Is the Boot Camp experience still only "90%" there?

[TSE]

MR,


I remember back in the day, 2006ish - 2009ish on my MacBook running Vista and then Windows 7, both on bootcamp, the experience was in general just like a PC... except for things like a twitchy trackpad, hot CPUs making the fans run all the time, and sometimes the wifi not being entirely reliable was expected due to Apple's poor quality drivers for their devices on Windows. I remember this being pretty common knowledge on MacRumors forums for their laptops.

For my next notebook, I'm considering getting a "classic" Retina MacBook Pro to run Windows 10 100% of the time for 3D-heavy design work and general usage. The reason I am doing this is because even today it is hard to find a comparable notebook with the size, weight, screen, and build quality of the previous generation MacBook Pros at a reasonable price.

How is the experience running Windows 10 over Boot Camp on a MacBook Pro? If I do go this route, what year and graphics card would you recommend for the best Windows experience?

Thank you so much.



-TSE

 

[adamh10]

I have a 2017 MacBook Pro 15-inch maxed out (3.1 G i7, 2TB SSD, 4TB RP560) and my Bootcamp experience with Withdows 10 is SOLID. Like, better than any professional Windows laptop or desktop I've ever used.

My only kind of gripe with it - which won't matter if you're using Windows 100% of the time - is that once you boot in Windows, the Bootcamp control panel doesn't recognize that you have a Mac Partition and you can't select "reboot in MacOS" as it can't find the partition with macOS. It will therefore always boot in Windows unless on reboot you hold down the option key and select MacOS on boot startup - which isn't a major nuisance, and wouldn't be at all in your case. But in terms of Windows functionality like I said - better than even a Microsoft built Surface Book.

Cheers

 

[Pakaku]

Windows7 never liked my 2012's retina screen, which I suppose 10 is built with in mind, but I could never bring myself to use 10.

 

[adamh10]

Windows7 never liked my 2012's retina screen, which I suppose 10 is built with in mind, but I could never bring myself to use 10.

Apple's bootcamp control panel will automatically install display drivers for Windows 10 on it's supported MacBook Pro models after installation. On a 2017 MBP, Windows 10 looks great and doesn't force you to use a large-on-screen, low-scale resolution.

 

[richinaus]

I have a 2017 MacBook Pro 15-inch maxed out (3.1 G i7, 2TB SSD, 4TB RP560) and my Bootcamp experience with Withdows 10 is SOLID. Like, better than any professional Windows laptop or desktop I've ever used.

My only kind of gripe with it - which won't matter if you're using Windows 100% of the time - is that once you boot in Windows, the Bootcamp control panel doesn't recognize that you have a Mac Partition and you can't select "reboot in MacOS" as it can't find the partition with macOS. It will therefore always boot in Windows unless on reboot you hold down the option key and select MacOS on boot startup - which isn't a major nuisance, and wouldn't be at all in your case. But in terms of Windows functionality like I said - better than even a Microsoft built Surface Book.

Cheers

Not true - you can change the boot sequence in 'system preference' - 'start up disk' in MacOS after bootcamp installed.

Re the original post though, I disagree with some of the comments on it is 'better than any windows laptop'.
Basically bootcamp doesn't allow for the latest GPU drivers to be totally up to date [as Apple does it, unless you go to bootcampdrivers.com] so I have found performance in 3D apps is lacking [I use a maxed 2017 iMac]. The Mac GPU's simply are not great and up until December, it was more than disappointing. It is pretty good now and much better for Autodesk apps than it was.

My iMac feels more fluid and a better experience in MacOS than windows still [which isn't a surprise really]. Also my apple mouse is glitchy in Autodesk apps. I need to use Autodesk apps for my job and they are windows only so I have no alternative.

For Windows use I am still looking [probably] to getting a MBP but hooking up an eGPU to it with a Nvidia 1080 ti / quadro in it, which will have native drivers and as such will be fully supported for better performance in the 3D apps. Apple will be fully supporting eGPU in spring apparently.

So really, I think if you are using windows 100% of the time I would get a windows machine personally. I could easily swap over to windows 100% and have already decided if I do so [on the fence still on the eGPU due to support] I will be getting a gaming machine and a surface book 2, and not an Apple laptop [even though I do love them].

 

[SteveJUAE]

Although I have run all my macs exclusively as Windows laptops I feel for your usage a SB2 or similar would somehow be better re graphics support. You should not underestimate the additional vesitity offered by laptops like the SB2 or just touch screen, its usage creeps up on you

Else

Going a Mbp option you will see a good 30 mins hit on battery endurance over macOS, 30gb loss of SSD space for minimum mac partition and not all the same gestures will be supported on the TP I expect like many the 4x4K monitors is more bragging rights than actual requirements

 

[CWallace]

Not true - you can change the boot sequence in 'system preference' - 'start up disk' in MacOS after bootcamp installed.

Boot Camp does not currently recognize drives formatted in APFS so selecting macOS in the Windows Boot Camp application will return a "Volume Not Found" error if you have an SSD and upgraded to High Sierra (which converts your SSD to APFS). So you have to hold down the Option key on boot / reboot to get back to macOS (or have the Mac default boot to macOS and use the Option key to boot / reboot into Boot Camp).

Hopefully said driver will be coming sooner rather than later so the Control Panel functionality will return.

 

[Falhófnir]

Honestly if you want to run Windows, get a windows computer. A dell XPS, HP spectre or Envy, or surface book or any number of other options, and brand new for the same/ less than you’d pay for even a refurbished 2015 15” with no dGPU.

 

[dotdotdot]

Not true - you can change the boot sequence in 'system preference' - 'start up disk' in MacOS after bootcamp installed.

Re the original post though, I disagree with some of the comments on it is 'better than any windows laptop'.
Basically bootcamp doesn't allow for the latest GPU drivers to be totally up to date [as Apple does it, unless you go to bootcampdrivers.com] so I have found performance in 3D apps is lacking [I use a maxed 2017 iMac]. The Mac GPU's simply are not great and up until December, it was more than disappointing. It is pretty good now and much better for Autodesk apps than it was.

My iMac feels more fluid and a better experience in MacOS than windows still [which isn't a surprise really]. Also my apple mouse is glitchy in Autodesk apps. I need to use Autodesk apps for my job and they are windows only so I have no alternative.

For Windows use I am still looking [probably] to getting a MBP but hooking up an eGPU to it with a Nvidia 1080 ti / quadro in it, which will have native drivers and as such will be fully supported for better performance in the 3D apps. Apple will be fully supporting eGPU in spring apparently.

So really, I think if you are using windows 100% of the time I would get a windows machine personally. I could easily swap over to windows 100% and have already decided if I do so [on the fence still on the eGPU due to support] I will be getting a gaming machine and a surface book 2, and not an Apple laptop [even though I do love them].

If you use the drivers on bootcampdrivers.com the graphics cards were updated earlier this month, and these are generally better than the Bundled ones too.