Ask the hybrid osx/windows expert!

Is it possible to get RAM that is 800mhz for the MBP?

Also what kind of RAM would you recommend that I can get in the UK?

 

geek94: 800mhz doesnt work with the Santa Rosa chip set. The kind of ram doesnt matter, brand doesnt matter too. Just get DDR2 PC5300 Sodimm (667mhz)

@dam: you can share files between OSX and Windows on a 3rd partition. Or if you format the Windows partion in FAT32 OSX can read and write it.

 

Is there any downside in formatting the Windows partition in FAT32? If I do, will it work both ways (will Windows be able to read the OSX partition?)

I suppose it wouldn't be too bad to have a third partition, but it'd be hard to predict how much HD space I'll need for Windows programs, Mac programs, and shared files, respectively.

 

i updated the original post to answer all of your questions

 

a few things to add:

masterchef - there is no "ddr mode." ddr (double data rate) ram is ddr ram. it means that the ram data is transferre to (or from) memory on both the rising and falling side of each clock cycle. it has nothing to do with the number of dimms installed. what you are thinking of is dual channel mode, which does require a matched pair of dimms and achieves a similar goal to ddr by increasing memory bandwidth, but this time by adding more lanes rather than making the cars drive faster.

for those asking about osx virtualization - get macdrive! it lets you read and write to hsf+ to your hearts content from within windows.

lastly, various tools do exist for writing to ntfs from inside os x. parallels 3 can do this. so can ntfs-3g, which is free, but slow. and so can macfuse, which is backed by google, alot quicker than ntfs-3g, and also free.

 

Okay one more question about boot-camp & partition – Lets say if I created one 32gb FAT32 partition through bootcamp for xp –can I create one more partition from OS X [again 32gb FAT32 – just for DATA] – now this DATA partition created through OS X – would I be able to see/use the data partition through xp & OS X [as in read/write] ?

 

you caught me on ddr/ dual channel. i blame writing too much too fast. i had several questions to answer.

anyway, i personally experienced problems with parallels 3.0 writing to ntfs. i am eager to check out the other tools you mentioned though- because my xp partition is ntfs. thanks.

mind if i site your info on the front post?

to answer dhisharp:

you CAN do it, just not with boot camp. boot camp only handles two partitions (and one of those is going to be your osx partition).

 

please do! you experience with parallels is definitely useful - i was planning on using it for access on the mac side. looks like macfuse shall bear some closer scrutiny. anything less than 100% stability with my precious precious data (porn) is unacceptable.

here's the macfuse homepage. http://code.google.com/p/macfuse/

 

alrighty, time to eat my words.

quick review breaks it down like this. MacFUSE is a kernel extension for the OS X kernel. this then allows implementing a range (but not all) of the file systems covered by the Linux FUSE project.

for NTFS, this IS ntfs-3g, and by their own admission write times are slow under OS X. this is due to fundamental aspects of the OS X design. more info can be found at http://code.google.com/p/macfuse/wiki/FAQ.

so, the search is on for ntfs write capability that is both stable and reasonably quick. suggestions are welcome!

 

i think compatibility and stability will matter much moreso for me, personally, than speed. (unless its unreasonably slow).

right now, i have absolutely no way of getting ANY data across environments. that ability would be really nice. a lot of times i will want to dl something for xp without actually switching over to xp, or vice versa. as it stands, that is impossible.

plus- i could manage one itunes library for both environments.

 

Well supposedly Parallels uses MacFuse (and an outdated version at that) to access the NTFS partitions if you don't go through the virtual window as well.

I would definitely invest in MacDrive instead.

 

that addresses the windows side, i'm also looking for an os x solution so that i can go either way from either os.

i will be structuring things so that the vast majority of my data is on the os x partition, with access provided via macdrive, so speed isn't really going to be a huge issue.

the available options certainly meet my needs, i was just looking for input on any more streamlined/elegant solutions for the os x side that i am thus far unaware of.

 

Does the Macbook pro support VT? Does Parallels use it? Could I use it for a VM under XP?

 

i dont know much about virtual machines from within xp, or if parallels makes use of that technology.

i DO know that vmware's virtual machine uses IVT to run xp within osx.

basically- all the hardware is in place for IVT. if you can normally run a virtual machine from within xp, the macbook pro hardware is not going to stop you.