Vista or XP with Bootcamp?

Iam looking to buy either Vista or XP to use bootcamp with and I was wondering which one will run better on a mac. I am not worried about memory or anything like that because I have 4GB on my computer. I just need to know which will run faster and better. Also, if anyone knows any sites to buy either software for cheap, that would be helpful. Thanks alot!

 

For me personally, Vista with SP1 worked better as far as drivers provided by Apple (through bootcamp) and video drivers from laptopvideo2go.com

If you're using Windows just for gaming, as I do, I found games run smoother on Vista than my previous XP pro installation.

Maybe you'd wanna elaborate on what you want to you with Windows, and what kind of Mac do you have..

 

i second the fact tht u shuld use the vista!

 

As cdnalsi and filza have said, Vista with SP1 is a better option as it is now at a point where the hardware & software compatibility is pretty good. Plus, Vista has been shown to run on Mac's quite nicely.

Just a quick side-note, get Vista 64-bit so it can utilize the full 4 GB of memory. 32-bit operating systems can't see past 3 GB of memory. Also, Boot Camp's v2.1 drivers are now compatible with Vista 64-bit.

side note: 1000th post!

 

i use XP on my MB,and it works very well

just my 2 cents

 

@dbam987, I am not sure if apple updated bootcamp, but last time I tried it won't let me install X64 vista.

 

64-bit Windows is still not supported in Boot Camp yet, just to clarify for Nirvana .

I guess the NVIDIA 8600M GT on the MBP is fine with Vista, but personally for me, my 8800 GT desktop graphics card has been going nuts with Vista. Right now I'm testing my friend's ATI X1950, I might refund the 8800GT and get the 4850 instead.

 

This thread might shed some light on the subject: http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=7463301.

Did you install the v2.0 drivers first, then use the Apple Software Update to get the v2.1 drivers?

 

Its not for gaming its just for use. I might not even need it, Iam just getting it because in college I am a computer Science major and want to have it.. just incase. Thank you

PS: I have the new Blackbook with 4gigs of ram

 

xp for sure, i have had both installed on my mbp and vista just hogs up too much hard drive space compared to xp, plus if your looking to do it cheap you'll get xp for far cheaper than vista. i also wouldn't bother with 64bit it doesnt sound like you are enough of a power user to warrant all the pains in the ass that come with a 64bit windows os.

 

My Vote is for XP Pro, it works like a champ, and not any where the resource hog as Vista. Vista speed is only about 60-70% of what XP runs.

 

I'd also recommend XP Pro, I use 32 bit and haven't encountered a single issue at all since picking my MBP up back in Feb.

 

Ok, thanks everyone.

 

dido that, but it all just depends on what you will be using windows for, I highly recommend not installing it at all unless you have a very specific use for it. I only use an absolutely minimal install of XP to play some Source based games, with my roomate using my older Fujitsu machine.

you can save a massive amount of HDD space with a minimal install of XP, which for most BootCamp users, is a fairly high priority.

 

Also depends on the software you need to run on BootCamp.

Currently running XP on BootCamp / Vmware Fusion on a small 20gig partition. Works great!

 

If it is a just might need it, then why not run it in a Virtual session instead of through boot camp? I run my XPP through Fusion just fine. Runs all my VPN software for work and all applications that i cannot use on the MBP. Like MS SQL, Virtual Studio etc.
If cost is a problem then Virtualbox is free and works fine.

I thought about boot camp and still am thinking about it for some games. For now i do not want to waste the drive space setting up a dedicated partition to run XPP. With 1 gig of ram dedicated to the XPP box through Fusion everything runs great, and i do not have to boot out of OS X to boot into windows to check something quickly. I can also share files between the 2 system perfectly. Actually i save all my work on the shard drive Fusion created in for the MBP.
With the 4 gigs of ram you have, you will not miss 1 gig for the occasional XP use when it is active.

I would not go Vista though, it is a resource hog. After using Vista for the last year and a bit i can honestly say i hate it for the most part. I did not have any major problems with it, but just ran into many problem using it for what i needed to do for work.

Just another idea for you.

 

fyi:

you can set up boot camp, and then run that partition in vmware fusion. best of both worlds.

 

Good point.
But would that still not require you to dedicate a fixed amount of hard drive space? By default Fusion allows you to set the disk size, but the disk will grow as needed up to that size. My XPP virtual machine is a 30 gig virtual drive using only 10 gig of physical space.
I could be wrong on the Boot Camp info though.

 

this is only true on x86 architectures (i.e., Intel).