[Question] BootCamp to Windows GPU

Hi,

I've been thinking about getting the 15" MacBook Pro when they get their next refresh - although Windows is very important to me (and having it run well too).

Does BootCamp allow Windows to see the high-end GPU? Meaning that I don't always have to run it on the integrated. (I'd be fine with the high-end running all of the time, too.)

Also - is there any other incompatibilities which one would benefit from knowing?


Thanks!

 

in bootcamp it only uses the gpu not the on chip

I think it really works well in bootcamp but can get very warm with the gpu always going

 

Windows is essentially still Windows on a Mac. You get full access to everything in the Mac though some things are kind of limited (like the Trackpad). Also, as previously pointed out, you can only use the dedicated GPU under Windows with Bootcamp. There isn't an option for using the IGP.

Of course, Bootcamp should be viewed as more of an "in case" scenario allowing you to run Windows when you need to and then doing everything else in OS X. I don't think it should be looked at for running Windows all the time on a Mac. In fact, unless you plan on using OS X the majority of the time on a Mac, I don't see a reason why you should buy one. There is a small group of people who exclusively run Windows on their Macs but they are an extreme niche here on the forums.

 

In one of those, running windows only on my Mac

Pretty much the only issue I'd had is with back up/restore software. Something to do with not having a bios

Aside from that windows doesn't know it's running on Mac hardware and works normally. You even gain all the nice gestures used with the trackpad you would get on OS X.

 

I wouldn't say that, since I use windows only and run OS X when needed.

Granted I got caught in the apple hype. Tried OS X and liked it but prefer windows after all. So yeah if you plan on using windows as your main OS there is no reason whatsoever to pay big bucks for a Mac. Since you can get something better for the same price

 

Not with the stock Apple drivers. You need to get into 3rd-party software for that, the drivers of which require you to modify Windows to disable hardware signing, a process that can get messy and royally mess up your system if you're not careful.

 

Yeah, a clean install of windows on a mac laptop is functional, but not entirely pleasant on a laptop.

Since you have to run the dedicated gpu and the trackpad is wonky, you're fine if you are plugged in and have an external mouse. If you're trying to use it like a laptop, it's suddenly not that great. The battery life is dramatically shorter than OS X, the wonky trackpad makes it difficult to do basic trackpad operations, like directing the cursor, scrolling, clicking.

If the idea is that you want to run some heavier 3d games in windows for performance reasons, that could work out without being too ridiculously inconvenient - because generally you're going to want to close out all your other applications anyway, and doing a reboot isn't too farfetched at that point. If you want to run all your apps in windows, you will be doing yourself a huge favor to get a windows laptop with better driver support.

 

Exactly. The point of owning a Mac is to use OS X. If you're not going to be there at least 70% of the time (I'd say closer to 80-90, actually), it's far better and more cost effective to use Windows out of the gate.

Personally, I'm in OS X about 85% of the time, 10% in Windows directly for the few games I play, and 5% using Windows via Parallels for when I simply need access to MS Office or other non-intensive Windows-only applications.

 

iOS development pretty much forced me into a Macbook... then I found out I can do 90% of my sysadmin work from OS X and switched completely.

 

Just a note that for any OS after snow leopard, bootcamp will only accept Windows 7 and up. If you DO put a copy of windows on using bootcamp, do it first thing before you install anything else. Many people have problems partitioning their drive AFTER installing a bunch of stuff on their laptop. As far as gaming etc goes, I've had no problem playing higher end games on bootcamped windows. It did run pretty hot for me though.

 

Which means you are an extreme niche here on the forums and within Mac users as well (as I stated in my post that you didn't fully quote). Macs have and will always be about running Apple's software with their hardware. The hardware may have changed over the years but that doesn't mean that the formula is any different. Macs = OS X + Apple designed hardware. Taking out one of those elements means that you are essentially using (or buying) a Mac because it looks nice even though there are plenty of other, less expensive notebooks and desktops that can run Windows with better native drivers while performing the same (or even better) than the hardware in the MBP.

Like I said, there are some people that run Windows exclusively on their Macs but they are a minority and I don't think they should be used as an example of how to properly use a Mac.

 

Yup, fire up CoRD and do what you want, hehe.

 

As one of those niche users,

for dear lordy, do NOT get a windowed macbook. It is nowhere near as bad as people make it out to be, but it's definitely more unpleasant than it should be.

Mind you, I knew this going in. the reason I got my 2010 macbook pro 13" was because of the form factor; there was simply nothing that matched its battery life, dimensions, or weight at its price range (mind you, going against HP pavilion 9ks....not much conviction from HP there).

tl;dr only get a windows mac if you require its formfactor.

 

Even then the new onslaught of thin, light, and powerful Windows based systems (HP Envy Spectre, Samsung Series 7, et al) is rendering Windows exclusivity on the Mac an even more irrelevant.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

lol yes, that was the point I was working towards. There is no good reason to get it for its formfactor since some PCs already share the same form factor

 

I've been following this thread with a lot of interest since I may be using Windows a lot more than intended since my eyes are having problems adjusting to the difference between windows and apple text rendering (see: http://forum.notebookreview.com/app...zzy-text-mbp-15-hi-res-ag.html#post8501493for for the discussion). So I may become a "niche user", but not by choice or design...

I've started looking into the whole windows-on-a-mac thing and found this article helpful: Running Windows on a Mac (Part 1): Lion vs. Win7 performance shootout | ITworld

Running Windows on a Mac (Part 2): The good, the bad and the ugly | ITworld
Running Windows on a Mac, part 3: The complete how-to | ITworld

have good info too!.

I also had some questions re: VM/bootcamp, Win7 vs XP but being new here wasn't sure where to post, and didn't want to offend anybody so asked them here: http://forum.notebookreview.com/8501505-post888.html

 

masterchef already answered you in that thread and I agree with him. If you just bought the system as you said, you should still be within the return window. That being the case, get your money back.

 

Do NOT buy windows if you are using it more then OSX...

It is far more gimmped then ANYONE has told you in this thread likely because they did not even know how severe some issues truely are.
AHCI is not present under windows, this causes massive hard drive speed loss, and if you are using a SSD will cause your solid state to die drastically faster without AHCI, no TRIM or NCQ.
Without TRIM you basically have yourself a first gen SSD, it'll crap out on you pretty quickly and will bench at HALF of the possible speeds due to AHCI not being present.

Also, Windows has a throttling issue when using GPU/CPU co-load to around 0.800ghz speeds. Download furmark, prime95 and intel power gadget to see the conclusive proof if you think i'm taking BS, got the screens to backup all my statements.

Trust me, i've done 5 months of 2011 MPB testing and have found that if you use windows its a sever pain in the A, tons of heat issues with breaking 100c spikes when gaming (Apple-store cannot correct this, verified on 5+ different MBP units.), noise issues, but mainly throttling and the poor performance this causes are the major problems i've came across. Temp is secondary which will cause long term hardware failure from thermal expansion and the micro factures this causes its a common laptop problem, but 94- 100c is at the TJMax thermal limits of the processors...i wouldn't expect the system to live very long when it can consistently hit them under windows, and 90-96c on OSX when the temps spike, its a little hot for a system users may want to keep for a number of years. Also the GPU is the only video option, this means windows runs way hotter on low loads vs OSX, but also means windows has very poor battery (2-4 Windows vs 4-7 OSX).

Apple is GREAT under OSX (minor throttling 1.5-2.2ghz range vs windows 0.8ghz consistently reproducible), so if you are going to use windows more then 30% of the time, then I will STRONGLY pressure you to wait for the 2012 Ivy Birdge revisions (If it corrects these problems), or look for an alternative brand (Alienware, Lenovo, Asus) since they do give you way more bang for your buck and can come with less serious issues in some cases, its hit or miss to test the out of any laptop you get while you are able to return it.

Just my two cents of personal experience with Macbook pros.
PM me for help or screenshots if you need them.

 

I bought a mac Im still using Windows more than OS X, I used a program to get better fan control on Windows also a program for the GPU to throttle down when not using extensive graphics, most of the time the temps on the video card is around 52-55c CPU 42-48, harddrive 36-42. Battery life still sucks, I been using OS X mainly just for iOS fixes. I do gaming too the temps have gone between 72-75c cpu, 60-70 GPU, I do give it rest for a while. I have the 2009 Unibody with swtichable graphics.

 

There is something wrong if you have to install 3rd party programs/drivers so that the fans on a system don't run wild, the GPU isn't always full throttle, and to get a better trackpad experience. That is a lot of hassle just to run a non fully supported OS in a shiny form factor.

 

Have you seen other people with the same problems running Windows on a mac? They are faulty on purpose so you could use OS X more than Windows, I dont know how you mean there is something wrong since the fans suck on Windows with out any control the same with the GPU left by default is on high clocked settings. Go read peoples comments on Apples forum page with the same issues.

 

You don't have to tell me to read other comments, I have read a bunch during my time here. You viewed but missed my whole point: there is something wrong if you have to go through all of that trouble just to use Windows on a Mac. Why even bother staying in Windows the majority of the time if you have to jump through hoops? That would be a topic for a different discussion though, I just wanted to get my point across that Macs shouldn't really be purchased by people if they plan on staying in Windows the majority of the time when there are other machines built for running Windows. It isn't an Apple is better, Dell is better, Lenovo is better, or MS is better aspect. It's just that the default Bootcamp experience on Macs is subpar and I don't understand why people would go through trouble just to be able to run Windows (either solely or the majority of the time) on Macs. I can understand its benefits for part time use when you need to run Windows (i.e. software/hardware compatibility) but that is about it. I don't want to derail the topic at hand though.