32bit or 64bit Win7 best for bootcamp/vmware on unibody Macbook Pro

I want to put Win7 on my macbook pro and plan to use it with VMWare 3 as well as for dual booting. Is it better to go with the 32bit or the 64bit version of Win7.

Im running snow leopard on the macbook now... i know Apple isnt officially supporting win7 until later this year but has anyone else had any problems running Win7 under bootcamp on snow leopard?

Thanks,

Dan

 

nope both 32 and 64 bit versions work fine, drivers are still a little iffy so I still tend to pull them from the component manufacturers and use the apple Touchpad driver

 

I'm running Windows Server 2008R2 (Win7 Server) x64 with no issues, aside from the fact that Bluetooth was a pain to get going, and my Bluetooth KB won't work with all the Apple bells and whistles as a result, but Win7 should exibit none of those issues. You should be all set.

Apple's BootCamp 3.0 drivers, bundled with Snow Leopard are completely compatible with Windows 7/Win Server 2008 R2.

Also just for the record - I am also accessing the Boot Camp partition through VMWare Fusion 2.0.6 - Anxiously awaiting VMWF3.

Let me know if you have any questions through your journey to cross-platform bliss, and the latest and greatest in both OSs...

 

Cool. glad to know the drivers on bootcamp 3 are ready to go. Im still torn on what 32 vs 64 bit though. I have a first gen unibody with 4gb of ddr3 ram (i think it can be maxed to 6gb) and would like to use all the memory available but not sure if possible issues finding drivers on 64bit is worth it.

Then im sure vmware can virtualize 32bit easier than 64bit so thinking it might run better under a VM in 32bit.

Im probably going to opt for the OEM disk since I want to keep my XP license for a separate VM and unlike the retail versions the OEMs come in 32 or 64 not both.

 

I have 64-bit Windows 7 in bootcamp. I used the drivers that came with my macbook pro and have had absolutely no problems except for the quiet audio but that's not that bothersome to me.

 

just to chime in on x64 drivers - No issues in WinServer2008 with the BC3.0 drivers for x64. Not a single device has an issue. These new drivers seem to have taken care of everything - The quiet audio is barely noticable. Even in VMWare Fusion (I upgraded to 3.0 today) the x64 OS performance is AWESOME.

 

I picked up Win7 Pro 64bit today... havent installed it yet though. Whats this 'quiet audio' everyone mentions?

 

Running in Windows 7 works great until you want to use the microphone... It works, but for games and skype, good luck.

It's a driver issue that apple hasn't cared to fix yet. =.=;;

 

I'm looking to buy a 13" laptop and I'm comparing Macbook unibody with Sony SR and Studio XPS 13.

I am wondering what are the differences or disadvantages of using the macbook body with Win7 64bit?

Does the apple key become the windows key? Any quirks I should know about? Big driver issues? How does the touchpad work in win7 and how do you right click?

-(Kamzu)Mic doesnt work
-(acarnes) quiet audio

Seems like just an audio driver issue.

 

Apple will definately not provide you with a Windows 7 key...

Theres no advantages over any other computer, a mac = pc essentially when running bootcamp. Touchpad works fine, seems super sensitive in Windows, but otherwise works great. Right click can be done easily by placing 2 fingers on the track pad and clicking.

If you like the OSX environment but don't want to give up Windows, Macbook is the way to go.

 

I wonder because I actually like the hardware combination mac is using with Nvidia + Core 2 and good build quality on the macbook pros.

What do you think about the hardware itself vs a Sony SR for example.

EDIT: I read the scathing review of the plastic unibody macbook and it is scaring me off. I would get the new unibody macbook or the SR with a P8700 processor. Any comments to sway me one way or the other?

EDIT2: After reading more reviews it seems apple took a step backwards in features and build quality but are selling it for the same price? Sounds like a business decision to me to increase margins or money made.

 

You can always buy a refurbished Macbook Pro from Apple's online store. They currently have a Refurbished 13" MacBook Pro 2.26GHz Intel Core 2 Duo for the same price as a new plastic unibody Macbook. Apple's refurbs are like new. Same warranty and everything.

 

Dang, should not run any games on vmware, it's terribly slow.

Vmware needs to be sped up a lot before I can enjoy playing any of my games.

But hey, it does run!

 

I see in your Sig that you are using a macbook with Win7. How is it in general? Does the apple key = windows key?

I saw the refurbs and it seems reasonable.

I'm kind of considering between a Vaio SR (new), Macbook Pro 13(refurb), and a huge dell E6500(refurb). I have a powerful desktop but i'm not sure if I ever have to work on a huge screen. I guess i'll have to decide before proceeding.

 

Have a look at my posts in this tread for info on how to fix the quiet audio in bootcamp Win 7.

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=420313

 

Yeah the apple key = windows key. I have Windows 7 Professional 64 bit running in a bootcamp partition. It runs great. You almost can't tell its running on a mac.

 

pjshots, will that take care of the microphone problem?

Never had a problem with the speakers themselves. =D

 

I've never used the microphone on Win 7 so I don't know, sorry. It was the speaker output I wanted to work properly, as with apple drivers, it doesn't for me.

 

The microphone just doesn't want to work with any program although windows can pick up what you say. Go figure. The audio is quiet on the speakers and loud in headphones but you can still hear what you do. Just a little quirk I suppose.