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Apple STILL didn't fix the Windows on the rMBP

F

FatGuy007

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Apr 8, 2012
326
0
New York
So when I got it on June, most of my work applications worked differently, strange, or just didn't work on OSX. So I basically immediatley used bootcamp and put Windows 7. The resolution looked really far out since it was at the 2800x1800 WITHOUT the pixel doubling. I tried using 1440x900 but I just couldn't deal with the blurry screen. The Hidipi (to 200%) mode where you increase the size messed up all the applications except the stock ones which I rarely use.

So fast forward to today, I put Windows 8, the metro looks far and only the desktop is zoomed with the Hidipi.
Up until now, I am still suprised that Windows can't work on it properly with the messed up solution. Any ideas if there is a real fix to this?
 
It's not Apple's fault Windows has shockingly awful HiDPI support.

Try setting the DPI to 199% rather than 200%. There have been reports of that improving things.
 
You are funny. How can Apple 'fix Windows'? Shouldn't you be talking to Microsoft here? The problem is that resolution independence in Windows - while it exists - is very immature compared to OS X. Windows 8 improves the things, but writing resolution independent applications is still much more difficult on Windows than on OS X, so most of the software will be broken in that regard.

I use Windows at 1680x1050 and yes, it looks rather blurry. They are doing scaling in a weird way...
 
leman said:
You are funny. How can Apple 'fix Windows'? Shouldn't you be talking to Microsoft here? The problem is that resolution independence in Windows - while it exists - is very immature compared to OS X. Windows 8 improves the things, but writing resolution independent applications is still much more difficult on Windows than on OS X, so most of the software will be broken in that regard.

I use Windows at 1680x1050 and yes, it looks rather blurry. They are doing scaling in a weird way...
Click to expand...

Wait, wouldn't this be a Nvidia problem then? Since it uses the GT650m independtly on windows and the resolution would depend on the GPU.
 
FatGuy007 said:
Wait, wouldn't this be a Nvidia problem then? Since it uses the GT650m independtly on windows and the resolution would depend on the GPU.
Click to expand...

No - it's a problem with how Windows handles rendering on HiDPI displays. Microsoft have, until very recently, completely ignored the existence of such displays, which means their software is significantly behind. I'm hoping the next version of Windows (by which time such displays should be mainstream) will have caught up.
 
Well, there are two problems here. First, as already said, many Windows applications simply don't draw themselves in a resolution-independent manner.

Still, if you run windows in 1440x900 mode it should look the same as Windows on a native 1440x900 resolution. However, it does look blurrier (or at least I am imagining it does). So there must indeed exist an issue with the driver and the scaling its doing...
 
Try setting a custom resolution of 2304 x 1440 (custom resolution in nvidia control pannel) with 150% XP style scaling, I've spent around 300 hours testing every conceivable configuration and this is the one that works best with everything.
 
Last edited:
I use this as well. Although not XP style scaling as that doesn't work so well for me on some non compliant applications i.e Quicken. I think Win 8 scales rather well though not as well as Mac OS.
Radiating said:
Try setting a custom resolution of 2304 x 1440 (custom resolution in nvidia control pannel) with 150% XP style scaling, I've spent around 300 hours testing every conceivable configuration and this is the one that works best with everything.
Click to expand...
 
peapody said:
Can't really point it at windows since microsoft makes no claim that it works 100% on an apple device.
Click to expand...

I'm sure it isn't at the top of either Apple or Microsoft's priority lists, but Windows is designed to run on a wide range of devices. With Windows RT, Microsoft is headed in the same direction as Apple (as it approves designs before licensing OEMs to use it), but Windows 8 is still intended to be run on just about any device.
 
Strafe said:
I use this as well. Although not XP style scaling as that doesn't work so well for me on some non compliant applications i.e Quicken. I think Win 8 scales rather well though not as well as Mac OS.
Click to expand...

My mistake, I actually switched to Non xp style scaling but I'm now confusing the two. It looks worse but some apps are poorly written and bug out with XP scaling. You can use non-xp scaling and then go into properties and set "turn off hi dpi scaling" and it will turn on xp scaling for that app. Turning scaling off is necessary with google chrome for example.
 
leman said:
Still, if you run windows in 1440x900 mode it should look the same as Windows on a native 1440x900 resolution. However, it does look blurrier (or at least I am imagining it does). So there must indeed exist an issue with the driver and the scaling its doing...
Click to expand...

It looks awfully blurred at 1440 x 900 because NVIDIA's drivers don't detect that it's exactly half-resolution of the display and apply their horrible filtering anyway.

It should look jagged, but sharp (like how half resolution apps appear on OS X, such as Steam), since the pixels should fill exactly 4 native ones. The stupid driver filter adds a needless blur to it.

I gave up on Boot Camp on my MacBook Pro because there was just too much compromise.
 
I'm running at 1680x1050 without scaling and it genuinely doesn't look bad to me. (Games are either at that or 2880x1800.)
 
FatGuy007 said:
obviously it's their problem, but Nvidia can maybe add to there control panel to double there pixels.
Click to expand...

I'm kind of with you on it maybe being an Apple problem.

Here's my thinking, and it may be the same as yours. Apple provides the drivers for use in Bootcamp, right? If APPLE is providing the drivers, a resolution issue in the Apple-provided driver would need to be resolved by Apple. If nVidia is providing the driver, nVidia is responsible for resolving the issue. I don't see it as strictly a Windows problem but a combination of things within Windows.

OK, Bootcamp provides drivers, based on this Apple support article..
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4818#1
 
REALITY:

Apple doesn't make more$ if u run Windows. My guess is they will take their sweet time.

MS, OK They do make$ but the rMBP market is so relatively small... Me think they are busy with Win8.

CHIPSET vendor, again relatively speaking a small segment.
 
hallux said:
Here's my thinking, and it may be the same as yours. Apple provides the drivers for use in Bootcamp, right? If APPLE is providing the drivers, a resolution issue in the Apple-provided driver would need to be resolved by Apple.
Click to expand...

Apple only writes drivers for the MBP-specific hardware features, like the fn-keys. Everything else are just the normal Nvidia etc. drivers (possibly modded). The rMBP has one of a kind display and I doubt that Microsoft or Nvidia will dedicate any kind of resources to support it. Its just not worth their time.
 
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