It's all a bit of a mess as Windows doesn't support the EFI that Apple uses and hence you'll have to go through BIOS emulation. I really hope this will change with Windows 8 but I'm not holding my breath.

Point is Windows can run slower then compared to OS X because of these workarounds, but it really is not limited to the new MacBook Air.

kodeman53 · Jul 5, 2012, 05:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by yoyoma1992

So I heard someone was saying Windows 7 Bootcamp isn't working that well on the 2012 macbook air? Something about benchmarks being low compared to os x? I'm not really sure what's going on with that, anyone care to explain?

The issue is that the Bootcamp drivers do not recognize Boost mode with one of the CPUs options for the 2012 MBA. A search will get you the details.

yoyoma1992 · Jul 5, 2012, 06:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kodeman53

The issue is that the Bootcamp drivers do not recognize Boost mode with one of the CPUs options for the 2012 MBA. A search will get you the details.

Is this AHCI thing they are talking about? So i did a littl research, does anyone know if enabling the AHCI for windows on MBP 2011 method woks for MBA 2012?

kodeman53 · Jul 5, 2012, 07:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by yoyoma1992

Is this AHCI thing they are talking about?

No. ACHI has to do with disk drives.

goinskiing · Jul 5, 2012, 09:16 AM

The 2012 core i7 is not going into turbo boost mode while the i5 ones are. Also, the multipliers are wrong for the core i7 which leaves a max clock of 1.9 GHz instead of 2.0. Apple has confirmed this as a bug and a fix is in the works.

CoteRotie · Jul 12, 2012, 11:13 AM

Any updates on this? Has anyone had any success with any of the Intel drivers? Anyone have any info on when Apple might release a fix? I just ordered a new i7 Macbook Air and for various reasons I need to run Windows on it and I need the best performance I can get for running light simulations and MATHCAD apps.

Thanks!

oxfordguy · Jul 12, 2012, 11:48 AM

The i7 non-turbo boost in Windows thing definitely sucks, but I'm hoping Apple will fix this Mountain Lion. More of an issue for me was that I had a hell of a job getting Windows 7 to install on my 2012 MBA in the first place.

Also - even though I finally managed to install and successfully activate it, it still take ages (for a machine with an SSD) to boot into Windows - it sits for ages (well up to 30-60 seconds) showing nothing but a black screen before I see the Windows logo. Has anyone else experienced this? My old early-2008 (which does have an SSD) doesn't do this, it boots into Windows 7 in about 12-15 seconds and this in on slower 1.5Gbs SATA...

KPOM · 12:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by oxfordguy

Also - even though I finally managed to install and successfully activate it, it still take ages (for a machine with an SSD) to boot into Windows - it sits for ages (well up to 30-60 seconds) showing nothing but a black screen before I see the Windows logo. Has anyone else experienced this? My old early-2008 (which does have an SSD) doesn't do this, it boots into Windows 7 in about 12-15 seconds and this in on slower 1.5Gbs SATA...

It takes longer than booting into OS X. However, 30-60 seconds of a black screen does seem long. Did you install the Intel graphics drivers from their site? On last year's version, doing so increased the boot time. Switching back to the Boot Camp drivers helped.

oxfordguy · Jul 12, 2012, 12:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KPOM

It take longer than booting into OS X. However, 30-60 seconds of a black screen does seem long. Did you install the Intel graphics drivers from their site? On last year's version, doing so increased the boot time. Switching back to the Boot Camp drivers helped.

No, am using the standard Bootcamp 4.0 drivers

goinskiing · Jul 12, 2012, 12:45 PM

I have noticed this with the new MBAs and Windows in Bootcamp with the Bootcamp drivers. Its slow in Windows 8 as well.

tsboy69 · Jul 12, 2012, 01:01 PM

My work requires both Windows Outlook and Access so I had to purchase Windows 7 OEM, Parallels 7 and I had a copy of Office. This went into a 256/8/i7 13" Air.

The installation of Parallels first, then Windows, then Office went smoothly and I love it. I can bounce around from the Windows to the OS side seamlessly.

No delay in booting up or anything. I might say having Windows open is taking a bit more juice, but see NO delays or additional time needed for anything to boot, operate, or run.

Good luck!

goinskiing · Jul 12, 2012, 01:20 PM

At the moment having a VM on the new i7 MBAs are the way to go. Once the chipset drivers are fixed (looking at you Intel) the Bootcamp native windows will again be a pleasant, fast, native experience, especially for gamers.

I'd be curious to see the geekbench numbers in windows 7 in a VM.

RightMACatU · Jul 12, 2012, 01:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tsboy69

My work requires both Windows Outlook and Access so I had to purchase Windows 7 OEM, Parallels 7 and I had a copy of Office. This went into a 256/8/i7 13" Air.

The installation of Parallels first, then Windows, then Office went smoothly and I love it. I can bounce around from the Windows to the OS side seamlessly.

No delay in booting up or anything. I might say having Windows open is taking a bit more juice, but see NO delays or additional time needed for anything to boot, operate, or run.

Good luck!

+1 here but with VMWare Fusion 4 (with awesome virtualized W/X/P icons)

Jul 4, 2012, 10:26 PM	#1
yoyoma1992 macrumors member Join Date: Jun 2012	Windows 7 Bootcamp not working well on 2012 Macbook Air? So I heard someone was saying Windows 7 Bootcamp isn't working that well on the 2012 macbook air? Something about benchmarks being low compared to os x? I'm not really sure what's going on with that, anyone care to explain?
	0

Jul 5, 2012, 05:33 AM	#2
Galatian macrumors regular Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: Berlin	I haven't installed Windows 7 on my MacBook Air so far, but on my old MacBook Pro there still is the problem of proper AHCI support, so my SSD had to be tricked to run in AHCI mode on the nvidia chipset. It's all a bit of a mess as Windows doesn't support the EFI that Apple uses and hence you'll have to go through BIOS emulation. I really hope this will change with Windows 8 but I'm not holding my breath. Point is Windows can run slower then compared to OS X because of these workarounds, but it really is not limited to the new MacBook Air. __________________ iPhone 4S 32 GB -- 13" retina MacBook Pro -- iPad mini 32 GB cellular
	0

Jul 12, 2012, 11:48 AM	#8
oxfordguy macrumors 6502 Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Oxford, England	The i7 non-turbo boost in Windows thing definitely sucks, but I'm hoping Apple will fix this Mountain Lion. More of an issue for me was that I had a hell of a job getting Windows 7 to install on my 2012 MBA in the first place. Also - even though I finally managed to install and successfully activate it, it still take ages (for a machine with an SSD) to boot into Windows - it sits for ages (well up to 30-60 seconds) showing nothing but a black screen before I see the Windows logo. Has anyone else experienced this? My old early-2008 (which does have an SSD) doesn't do this, it boots into Windows 7 in about 12-15 seconds and this in on slower 1.5Gbs SATA... __________________ 13" Macbook Air (mid-2012), 2.0Ghz i7, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD (Samsung Display/SSD); 15" Macbook Pro (early-2008), 2.53Ghz C2D, 6GB RAM, 256GB Crucial M4 SSD; 32Gb iPhone 5 White; 16GB iPhone 4 Black
	0

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Jul 5, 2012, 09:16 AM	#6
goinskiing macrumors 6502a Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Meridian, ID	The 2012 core i7 is not going into turbo boost mode while the i5 ones are. Also, the multipliers are wrong for the core i7 which leaves a max clock of 1.9 GHz instead of 2.0. Apple has confirmed this as a bug and a fix is in the works.
	0

Jul 12, 2012, 11:13 AM	#7
CoteRotie macrumors newbie Join Date: Jul 2012	Any updates on this? Has anyone had any success with any of the Intel drivers? Anyone have any info on when Apple might release a fix? I just ordered a new i7 Macbook Air and for various reasons I need to run Windows on it and I need the best performance I can get for running light simulations and MATHCAD apps. Thanks!
	0

Jul 12, 2012, 12:45 PM	#11
goinskiing macrumors 6502a Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Meridian, ID	I have noticed this with the new MBAs and Windows in Bootcamp with the Bootcamp drivers. Its slow in Windows 8 as well.
	0

Jul 12, 2012, 01:01 PM	#12
tsboy69 macrumors regular Join Date: Aug 2010	My work requires both Windows Outlook and Access so I had to purchase Windows 7 OEM, Parallels 7 and I had a copy of Office. This went into a 256/8/i7 13" Air. The installation of Parallels first, then Windows, then Office went smoothly and I love it. I can bounce around from the Windows to the OS side seamlessly. No delay in booting up or anything. I might say having Windows open is taking a bit more juice, but see NO delays or additional time needed for anything to boot, operate, or run. Good luck!
	0

Jul 12, 2012, 01:20 PM	#13
goinskiing macrumors 6502a Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Meridian, ID	At the moment having a VM on the new i7 MBAs are the way to go. Once the chipset drivers are fixed (looking at you Intel) the Bootcamp native windows will again be a pleasant, fast, native experience, especially for gamers. I'd be curious to see the geekbench numbers in windows 7 in a VM.
	0