using a Mac as a PC notebook?

I have a Thinkpad T 60, about 3 years old. Given its cost, I have found it to be a bit of a disappointment, though far from a bust. I am hoping to squeeze another year out of it, but it is starting to act a little squirelly (sp?), so I am trying to educate myself. I like Apples, but live in a PC world. I was in an Apple store the other day, and asked if I could just run a Macbook as a PC, and they said no problem. It would run normally. Do people agree? What is in my mind is to use it primarily in PC mode, but with the option of doing some things in Apple mode. Comments would be much appreciated.

 

A very excellent thread concerning just that subject can be found here:

http://forum.notebookreview.com/app...oot-camp-parallels-desktop-vmware-fusion.html

 

You still haven't decided? You posted the same kind of question in December. Another in December. Another in November. Yet another in November. Even back in August. One in the IBM forum today.

Funny thing is that you have a 3 year old T 60 but posted about your new MBP in June of 2007, the same day you post about your new T60. Five days later you ditched the MBP.

I could go back further into your posts but there seems to be a common theme.

 

Just do a simple search in this forum, you will get tons of results on this specific topic. The short version: if you will primarily be a PC, don't get a Mac. There are a lot of little "issues" with Bootcamp that would get annoying over time

 

Buy a Mac because you want/need OSX. If you don't want or need OSX, then you're better off buying a Windows PC.

 

You must have a lot of time on your hands. Yes, I posted before. But as some time has gone by, I wanted to see if perspectives had changes. The IBM post was primarily on a different subject.

 

Thanks. That was a helpful reference. When I asked this before, I got some people who questioned how well a Mac would run Windows, but it seems in Bootcamp a Mac is a PC.

 

If you plan on using a Mac as a PC, then doesn't that kind of defeat the purpose of getting a Mac?

 

Only took me a couple of minutes. I remembered responding to one of your threads before. I asked this once and didn't get a response so I'll ask again, have you done a fresh install of Windows to see if it helps any?

 

A mac's performance under Bootcamp will be sub par compared to its performance in OSX. A few examples include battery life and heat management IIRC(although that was last year with the 2009 MBPs so idk if it got any better).

So as stated above, get a Mac for OSX first and foremost, not for that shiny aluminum body.

 

However, the 27" iMac with its impressive screen and styling sure is tempting to run Windows on. Only all-in-one PCs that sort of come close to it are the Lenovo B series.

 

Desktop Macs are probably less of a concern running Windows on than Macbooks although the 24" iMac at home does heat up more in Windows than it does in OSX(therefore eliminating the need for heating in winter >.>)

I still don't really recommend buying something like a computer purely for the style >.> The new Lenovo A300 series looks somewhat similar(although arguably isn't as powerful).

 

LOL. I wonder though by how much. There was a time that the iMac was in the running for systems I wanted to own. But I have such a need for windows for work. Thought about VMing windows on it. But then the ideal PC came along. Still have my eye on an iMac though. Can't find those specs in any AIO PC.

Agreed. Not purely on style. Though the iMac subjectively combines performance with style in a presently unbeatable solution. I think that as desktop PCs (box and monitor) sales continue their slide, AIO PCs will come into vogue and start effectively competing with the iMac.

 

No, I confess I have not done that. My understanding is that it wipes everything out and I have to reload all of the software. That did not seem worth the candle.

 

Turns out a colleague of mine is using a Mac and going back and forth between Windows. I will check with him on how it is working out and report back.

 

You would be surprised. I used to reload Windows on my PCs every 6 months to a year. Its a pain to back up files and reload everything but it makes the system run like new. If you install and uninstall lots of programs, don't keep up with defrag or virus scans it can really slow a system down. I saw you posted it takes about 5 minutes to restart your T60 which is crazy slow.

I'd try it even if you do buy a new system as you can always us the T60 as a back up.

 

If you can't live without Windows, you can try running Win7 as a virtual machine. I am impressed in how the new MBP 13" can handle Win7 as a virtual machine, although I had to sacrifice a few perks of Win7 such as Aero to really get the performance I need out of it. The best of both worlds can be had, at the same time!

Edit: If you choose this route, consider getting a hard drive that spins at 7200 RPM or if you can afford it, an SSD drive.