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Windows on my MBP

gazfocus

gazfocus

macrumors 68000
Original poster
Jan 3, 2008
1,650
0
Liverpool, UK
Not sure if this is the right place to post this but here goes...

I have been thinking for a while about buying a Dell XPS M1530 as I need a Windows Laptop in addition to my MBP, and I have been emailed a 10% off coupon from Dell, which could save me £80 off the configuration I was looking at (2.4GHz C2D, 4GB Ram, 320GB Hard Drive, 1440 x 900).

However, during the summer, I hope to be buying a Mac Pro to replace my Windows desktop, and wondering whether it's worth buying the Dell or not.

What would the performance be like running Windows XP on my Macbook Pro? (It's a 2.16GHz Core 2 Duo with 2GB Ram, and 320GB Hard Drive).

Would the performance be as good as a dedicated windows PC?
 
as far as I know, running windows on a MBP is just like running windows on any other machine, like a dell, hp, toshiba, etc. It's a windows machine, except it happens to also b able to run mac os x....

but please wait for a reply from someone that knows more about this than me.
 
When running Windows XP or Vista via the Bootcamp partition on a Mac, the speed is the same as a Windows computer with the same specs.

This is one of the beauties of a MB or MBP for those on the go. It is like having two laptops (Mac and PC) in one.
 
Thanks.

I have tried it in Parallels, and it's ok, but you don't get the full use of the graphics (such as dual display, etc. Do you get this using bootcamp? Also, if I boot the MBP into Windows, can I access the files on the Mac partition in the same way as in Parallels (in parallels, the mac partition shows up as a network drive).

Ta
 
gazfocus said:
A. I have tried it in Parallels, and it's ok, but you don't get the full use of the graphics (such as dual display, etc.

B. Do you get this using bootcamp?

C. Also, if I boot the MBP into Windows, can I access the files on the Mac partition in the same way as in Parallels (in parallels, the mac partition shows up as a network drive).
Click to expand...
A. Yes, in Parallels you can use multiple/external monitors. For example, with my iMac, I run the Mac OS on the iMac and Windows XP in full screen mode on the external monitor. It is kind of like having two separate computers in one. The only weird thing about this setup is the audio comes from the iMac speakers for both systems.

B. With Bootcamp, and most current Macs will do this with no problems. Be advised, older Intel based Macs will not support or do this well.

C. If your Windows partition is formatted as FAT32, the Mac OS can read and write it. So you can transfer your files before hand to the Windows partition and after back to the Mac partition. However, if you need to access your Mac partition when running Windows via Bootcamp, you can use a program like MacDrive to do this.
 
sushi said:
A. Yes, in Parallels you can use multiple/external monitors. For example, with my iMac, I run the Mac OS on the iMac and Windows XP in full screen mode on the external monitor. It is kind of like having two separate computers in one. The only weird thing about this setup is the audio comes from the iMac speakers for both systems.
Click to expand...

Thanks. When I referred to dual monitors, I meant dual monitors within windows, not OSX on one and XP on the other. The reason for this is my church use a projection application (windows only) that required multiple displays.

Thanks for the rest of the info though :)
 
gazfocus said:
Thanks. When I referred to dual monitors, I meant dual monitors within windows, not OSX on one and XP on the other. The reason for this is my church use a projection application (windows only) that required multiple displays.
Click to expand...
Ah, got ya. I've never had the need to do this so I have not tried it with Parallels nor VMware.

There is one more thing that I should mention. If you are planning on using your Mac with a projector. Some projectors will not register through the miniDVI to VGA adapter. One is the iMac I referenced above. It works great with an external monitor, but will not work with our projector. However, my MBP will work fine with a DVI to VGA adapter.

From what I understand from when I had this issue, this only happens with VGA enable projectors. If you have a projector with a DVI connector, then a Mac with a miniDVI to DVI connector will work.

YMMV.

gazfocus said:
Thanks for the rest of the info though :)
Click to expand...
Appreciate the feedback! :)
 
a mac is the best windows machine around. although running windows on a mac should be against the law and require the death penalty. :D
 
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