Windows Driver Performance on 2013 Air?

[Dirt Bringer]

Hey guys, I'm seriously looking at picking up a macbook air 13 within the next couple of weeks. I have to run Windows on it for a variety of reasons, software caused largely. I don't really want to get into a discussion on what's the better OS, I've used them all and have my own reasons for using each.

I am curious to know how well windows runs on the 2013 air, including the touch pad. I'm willing to use open source drivers like touchpad ++ or whatever. I just want to know how well it works, as I'm very interested in getting one of these machines.

 

[Y So Jelly]

Two finger scrolling is not the best. I had to tweak the touchpad sensitivity & calibrate the display but that was not very hard. There are also some options on the boot camp and HD graphics icons in system tray.


Overall a decent experience once you tailor every setting to your liking.

 

[Dirt Bringer]

Two finger scrolling is not the best. I had to tweak the touchpad sensitivity & calibrate the display but that was not very hard. There are also some options on the boot camp and HD graphics icons in system tray.


Overall a decent experience once you tailor every setting to your liking.

Is there a way to improve touchpad performance? Part of the reason I'm interested is because the computer I'm looking at as an alternative to this is the dell xps 13, which has a relatively ok touchpad that has kinda meh scrolling and finicky multitouch gestures.

Oh yeah, nice choice of phone...

 

[Y So Jelly]

Out of the box, 2 finger scrolling is ridiculous. In Windows 7 at least, you just go to the start menu, type mouse and mess with the settings. Even at minimum scroll speed, it is a little fast to my liking but I'm used to it after 2 days. It won't keep kinetic scrolling after you release your fingers. No swipe forward/backward either. Tap to click sensitivity is high but you can enable/disable that in boot camp settings.

I have heard good things about Touchpad++ but am reluctant to install that powerplan.

Every application opens quicker on Win 7 Pro than on OS X for me. My Air feels faster than my i7-3770 16gb ram desktop for everyday use.


Thanks! The Nexus is a hidden gem IMO. I find it more enjoyable to use than an S4 or iphone 5. OpenGL 3.0? Welcome to 2 months ago.

 

[Dirt Bringer]

Out of the box, 2 finger scrolling is ridiculous. In Windows 7 at least, you just go to the start menu, type mouse and mess with the settings. Even at minimum scroll speed, it is a little fast to my liking but I'm used to it after 2 days. It won't keep kinetic scrolling after you release your fingers. No swipe forward/backward either. Tap to click sensitivity is high but you can enable/disable that in boot camp settings.

I have heard good things about Touchpad++ but am reluctant to install that powerplan.

Every application opens quicker on Win 7 Pro than on OS X for me. My Air feels faster than my i7-3770 16gb ram desktop for everyday use.


Thanks! The Nexus is a hidden gem IMO. I find it more enjoyable to use than an S4 or iphone 5. OpenGL 3.0? Welcome to 2 months ago.

Do you use mainly Windows on the MBA? I'm used to Windows and, like you, have a nice desktop, so I'm curious as to how you feel about using Windows on it vs OSX or running another Windows specific laptop instead. I'm looking at the MBA for the battery life, hardware and hella awesome finish it has for the price.

The software I work on at school I own mainly in Windows alone so using OSX as an alternative is...well, not really an alternative. Not that I have any problem with OSX, but I'll be using Windows. Bad idea or should I go for it?



Indeed. It's nice to own a phone that continues to operate well as intended after a few months. Pure Android is so user friendly.

 

[Y So Jelly]

Yes I use Windows primarily. I came from a Vaio SB.

Go for it. The PCIe SSD speeds things up dramatically. 16:10 is (relatively) good for productivity. Apple Store has a good 14 day return policy. Warranty repairs are done in store. Good resale. There are very few Windows laptops at this level of build quality.

What's the worst that could happen? If you do take it back look at the Book 9 Plus.

 

[Dirt Bringer]

What's wrong with the power plan associated with touchpad++?

 

[Mikael]

I've used two different MBAs with Windows 7 Pro for more than two years now. Had a 2011 MBA until a month ago, when I received my new 2013 MBA. Both work equally well in Windows. You get the standard Windows functionality without any extras, which is fine by me. In general, multitouch gestures aren't supported in Windows 7 out of the box and the MBA doesn't add any either.

Scrolling speed is fast, mainly due to how Windows handles scrolling (line-by-line, default is three lines at a time). You can set this to one or two lines instead and it should be fine.

Otherwise, no issues. I use my MBA as my main work tool for software development in Visual Studio. Performance is splendid and there are no stability issues (not a single crash in more than two years). It just works.