Not a bootcamp question - far more nMP

[Gav Mack]

So don't move it please mods.

How many of you reckon that bootcamp on the nMP is going to be a right pigs ear at launch?

With new server chipset support, linked FirePro cards, tb2, PCIe storage and customised ati drivers it's going to be painful till they iron out the bugs, especially with apps that use the GPUs a lot.

My first two nMP jobs are both primarily running 7x64 and I reckon I'm in for some short term pain

Or will it be a smooth sailing experience, I'm talking absolute rubbish cos Apple will thoroughly beta test this before release?

 

[ActionableMango]

Bootcamp has been a bit slow in the past to update, so I wouldn't be surprised if there were problems.

OTOH, they've had a long time to bake the nMP so it could be fine. Windows GPU drivers tend to be unified and work for entire families of cards, or even multiple families of cards, so I wouldn't worry about that other than Crossfire which has often had problems.

I could see it going either way.

How many of you reckon that bootcamp on the nMP is going to be a right pigs ear at launch?

From context I gather that a "right pigs ear" is bad, does that mean a "left pigs ear" is good?

 

[MacVidCards]

I happen to know that certain developers were issued "functional" nMPs to test with.

None of the thermal whatsits or pretty polishing, but simple functional equivalency. An ugly box that logically appears as nMP.

So most drivers have had time to be ironed out.

That being said, I doubt MS got any and if they did, I doubt they give a rat's butt about how well Win runs on it.

 

[AidenShaw]

That being said, I doubt MS got any and if they did, I doubt they give a rat's butt about how well Win runs on it.

Microsoft will make more money selling a Windows license to an Apple user who wants to dual-boot than to a Windows OEM vendor.

Most of the low level drivers are supplied to Microsoft by the hardware vendors (that's what WHQL is all about - Microsoft takes the drivers from the vendor, tests them using the "checked build", and if they pass MSFT puts them in the kit or Windows update).

The CPU and chipset are not an issue for Windows - it's the standard chipset for x64 servers and workstations for at least the last year, and the CPU is already out from many vendors. Also, there are none of the funky special bits like trackpads and power/battery management hardware found in a laptop - basically the system is the same as a Dell T3610.

The PCIe SSD is probably standard parts in an Apple-only form factor. It's unlikely that Apple is doing anything but buying SSD controllers from one of the major players.

If the GPUs were from Nvidia, I'd say "don't worry" - since Nvidia has had broad support across products from the same driver. From ATI though, I'd worry if the device ID isn't the same as a commodity PCIe card.

Having said this, there's no way I'd put any of my income at risk until there are solid reports that Windows runs fine on the Mac Mini Pro (whether using the vendor/Microsoft drivers or Apple's kit).