Is it a bad idea to buy a Mac and use it almost exclusively as a Windows Machine?

[Sodium Chloride]

I prefer Windows and most apps I want either only run in Windows or more polished in Windows but I like to play around with MacOS a little bit. Should I get a Mac or would I be better off buying a dedicated Windows machine? I currently have a MacBook 12” in which I have one more week to return. When I run Windows 10 with boot camp, I noticed the battery life doesn’t seem quite right.

Should I keep it or get a real Windows laptop instead?

Also, the iMac 27" looks really really nice. Any potential issues running this machine with Windows 10?

 

[whiteonline]

The only real drawbacks I find are the touchpad drivers and a lack of a Windows Hello compatible camera. Windows Hello is quite convenient.

The Touchpad experience is made much better by using the drivers from this Github project - https://github.com/imbushuo/mac-precision-touchpad

Bootcamp on Mac is your only option if you want a single machine to run both macOS and Windows. In the end, Mac's are essentially a PC. You wont run into major issues that I've found.

 

[dimme]

Also, the iMac 27" looks really really nice. Any potential issues running this machine with Windows 10?

I am running Windows in addition to OS X on a 2019 27" 5K iMac. No issues at all. My widows drive is a 500GB SSD in a thunderbolt 2 case connected via a TB3 toTB2 adapter.

 

[boltjames]

I've been doing it since 2014 on a Macbook with Windows 10 and Bootcamp and it's worked flawlessly, it's as if it weren't even a Mac. I hate MacOS and haven't used it that way even once. It's been 100% Microsoft Windows for me.

 

[Newtons Apple]

I prefer Windows and most apps I want either only run in Windows or more polished in Windows but I like to play around with MacOS a little bit. Should I get a Mac or would I be better off buying a dedicated Windows machine? I currently have a MacBook 12” in which I have one more week to return. When I run Windows 10 with boot camp, I noticed the battery life doesn’t seem quite right.

Should I keep it or get a real Windows laptop instead?

Also, the iMac 27" looks really really nice. Any potential issues running this machine with Windows 10?

I have two Apple desktops that run nothing but Windows. Like it because they are great hardware.

Did the same with a laptop until Apple ruined it's Macbook Pro line. Bad keyboards and fan noise due to Apple's obsession with thin! No more MBPro for me. Back to Lenovo Thinkpads.

 

[d5aqoëp]

It is 100% bad idea to buy iMac for Windows use for following reasons:
1. Apple undervolts their CPU through macOS to try to stay within thermal limits on macOS. But on Windows, the whole system heats up and remains throttled due to heat. So expect lower sustained performance compared to macOS
2. Apple's bootcamp software is wonky and even buggy at times when installed in Windows.
3. You have to be at mercy of downloading updated driver package from Apple which is specific to your iMac/MBP model. But to do that, you need macOS installed and download from macOS itself.
4. You don't get value for money compared to building your own PC.

 

[boltjames]

It is 100% bad idea to buy iMac for Windows use for following reasons:
1. Apple undervolts their CPU through macOS to try to stay within thermal limits on macOS. But on Windows, the whole system heats up and remains throttled due to heat. So expect lower sustained performance compared to macOS
2. Apple's bootcamp software is wonky and even buggy at times when installed in Windows.
3. You have to be at mercy of downloading updated driver package from Apple which is specific to your iMac/MBP model. But to do that, you need macOS installed and download from macOS itself.
4. You don't get value for money compared to building your own PC.

I've been running Windows 10 via Bootcamp on my MacBook flawlessly since 2014 with no issues whatsoever, certainly not the ones you mention.

Apple makes great Windows machines. If they were smart they'd market it that way.

 

[TommyBoy5]

The only real drawbacks I find are the touchpad drivers and a lack of a Windows Hello compatible camera. Windows Hello is quite convenient.

The Touchpad experience is made much better by using the drivers from this Github project - https://github.com/imbushuo/mac-precision-touchpad

Bootcamp on Mac is your only option if you want a single machine to run both macOS and Windows. In the end, Mac's are essentially a PC. You wont run into major issues that I've found.

What do these drivers do? I've seen several of them. The trackpad seems to work fine as-is under Windows 10 for me. I don't use all the OSX gestures which might mean something.

Actually, now that I think about it there is an issue dragging files between file folders. Only tried it once though and it sucked.

 

[QCassidy352]

I think it's fine, but if you don't want MacOS, you can get similar hardware for less money. I also agree with the OP that battery life on my MBP doesn't seem right in Windows 10.

 

[TommyBoy5]

I think it's fine, but if you don't want MacOS, you can get similar hardware for less money. I also agree with the OP that battery life on my MBP doesn't seem right in Windows 10.

This is so true. My MBP can be at 90% in OSX and when I reboot to Windows 10 it's around 60% and it says 2 hours left. It's definitely wonky.

 

[whiteonline]

What do these drivers do? I've seen several of them. The trackpad seems to work fine as-is under Windows 10 for me. I don't use all the OSX gestures which might mean something.

Actually, now that I think about it there is an issue dragging files between file folders. Only tried it once though and it sucked.

The particular drivers I linked provide enable the native Microsoft Precision Touchpad gestures for the Mac trackpad. IMO, it is a great experience (not as great as macOS, but very very good). However, the drivers are still under development and WHQL certification has not yet been obtained. I think 2018+ Mac's are not yet supported.

Regarding battery issues, you could run an energy profile that is more conservative.

 

[j454647a]

My fully packed 2019 MBP (i9 & Vega20 & 1tb SSD) is the gorgeous machine with Windows 10 and the fact is, it beats all the greatest PC machines in every single aspect but the most hardcore UHD gaming. As for the legendary glitches of Apple Boot Camp, they're gone now. To me trackpad was the only distraction, but Trackpad++ at http://trackpad.forbootcamp.org/ is the solution which worked for me. It's Microsoft signed and perfectly supports the Mid-2019 MBP. Not free? Well, almost true. It uses the strange approach reinstall-or-donate. But at least it really works, because nothing else worked for me

 

[HDFan]

Bootcamp on Mac is your only option if you want a single machine to run both macOS and Windows.

What about Parallels, VMware?

 

[cube]

You want to buy a Mac to use as a PC when people want to buy a PC to use as a Mac?