Just HOW GOOD is the MacBook Pro at running Windows 7?

[mark28]

Windows 7 doesn't crash anymore. If we are talking about Vista or XP then ok, but 7 is really rock solid.
The problem is related to drivers that make Windows crash (we all know the nature of the interaction among drivers and an OS meant to be run on a big variety of different hardware (aka Windows)).

ATi didn't make good quality drivers for its graphics cards in the past. Now their drivers are very good and the stability of the system is increased, and the graphics performances are awesome.

In the same manner Apple isn't making out good quality drivers for their hardware, and so the stability and the performances of a Windows OS running on this hardware is compromised!

In the beginning Vista was crap which is why it has a bad reputation for it's stability, but now it's hardly the case, it's extremely stable.

I hate Vista, but it's not for it's stability. Vista is rock solid now.

( it's funny that Windows 7 in a Virtual Machine under Linux runs faster than Vista. That pretty much says enough how slow Vista actually is )

 

[mikeo007]

does "windows runs better on a mac" still hold any water?

No. Not unless your comparing the mac to a $300 Dell laptop.

 

[Sefk]

What math software does not run well on Windows and requires a unix-like system?

For what I am doing: Sage and Gap (Gap runs under windows using Cygwin...but that like running something under OS X using darwine). Both programs are just sheer awesomeness and can do stuff that no commercial software can do.

In general: commercial programs like Maple or Mathematica works in any OS (linux, windows, os x), but specialized softwares are usually coded for unix-like system.

 

[Fuzz02]

No. Not unless your comparing the mac to a $300 Dell laptop.

Have you had a lot of experience with windows on macs? What you're saying here just isn't true at all.

I have a macbook from '06 that runs windows MUCH better than my parents' 2010 HP laptop, which was about $300 more than I paid for my macbook back in '06.

I'm sorry if you had a crap time for some reason, but the general consensus is that Windows runs fairly well on Macs. Most of the complaints are only about the differences between Mac and Windows, and not anything wrong with the hardware.

 

[mikeo007]

Have you had a lot of experience with windows on macs? What you're saying here just isn't true at all.

I have a macbook from '06 that runs windows MUCH better than my parents' 2010 HP laptop, which was about $300 more than I paid for my macbook back in '06.

I'm sorry if you had a crap time for some reason, but the general consensus is that Windows runs fairly well on Macs. Most of the complaints are only about the differences between Mac and Windows, and not anything wrong with the hardware.

Given equivalent specs, the windows experience will be similar on a Mac or dedicated windows machine. If the mac out-specs the PC, it will generally out-perform it. If the PC out-specs the Mac, it will run windows better. It's not rocket science.

I don't know what you paid for your macbook, but if you're saying a ~$1300 laptop runs windows worse than a 4 year old macbook, you either overpaid huge for the laptop, or you're full of it.

 

[Jaro65]

I'm running it in VMware Fusion 3.1 RC off my Intel SSD and it FLIES. It's incredible.. I can easily switch between Windows and Mac OS without any slowdown whatsoever. The SSD really shines in keeping your system responsive at all times.

I agree. It wasn't all that bad with a regular HD, but the SSD did improve performance quite a bit. I use Win 7 mostly in Unity mode and it is a pleasure to use.

 

[mark28]

Have you had a lot of experience with windows on macs? What you're saying here just isn't true at all.

I have a macbook from '06 that runs windows MUCH better than my parents' 2010 HP laptop, which was about $300 more than I paid for my macbook back in '06.

I'm sorry if you had a crap time for some reason, but the general consensus is that Windows runs fairly well on Macs. Most of the complaints are only about the differences between Mac and Windows, and not anything wrong with the hardware.

Question is, what computer did you parents bought and did they do a fresh install without the bloatware? Computer salesmen from computer stores try to sell old computers to customers with even very old CPU's.

If a Macbook 06 is better than a 2010 Machine, are you saying it can run Crysis at the highest settings and still be playable? I highly doubt that. And it won't have the power to run the software as good as the i5 can. ( the i5 laptops with powerfull GPU's cost the same as low level C2D white Macbook with only 2gb of ram. And they have alot more features too. )

But if you're talking about laptops that cost $300 more than the Macbook, they you are talking about laptops such as the Dell i7 620 ( dual cores like in the 15/17 inch 2010 MBP ), ATI 5650 and 16 LED screen. There is no way a 2006 MBP can compare to that in Windows. And even quad core i7 machines from Asus and Sony are in that price range. ( but personally the i5 machines of Asus are a better buy as they cost much less and you get 2 year warranty and have unique feature such as USB 3.0 )

It just doesn't make any sense that a 2006 Macbook runs better under Windows than a 2010 machine. It must be a software issue or bloatware that makes you think it does or they bought an outdated C2D machine.

edit: The early 2006 MB had only 512 MB of memory. The late 2006 MB had 1 GB of memory. Both these 2006 models use the slow DDR2 ram. You are either full of it or your parents bought a really crappy computer.

 

[WisdomWolf]

I have never understood why anyone would want to run Windows in a Bootcamp partition. If you do that, Windows is an alternative to OS X, not an adjunct, because you have to shutdown OS X and boot Windows in the Bootcamp partition before you can use it. I use VMware Fusion in Unity mode instead of Bootcamp to run Windows apps. That way, Windows apps open from the OS X desktop just like native OS X apps do. Better yet, the Windows apps accept most of the familiar keyboard shortcuts that we use in OS X. The only downside to this solution I have seen is that Fusion in Unity mode requires a lot of memory to work well.

In my case I am forced to use bootcamp for things that require interaction with external devices. For instance, I recently updated my android phone to 2.1 and the software is windows only. I wish I could have done everything in Parallels, but it simply wouldn't make the connection. I had to do it in bootcamp.

 

[wirelessmacuser]

I'm a multiplatformist. I work in three enviroments. Windows 7 Pro, OS X Snow Leopard, and Linux. While I slighly prefer Apple for my personal use, it's main problem is thermal management. Windows runs hotter on the Mac & there lies the problem. For light use it's OK, but for regular use it even causes my new 2.66GHz i7 with 8GB to run hot. You"ll notice the MacBook Pro lacks cooling vents. That combined with it's thin form factor & aluminum case is a formula for poor thermal management.

My new equally configured Core i7 ThinkPad T510 is designed to run Windos 7 quiet, cool & fast. It's equally well designed & cost $900 less. The case is a composite of carbon fiber with large cooling vents in a case that's only 0.3" thicker. I've used both 15" Macs & ThinkPads for years & their both excellent when running the operating systems they were designed to run.

 

[seventy9ers]

Agreed

I'm a multiplatformist. I work in three enviroments. Windows 7 Pro, OS X Snow Leopard, and Linux. While I slighly prefer Apple for my personal use, it's main problem is thermal management. Windows runs hotter on the Mac & there lies the problem. For light use it's OK, but for regular use it even causes my new 2.66GHz i7 with 8GB to run hot. You"ll notice the MacBook Pro lacks cooling vents. That combined with it's thin form factor & aluminum case is a formula for poor thermal management.

My new equally configured Core i7 ThinkPad T510 is designed to run Windos 7 quiet, cool & fast. It's equally well designed & cost $900 less. The case is a composite of carbon fiber with large cooling vents in a case that's only 0.3" thicker. I've used both 15" Macs & ThinkPads for years & their both excellent when running the operating systems they were designed to run.

I agree wholeheartedly! I love my new 15" i7 MBP especially the battery life. But I did try out the HP DVt7 with i7 and 8gb RAM, and I was super impressed and I did notice really fast improvement in performance when running windows 7 comparing to running it on my new mac. I did return the HP laptop, because battery life is crap, and the machine is way too big. But the statement that windows run better on mac is not true anymore on the newer and high end pc. Plus it cost almost $1000 less.

 

[lollorenzo]

Hi. For a MBP i5 2.4GHz and VMware Fusion 3.1 what version of Windows 7 is better to install? 32 or 64 bit? Thanks

 

[Fuzz02]

Still downloading The Witcher (nearly 13 gigs!) but I did play some Crisis and a few source games.

Crisis on medium settings at 1280x800 runs at around 20-28 fps. I can kinda see what other people said about it being smooth, it runs about the same framerate as a movie. Playable, for sure, but I prefer to drop it down to low settings where it runs at 45-60 fps.

Still looks good, not as good, but still plays great and such. I guess that makes me a casual? I think I can live with that.

All the source games I've tried run above 30, near 60 at max settings at higest resolution.

Edit: this is on the 13in 2010 pro.

 

[gwsat]

Hi. For a MBP i5 2.4GHz and VMware Fusion 3.1 what version of Windows 7 is better to install? 32 or 64 bit? Thanks

I am running Windows 7 Professional in 32 bit mode on my 17 inch Santa Rosa 2.4Ghz MBP and it runs well. I only have 2 Gb of RAM dedicated to the Fusion VM so 32 bit works as well as 64 bit. As I understand it, unless you dedicate at least 4 Gb of RAM to the VM, 64 bit mode won't do anything for you.

 

[wirelessmacuser]

I agree wholeheartedly! I love my new 15" i7 MBP especially the battery life. But I did try out the HP DVt7 with i7 and 8gb RAM, and I was super impressed and I did notice really fast improvement in performance when running windows 7 comparing to running it on my new mac. I did return the HP laptop, because battery life is crap, and the machine is way too big. But the statement that windows run better on mac is not true anymore on the newer and high end pc. Plus it cost almost $1000 less.

HP has the "name" because of their years of Printer supremacy.

Unfortunately even their professional business laptops (I've had a few recently) are lacking. I'm a big advocate of competition and choice. Thus I would like to see HP do better, and they are ever so gradually improving.

Still according to last years survey they are still at the bottom of reliability and build quality. Space utilization is another problem as they are so big in each size class (ie: 15", 17" etc)

At the end of the day, and a ton of money later, each and every year I find the MacBook Pro & ThinkPad machines the very best in their respective class.