Best solution for having Windows 7 on new Macbook 12" Retina?

[Turnpike]

For a few reasons, I really need/want Windows 7. I have to have it for a work project I use more than 10 hours of every day, it's that important to me. It's not about updating or learning a new version of Windows or learning OS, at least not in this case. I'll admit I went through that a couple of years ago, and it was well worth my effort to learn the Mac software for any of you Windows users that might be where I was back then.

So regardless of price, what are my options to run Windows 7 on the new 12" Macbooks? I already have a maxed out one (1.3Ghz) but know nothing of the bootcamp/parrell software options and what they work with, and if I ask someone in an Apple store, I may get that one person's personal experience or impression, but asking here I'm more likely to get more answers that have been informed by a variety of experiences.

I'm happy to buy any software (available now, or old stuff to hunt Ebay for) and spend what I have to, in order to get the best, smoothest, and most problem free set up. If I need to have a 15" MBPro to handle whatever needs to be run, I can do that too.

For this particular project, the Surface Pro 3 is ideal, but of course they only run Windows 8.

Thanks in advance for your suggestions...

 

[mpainesyd]

For a few reasons, I really need/want Windows 7. I have to have it for a work project I use more than 10 hours of every day, it's that important to me. It's not about updating or learning a new version of Windows or learning OS, at least not in this case. I'll admit I went through that a couple of years ago, and it was well worth my effort to learn the Mac software for any of you Windows users that might be where I was back then.

So regardless of price, what are my options to run Windows 7 on the new 12" Macbooks? I already have a maxed out one (1.3Ghz) but know nothing of the bootcamp/parrell software options and what they work with, and if I ask someone in an Apple store, I may get that one person's personal experience or impression, but asking here I'm more likely to get more answers that have been informed by a variety of experiences.

I'm happy to buy any software (available now, or old stuff to hunt Ebay for) and spend what I have to, in order to get the best, smoothest, and most problem free set up. If I need to have a 15" MBPro to handle whatever needs to be run, I can do that too.

For this particular project, the Surface Pro 3 is ideal, but of course they only run Windows 8.

Thanks in advance for your suggestions...

I have successfully migrated Parallels to the rMB. Windows XP and Windows 8 seem to be running well with the migrated apps working. Don't have Win7 but I would expect it works as well.

 

[Keene1bj]

I am running Parallels after trying VM Fusion and bootcamp. In my opinion, Parallels is the only way to go. VM Fusion can't come close to the cohesiveness of Parallels and Bootcamp is just too jarring for me - I want to experience OS X and just use Windows when needed as opposed to simply using Windows on my Mac. When setting up your Parallels virtual machine, be sure to select the correct amount of RAM to allot to your virtual machine - at first, I wasn't allotting enough and the program I need Windows for, BlueBeam Revu, would hardly instal or run. I then had to bump the RAM up to 4gb and all is fine. I don't like the idea of splitting the RAM to 4gb for each but my machine still seems to run pretty well...even for prolonged periods of time.

 

[Turnpike]

I am running Parallels after trying VM Fusion and bootcamp. In my opinion, Parallels is the only way to go. .... I want to experience OS X and just use Windows when needed as opposed to simply using Windows on my Mac. .....

So if I want to use both OS and Win 7, Parallels is the way to go, and which is the ideal if I would only be using the computer for Windows 7 stuff? Parallels or VM Fusion?

 

[Keene1bj]

So if I want to use both OS and Win 7, Parallels is the way to go, and which is the ideal if I would only be using the computer for Windows 7 stuff? Parallels or VM Fusion?

If you are planning on using strictly Windows in it then I would use bootcamp. Otherwise I would use parallels.

 

[Freyqq]

Try virtualbox before you go parallels/vmware. Virtualbox is free, and it is fine for the basics. However, VMs are great if you plan to use Windows for just a program or two while using OSX. If you are planning to be 100% in Windows for work, then definitely just do bootcamp for native performance. But, I'm under the impression that the drivers for rMB are Windows 8.1 only, so that may not be an option if you need Windows 7.