PC Win7 Pro on MAC Pro 17

I know this has been discussed at length but I think you all are the best people to answer this. I have searched in vain for a form factor PC to run Win7 Pro. I can't get over the lack of 15" WUXGA screens, and I just might purchase a new top of the line MACBOOK pro 17" based on its form factor and screen.

I know one can run windows via bootcamp, but I JUST want to run WIN7 Pro on the mac. I don't care anything about MAC other than its wonderful form factor that NOONE in the PC World manufactures. I don't care about battery life or any other thing that MAC does well. I simply want to run WIN7 as the only operating system. From Win7 I also run VirtualBox. The cost of the system is not important to me, as I really need a new laptop (My old dell Precision m60 is starting to croak). The HP Envy 17 is the closest thing that I could find, but it only does 1920x1080.

Question:
Does boot camp install MAC OS also? Is there an option that I can just install my legitimate full version of Windows 7 Pro without needing any MAC OS installed? Or can I make the mac partition MINIMAL? I don't know the first thing about MAC os and I don't want to. I don't mean to offend any MAC'ers. I just want Windows on a form factor that works for me.

Once Win7 is installed, are there obscure hardware conflicts that I will run into that I won't be able to figure out? I wish I could get a mac as a trial to load windows to see how it would work in my situation.

Thanks for your help!
Doug

 

The HP only does 1920x1080 because it's 16:9, the Mac's are 16:10, Do you really think you will notice a difference? Get the HP, running Windows on a Mac will not be as good as running it on a none Mac.

 

or look at the elitebooks as well. running win7 as your primary OS will irritate you in the end on the MBP

 

Only main issue I can see with doing this is the inability to get firmware updates through Win 7. I also dont' know if you're going to need something like rEFIt to get it to boot straight into Win7. May have to install some drivers from the OSX CD to be able to reprogram/map some of the keys on the kepboard as well.

You can install OSX on a small partition, then just load Win 7 through Boot Camp. Once that is set up, you can have BootCamp set to boot into Windows partition each time, and you will still have your OSX partition for getting firmware updates. This would be my choice if you were really wanting to run Win 7 primarily on the MBP. Then again, I used to triple boot OSX/Win 7/Linux...

 

if you really want to...

you use Bootcamp to install Windows 7... and make the Mac OS X partition minimal in size and give almost all the space to Win 7. You can easily set Win7 to be the main boot OS when you turn the machine on. You still will be able to boot up into Mac OS X to do any firmware updates and such.

I have had an install that was Windows only before... you can use bootcamp to do that but you have to install Windows to a different hard drive than the one with OSX on it and take the whole hard drive... then you can remove the OSX drive and run only he Windows drive in the machine fine.

I;d suspect you could also use my first method, then when in Windows delete the OSX partition and resize to use up that space too.

But OSX is the best part about Macs, not the hardware. I love macs, but for running Windows, I don't buy Macs.

 

I like my Macbook Pro 17 with Win7 Pro. With boot camp I selected 320GB for Windows and the rest for OS X. Once you use OS X you may like it. I need Windows for games and a few other programs.

 

Then you should also know that no one recommends doing what you're wanting to do, for numerous reasons. If you are only wanting to run Windows then you are better off buying a Windows machine. Period.

Any kind of EFI updates can not be done in Windows either.

 

But Macs look Awesome

Anyway, what I would do in your situation is:

Keep OS X on a 30GB partition, and use the rest for Windows.

 

Absolutely agreed. Also, I find it so disturbing Khris that the PC crowd shouts almost daily that you can get so much more on a PC for a lot less than the cost of a Macbook, yet you'll find many people want to buy a Mac just for the looks alone (which IMO is stupid) and install Windows only on it.

 

You have to wonder if these same people pick their partner based upon looks alone, thinking that can insert whatever personality they want into them and be happy with the end result!

Buying a Mac only to run Windows is like having the body of a super model, and then sticking in the personality of Charles Manson. The whole package is pretty, but you have to then look past the little annoyances such as the odd murder. In the end it's still pretty on the outside though!! LOL

 

I know my last post looked like I was saying that, but I really do use and like OS X. I just need Windows for games. I'm on OS X right now, and have been for 75% of the time I've had my Macbook on.

But, a Mac's and PC's have the sam innards, so theres no reason not to buy a Mac and put Windows on it.

 

For some people this is their main priority however, and those people should not be doing it on a Mac.

That's where you're wrong. While they have similar components, they are certainly not designed the same. Macs are not meant to be gaming machines, and there is no argument to that. The Mac platform has never been about gaming, it's more of a creative platform. Just because a kitchen knife works as a flat screwdriver, doesn't mean you should use it, nor will it function at the same level as the proper tool. Same thing applies here, while you CAN run Windows on your Mac, it will never perform the same as running Windows on a properly designed Windows machine.

 

yes and no, I have to jump in and say it USED to be more of a creative platform but no longer caters to that demographic either. yes things like FCP and that are great software but no longer does the hardware offer any advantage to the professional media creators except in the aesthetic and on occasion battery life. for example in the late 90's and early in this decade Mac's had some of the best screens on the market for prepress designers now they have been stagnent for years as there is no upgrade past thr 6 bit TN panel ( yes there is a non glare but hey ) other manufacturers have leaped the hardware by incredible bounds. by using your kitchen analogy a professional using a MBP for Maya, Photoshop, Premiere and many other pro media apps would then be using a butterknife as a wood chisel.

Yes I still like my MBP's but I seem to find them being chased from even media creation which was their origional major market and shifting to the first time buyer for school, the at home media creator and the average joe wanting to surf the web and do e-mails.

 

I'm not a hard core gamer, Mac's are fine for low-end gaming. They didn't but a 9600m in for playing DVD's.

The only difference between a Macbook Pro 15 and a Sony Vaio Z is one vents air out the hinge and one vents air out the side.

 

I couldn't have said it any better. I agree with you 100%!

 

By your post, we don't even need Macs anymore and we should only be using Windows machines since they can do it all. Just because the Windows world has gotten better doesn't mean that people will begin to prefer it to the Mac platform, that's silly. Besides, you really haven't said anything as to why the Mac platform isn't for creation anymore. I beg to differ. There are still far better tools for the Mac OS, along with the tight integration with the hardware and the OS (that can't be matched by any platform) still keeps the Mac the best platform for creation.
Microsoft's Office suite and server platform is what still keeps a PC best suited as a business computer.

 

Yet another thread quickly going down hill. Might as well enjoy the ride right?

Both a Mac and a PC are OK for basic computing but different people will prefer one OS over the other due to either familiarity, compatibility or blind bias against the other. Superiority of one system over the other depends on the program you are using and what your priorities are, so that is subjective as well. What you cannot argue though is that any OS will run as well on a machine not designed for it as it will on a machine built to run it. You can do it but its going to have its quirks.

 

ok im making it short and leaving it here

I never stated operating system at all. strictly from a HARDWARE point of view for productivity over time. IPS screens, GPU accelleration and other points that media creators love. I dont care if its OSX, Linux, Windows or Solaris.

why is the old die hard Mac media creators are now subject to not being able to calibrate an IPS screen in their laptop to their high end external monitor to their specific output media. why are breakthroughs in GPU accelleration which allow super fast renders in MASSIVE data files not supported in the mobile market and strangely enough not even directly from Apple in the Mac Pros?.

even WITH the advantages in OSX of which there are many, many of the media creators find they are now forced to leave because they can no longer be as productive. you can have the most beautiful machine and the absolute best OS but if you dont have the engine to drive it for what that user needs they will move on. and on the video and print media sides there are thousands of complaints of what happened to us???

crappy example but one I lived ... how happy is a woman whom spent in excess of 3K on an i7 17" MBP going to be to find that an antiquated Dell running Linux (Ubuntu 10.4) can render her needed file in less than 1/50th the time just because the old C2D had a Quadro video card in it? ONE rather upset woman... I find and we all know its best to keep the wife HAPPY

 

@OP,

I am a bit confused as to why my original post here was deleted but I will state again - If you are interested in buying a 17-inch WUXGA laptop with an RGB-LED screen that has a lot more power than a Macbook Pro for around the same price or cheaper you should check out Alienware.

Unlike Apple they offer...

Quad core processors.
Dual GPU configs - top of the line GPUs instead of Apples older model.
Faster RAM (1066 vs 1333).
Larger hard drive array in RAID0, or SSD.

I am not trying to rant about how Apple sucks. I am simply stating some facts for someone who has come here for help.

The only advantage to Macs is the operating system. The hardware is identical to any PC, and it's a commonly known fact that they are severely overpriced. Some people will pay the premium to be able to use OSX, and that is fine, but in this case OP stated he didn't want to use OSX.

 

I'm at a state University and I would say 70% of the computers are MACs.

The number is higher when you don't include the engineering students.

MACs are super popular among students in general. To be honest as a student I love my 15" MBP for pretty much everything there is EXCEPT Gaming. I wish they had put something a little stronger then a 330m. The 330m is a graphics card you see in like $800 laptops not $1800 laptops. I would have liked something like 335 at least, maybe 5730/5830 or something. HP put the 5830 in a similar form factor (but less battery).

But in things that have nothing to with stats the mac is nice, the keyboard is sick, the trackpad is super nice, the screen is great in everything but resolution, the OS is great, the computer is light, its made out of metal (which is really nice), and it looks great.

 

Perhaps it was your wording which is a bit harsh even after you toned it down this time. "Severely overpriced" is inflammatory and an opinion based on specs alone. There is more to a system than specs and those on the MBP are not identical to "any PC" as that is an impossibility. I do agree though that if the OP wants to run Windows he should get a PC.

 

Generally speaking, whenever someone says "I'm not trying to .....", that's EXACTLY what they're trying to do, and then they follow it up with a lame attempt to try justify what they're NOT doing.

Ta Da!

Completely subjective. There is no fact presented here at all, only opinion! Just because YOU can't justify the price while someone else can, doesn't mean the item is overpriced, it means you have different priorities.

 

Well I can easily see why your post was deleted as this should've been as well. It's your wording and your tone. Rather than reporting your post, I'm gonna explain to you that you're not helping the OP. He didn't come here for your type of help. He asked about installing Windows on a Macbook, period. You're doing the usual flaming by trying to sway someone from a Mac to a PC and that's not what the OP asked for help with. Maybe you could've said, "OP, if you really need to run Windows exclusively, a PC would be a better idea". Not come here and do the usual flaming towards Macs saying they are "Severely Overpriced". It's really not your business, nor your concern how much someone spends on their computers.

One other note, if your post gets removed, you're not suppose to repost. The mods removed it for a reason and you can get banned for that.

 

Thank you all for your posts. My OP seemed to get twisted a bit, I am not loving the MAC for its "Aesthetics," looking cool, rather that it's the thinnest lightest notebook with the only WUXGA (1920x1200) not (1920x1080) panel that's manageably portable. My choices for a 17" wuxga (NOT FULLHD, which DOES make a difference to me, otherwise I wouldn't be making such a big deal about it) is

DELL Precision M6500 which is weighty with a giant battery

HP Elitebook 17" 8540W (?)

and some lesser know sager's etc.

My original frustration stemmed from the absolute elimination of the 15.4" form factor wuxga. NOONE I can find, even with trying screen swap, or true custom builds could offer a solution for me, although most laptops will drive a WUXGA externally, even with a native screen running!

Don't get me wrong, but the cool factor of MAC's is incredible, but their form factor is even better, along with the feel of the mouse pad, double finger scrolling, magic trackpad, etc.. They understand ergonomics like NO pc maker does.

Thanks

 

Yeah I agree with you the touch pad and keyboard are the best I have ever used including a $50 microsoft desktop keyboard. However the iMac keyboards suck.

 

Completely wrong reason to buy anything.

Which is why they run OSX and not Windows.

 

The awesome touchpad on the MBP is ONLY awesome in OSX (and running Windows in Parallels). The touchpad ABSOLUTELY POSITIVELY SUCKS when running Windows native (as in boot camp)! You think the Alps touchpad on a PC laptop sucks? Wait until you try the MBP running Windows in boot camp!

I can't really describe how it sucks. Closest I can describe is that it's too sensitive, and no you cannot adjust it. The split second delay in tapping is not there, so accidental clicks happens frequently. Other than two-finger scrolling, no other gestures are supported in Windows.

I am very sensitive to how a touchpad feels on a laptop. Synaptics is best on the PC, Alps is the worst; I can tell which is which immediately by moving the mouse for just a second.

The MBP touchpad when in OSX feels totally connected to you. When doing two-finger scroll you can scroll pixel by pixel, that's how precise it is. Did Apple deliberately cripple the touchpad driver in Windows? Who knows.

Just an FYI if you're counting on the same touchpad behavior in Windows.

 

Maybe to you, but its like when you buy a car, looks have a lot to do with which one you get.

 

Actually in this situation your analogy fails. When Buying a Mac to run Windows primarily, in terms of the trackpad performance in Windows on the MBP, it's more like buying a pair of shoes because they look amazing, even though they hurt your feet.

 

There is a third party trackpad driver for Windows 7 witten buy a guy, which implements better OS X like behavior. So it is possible and proven.

Apple's own driver is "acceptable" at this stage. You can adjust the scrolling speed in the mouse properties to a scrollrate of "1 line", which should help.

Apple doesn't really care about writing proper drivers for Windows. It's a minimal effort basis.

 

The trackpad is only a small part of the Macbook. If you like a car, car but the radio or AC controls are to big, you'll probably still get it.

 

It's not just the trackpad that's poor in Windows, it's the battery life, the heat, the lack of fully controlling the backlit keyboard, the inability of being able to turn off the infrared so the Apple Remote won't interfere when using it with other Macs nearby, the keyboard is NOT a Windows keyboard, and the inability to install Firmware updates in Windows.

So since you're on car analogies, rolleyes: ), one could say that you just want the pretty car though it runs out of gas quicker (poor battery life in Windows), the dashboard backlight stays lit regardless of how you adjust it (forever backlit keyboard in Windows), the keyless entry system also rolls the windows down at the same time, (no way to turn if off, just like the Apple remote), audio system with complicated controls that don't match the factory look of the dashboard (using Windows with a Mac keyboard), engine tune-ups only possible with original manufacturer equipment installed (no firmware updates in Windows).
But with all that, well "IT'S PRETTY", according to you so even if the shoes hurt my feet I might as well still buy them.

I stand by what I say, if you're gonna buy a Mac, run OS X. If you want a Windows machine, buy a PC. So funny how so many Windows trolls come here and tell us that you can get soooo much more on a PC for a lot less, but then you get many Windows fanboys that still want to buy a Mac to run Windows only.

 

Game. Set. Match! Bravo!

 

Battery life in Windows isn't poor, its just less than OS X. Heat: What heat? Oh you mean the few degrees hotter it gets when gaming vs a Windows laptop. I believe that 95% of Macbook owners don't care that you can't turn the keyboard all the way off, who cares? I don't use the infared, so Ican't comment on that. Firmware: Thats why I keep OS X on there.


I'm not a Windows FanBoy, I like OS X, I'm not much of a gamer(1-2 hours a week) so thats why I need Windows.