How good is Air running Vista with Bootcamp

I'm a windows user so I wanna keep using windows and at the same time maybe slowly adapt to the mac environment
In addition, I have quite a few software that I have and would like to continue to use with
I just can't find another laptop that is this lightweight, has backlit keyboard and 5 hrs of web surfing...
Bootcamp claims to run at native speed, so I wanna know is that true
and can I also run some old games like diablo 2, starcraft, warcraft 3 as well?


thanks in advance,
soda

 

You won't find anybody that knows how well the MacBook air works yet (They won't ship for two weeks), but Windows did seem to work pretty well the one time I tried boot camp.

Other people may have a better idea of how well it works compared to PC hardware though.

 

Hmm, it should run at about the same speed as the Lenovo X61s and X61t, which are essentially the only common notebook to have Santa Rosa LV processors (same as the MB Air). So maybe check those out to see how they work?

 

really? is as good as running a PC laptop?
will there be any limitation such as the video card?
'coz I know virtual PC is really weak on the graphic side


soda

 

the 80GB max HD really limits what the air can do for most people.

however, Osx takes about 10GB, xp another 10. That leaves about 50 for files, not too bad. Not enough for me.

thats the biggest limiting factor with the air.

 

I thought the air used normal c2d processors??

 

With no CD-Drive, no RJ-45 wired LAN connector and X3100 integrated GPU this really isn't meant as a gaming laptop. It's aimed more at travel salesman or other people that need mobility more than anything else.

 

I believe that the MBA would run Vista nicely with Boot Camp, as do the other Macs. Essentially if you are using Boot Camp you get native speeds when running Windows XP or Vista. I wish the same was true if you ran them virtually though... I have tried Windows XP and Vista on my MacBook Pro and found it ran fantastic with Boot Camp. The upcoming service pack 3 for Windows XP and Vista's service pack 1 speed up the operating systems a great amount, and when combined with an Intel-based Mac will yield an uber-fast machine (except when running games, which the MacBook classic and Air have only integrated graphics cards ).

As kgeier82 has said, the hard-drive is the real limiting factor here. You could instruct Boot Camp to make a majority of the disk space for Windows to use, and leave OSX with the minimum of 5 GB's (actually that's the minimum if you are running the Tiger version of OSX, not sure what it is on Leopard).

 

I suspect performance will be mediocre.
It has an underpowered GPU, CPU, and HD (unless you have the SSD option).

Games will not run particularly well.
Vista will run all the office apps.
Office and websufing on the go--yes.


It was good of them not to compromize on keyboard/screen, but they really could have put this into a thin 12" WXGA package with a tiny bit more thickness to include 10/100/1000 ethernet.

I don't need an ultra-thin laptop per se, just one with a small footprint and that is light...A 12" Powbook that had lost a pound would have been awesome!

 

yea...I'm not looking for a gaming machine
this is for a lightweight portable
even tho I'm not a gamer but it would still be nice to play games sometimes
I also have the x3100 integrated card on my pc laptop but run really well on those games
so I wonder the Air could do the same thing
and what would the index be in Vista....


soda

 

That is a question I want answered when someone does a review on it. For the most part the CPU and memory index would be pretty good, estimating at high 3, low 4 range. The hard-disk index is where it would get nailed though if the SSD option is not installed. Otherwise, it would be the gaming and graphics index bringing down the base score to about 3.0-3.5. These are all guesses though.

 

yea, I would guess the same # too
I just never had a hand on a macbook
so I would like to make sure before I go for a purchase
thanks for replies guys


soda

 

Virtual PC sucks bad at intense video stuff (games). That's why you don't use VPC for games... you just boot into windows on start-up. It functions exactly like a normal PC with the same specs... Should not have any problem running windows with 2GB RAM and an X3100...

 

Yeah... I agree, vista should run fine. About the same as the MB. It will take a bit longer to boot due to the VERY slow hard drive (unless you get the SSD). Load times will be longer but normal app usage should be roughly the same. The few hundred mHz you will loose won't have a major impact unless you are really timing things or doing some very intensive work in a development environment or Photoshop type work.

Those games should run fine under XP or Vista, just not under a VM like Arquis said.

 

just a quick question:
i thought the air doesnt use ulv cpu's.
i understood that it used core 2 duo's that have been customized by intel for apple, with 1.6 or 1.8ghz clock speed and 4mb cache...i dont think they are standard ulv's/
i hope atleast.

 

The processor is not ULV. It's a shrunk (new smaller die) version of the C2D. I believe this will be out in future laptops.

 

a lot of people are considering the AIR over a regular MB, and i have no idea why the MB isnt an option for most people, they are damn portable, and still the best selling mac laptop.

id skip the AIR altogether and save mega$$$

 

Amen to that. If I need a small laptop I'd go with a standard Macbook. Same footprint size, and 1 inch is thin.... also have the convenience of a better processor, better/bigger hard drive, ability to swap batteries, and a number of ports for peripherals.... not to mention you save big bucks.

 

Air will run Vista but don't expect good battery life. Remember Vista is a resource hog with way too much overhead i.e. too many things running in the background and Aero.

Macbook Air is for people willing to pay for cutting edge hardware and excellent portability. I would turn my head away from Apple altogether if you are simply looking to save money go buy a dell.

 

That last statement isn't very fair. Dells don't run OS X

 

MacBook doesn't have the backlit keyboard
not like I really need it to type
its just dam good to have
and it's a bit heavier compare with other 13" laptop
btw, how do you do right click if you have windows installed?


soda

 

If you are running windows under Parallels or VMWare, the tools they will install support the two finger right click. If you install Windows under bootcamp, the bootcamp drivers for the trackpad also support two finger right click as well as two finger scroll. I'd be wiling to bed that gestures probably won't be available in Windows yet, but who knows...

I think MB will be getting the back lit keyboard. Effectively both the MB and MBA have the same keyboard. I don't really have a need for it personally, but I can understand those who would benefit from it.

Yeah, the MB is a bit heavy for it's size (.5 or so lbs lighter than the MBP). But it is more solid than some of the other 13" laptops I've seen.

 

There seems to be some confusion about CPUs, which I like to clarify. Altough nobody can say for sure yet which CPU the MBA is using, it's likely the LV Core 2 Duo if we check the specs. Specifically the L7500 / L7700, see
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_o...essors#.22Merom.22_.28low-voltage.2C_65_nm.29

Those are the same as in the Lenovo X61s. The regular X61 uses standard C2D CPUs, the X61s is thinner and uses the LV C2D, most other ultraportables like the Sony TZ use the ULV. The LV power dissipation is 17 Watt, which is somewhere between regular (35W) and ULV (10W) C2D. The customization that Intel has done for Apple refers to reducing the size of the green circuit board that the CPU sits on (not the die size, that will have to wait till Penryn).

To clear a misconception, LV or ULV C2Ds are just as fast as regular voltage C2Ds at the same clockspeed/busspeed/cache. It's just that they can't clock as high because they're required to run at lower voltage.

 

Uh, I don't think Boot Camp supports finger taps. At least, I haven't found an option for it. I need to use a mouse to right click...

 

I believe he said that it is a full speed C2D during the speech, not a ULV. I'm pretty sure it's a shrunk die. I'm pretty sure you can't just simply shrink the PCB and have it fit without shrinking the die.

It works. I do it all the time.

 

It's not using ULV, it's using LV. The point I was making was that the LV (L7500, L7700) CPUs are full speed C2Ds. They're exactly the same speed as the regular voltage C2Ds clocked at 1.6 or 1.8Ghz. They just run at lower voltage (and hence lower power/heat and lower maximum clock).

Take a look at the diagram here
http://www.apple.com/macbookair/features.html

 

Boot Camp only supports the right-clicking where you have two fingers on the trackpad and then click the mouse button. When will Apple fully implement the single/double tapping with Boot Camp???

 

Hrm... I didn't realize there was a difference between ULV and LV

 

Probably because hardly anyone uses them. Most other manufacturers seem to only use full voltage and ULV. Lenovo is the only one I know of that uses the LV in the mentioned X61s.