Bad driver support for Windows on Macs?

Hi,
I'm getting a laptop soon, and was considering a MBP because it's the most portable laptop with a 8600m equivalent graphics card. (I'll be carrying it around a lot but would also like to play games.)

My problem is:
Can a MBP run Windows as well as a PC? I hear there is bad driver support...
Is that true?

It would be awesome to get the MBP and run XP on it and also get a chance to mess around with OS X and see how I like it, but if XP doesn't run too well... it may not be worth it.

 

Haven't had an issue yet, been an owner since February. No differences other than I can run OSX, XP or both at once !

Drivers are fine, just use laptopvideo2go.

 

As Windows can run on any Mac with Parallells I think there's enough drivers to go around (unless parallells doesn't provide direct hardware access, but I think it did as you can play games and such on Windows using it).

Anyway, post the exact specs on these forums and I'm sure someone will find the drivers for ya.

 

uhh... parallels is a virtual machine, and you cannot play games within parallels (except maybe like 2 random really old games).

the drivers come with the laptop. just make sure to get the 2.1 version boot camp drivers (they probably are already on the disc when you buy it at this point, otherwise apple provides them for download)

also- you will need to update your video card driver from laptopvideo2go.com

as long as you get an external mouse and stay close to the power outlet, you won't have any problems running windows on your mac.

 

Uh-oh, I have to stay close to an outlet? Is the battery life for Windows on a MBP that much lower than for OSX?

 

Power management in Windows on a Mac isn't up to the same standards as it is running OS X. Having said that however, it's not like you'll only get 30 mins of battery time....but you won't get the same amount when you run Windows.

 

For it's class, the MBP in OS X gets great battery life considering it doesn't use an extended battery and doesn't use a low-power GPU or IGP. On my MBP which is 2 generations old now, I can get 3 hrs in OS X while I only get about 2 hrs in Windows.

In general I wouldn't say Windows on a MBP has bad driver support, but it doesn't have the best driver support on par with the experience in OS X. For example, multi-touch trackpad in OS X doesn't current work in Windows. But Windows is perfectly usable on a MBP.

 

Oh yeah... Does right-clicking work?

 

Yes it does.

 

Yeah you're going to take a hit of about an hour. I usually get about 4-5 in OSX, and only about 3 in Windows.

 

You won't be able to touch tap on the trackpad and 2 finger tap right click.
To right click, you have put 2 fingers on the pad and click the button.
It's better off if you carry a mouse esp. you will be playing games.


soda

 

2-finger scrolling also doesnt work properly.

 

I have no problems with 2-finger scrolling using Win XP and Boot Camp.

 

Vista, at least, it doesn't work properly for me. Might just be an old driver, don't know.

 

And you've updated to the 2.1 Boot Camp drivers?

I've got XP on my MBA and 64bit Vista on my MB......I'll check out Vista when I get home.

 

Doing it right now on mine as well

 

Running Windows on a Mac under Bootcamp runs beautifully and driver support is excellent....BUT, if your main interest for buying this Macbook is to run Windows and just tinker around with OS X like a fun toy it's not worth the money spent. You have to pay the higher cost of a Mac plus the license for Windows. I wouldn't do it.