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smurray

macrumors regular
Original poster
May 12, 2008
133
4
Need to install Windows on my new 15" rMBP. There are a few things I use for work that require Windows, and I also would like to do the occasional PC gaming on it. Don't own a copy of Windows right now, so will need to purchase one either way. Should I get Windows 8 or Windows 7? Which is more compatible with the rMBP right now?
 

MagicThief83

macrumors 6502
Jun 12, 2012
478
0
NYC
Need to install Windows on my new 15" rMBP. There are a few things I use for work that require Windows, and I also would like to do the occasional PC gaming on it. Don't own a copy of Windows right now, so will need to purchase one either way. Should I get Windows 8 or Windows 7? Which is more compatible with the rMBP right now?

I would go for the newest OS: Windows 8. It's essentially Windows 7, with a newer shell.
 

MJL

macrumors 6502a
Jun 25, 2011
845
1
on one computer (Mac mini 2011) I could not get audio to work, on another I (Mac mini 2010) had keyboard mapping issues - no matter what I did only the UK keyboard was working in Windows 8 64. At this moment I am leaving Windows 8 alone.
 

MagicThief83

macrumors 6502
Jun 12, 2012
478
0
NYC
I retract my initial comments about W8...it sucks bad. It's plagued with errors, missing drivers, and incompatibilities. The funny thing is Microsoft advertises it as Windows 7, just with a newer look and more optimized. That is far from the truth. I tried to Bootcamp with W8 on my MBA to play Steam games. The install went fine,; however, I was getting .NET errors and graphics card errors upon installing Steam games, and my Logitech F710 gamepad isn't recognized and won't download the driver-despite downloading the "official Windows 8" support software. It also failed to install and configure the updates, and kept my computer in an endless loop of restarts and re-attempts to reinstall the updates. I got so frustrated I just deleted the Bootcamp partition and will revert to W7. I will be steering clear of W8 for the foreseeable future as it's a mess. Granted I only wasted $39.99 in the upgrade, I could've used that money to buy a W7 license and SuperDrive for the new iMac. I advise people who prefer a true desktop OS to avoid W8. Metro is a gimmick and does nothing to enhance the interface and the user experience. The hybridization of the desktop and the metro interface is chaotic and confusing at best. Stick with W7 if you prefer a stable OS.
 

MJL

macrumors 6502a
Jun 25, 2011
845
1
I did some more searching and windows 8 is not supported on bootcamp 4 :mad: . Did read some remarks that apparently 32bit Windows 8 runs without issues however when you buy the download it checks what you are running presently (32 or 64 bit) and you cannot download the other version. In order to get the 32 bit I'll have to revert to 32 bit Windows 7, gr....

(memory is not an issue but in my setup I noticed a 7 - 10% performance improvement by going to windows 7 64 bit over 32 bit, I suspect it had to do with the 4Gb memory accesible although I only use 1.8 - 1.9 Gb and have 4 Gb installed)
 

iDutchman

macrumors 6502a
May 9, 2010
676
32
Amsterdam, NL
I installed Windos 8 on rMBP. Ran well but I didn't understand ****.

So, deleted the partition and did a Windows 7 install. Much better.


*I only use it for the occasional game.
 

MJL

macrumors 6502a
Jun 25, 2011
845
1
I installed Windos 8 on rMBP. Ran well but I didn't understand ****.

So, deleted the partition and did a Windows 7 install. Much better.


*I only use it for the occasional game.

You're from Mokum? I was born there in the Salpeter Straat and grand dad used to live on the Texelplein in Noord. Ah those were them days....
 

iDutchman

macrumors 6502a
May 9, 2010
676
32
Amsterdam, NL
You're from Mokum? I was born there in the Salpeter Straat and grand dad used to live on the Texelplein in Noord. Ah those were them days....

Yes, I am. Born and raised in the Jordaan. Currently living in de Pijp (Sarphatipark, the street next to the park)
 

iancflam

macrumors member
Mar 16, 2013
48
0
Windows 7 or 8

Sorry to dig up old post, as I searched through forum and couldn't find the answer.

I'm about to install Windows 7 Ultimate on Mbp retina. I'd like to know what I'd be missing if I install Windows 7 instead of Windows 8? Anyone can shed some lights on it?

Are their size occupying hard drive roughly the same? Thanks in advance!
 

saturnotaku

macrumors 68000
Mar 4, 2013
1,978
97
If you already have a Windows 7 license, don't bother spending any more money on Windows 8. You're not going to be missing much.
 

theineffablebob

macrumors regular
Jul 29, 2012
111
10
You'll want Windows 8.1.

They finally added proper DPI scaling so that things won't be super small at native res.
 

AndersBrohus

macrumors regular
Jul 7, 2012
114
1
Denmark!
I run Windows 8 on my rMBP, and it works great..

I use it in school, because its webdevelopment with .NET C# so we use Visual Studio and MS SQL, and it just runs... :)
 
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