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Just to confirm: If I got a retina MBP, as long as I get the drivers from bootcamp, I can boot to a windows install dvd and format the drive to install Windows? I'm interested in it because of the screen, but my two main programs I work with are Windows only and I will be needing the full size of the hard drive. I don't see any point in keeping OSX around if I'm never going to use it, and I need the space.
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Aug 6, 2012 04:44
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BusinessWallet posted:Is $500 for a 30" ACD a good deal? It's in like new condition. Yes
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Aug 6, 2012 04:51
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Ardent posted:Just to confirm: If I got a retina MBP, as long as I get the drivers from bootcamp, I can boot to a windows install dvd and format the drive to install Windows? I'm interested in it because of the screen, but my two main programs I work with are Windows only and I will be needing the full size of the hard drive. I don't see any point in keeping OSX around if I'm never going to use it, and I need the space. No unmodified Mac laptop will boot without a valid OS X partition. If you somehow modify EFI to do so, and have only a Windows partition, if you ever bring it to an Apple Store for a needed repair, the Apple techs will laugh hard in your face, then tell you that you've violated the warranty and won't even so much as touch your machine. If you keep a small OS X partition then things should be fine. Also, if your rMBP ever needs firmware updates (and it being a first revision machine you sure will need to) you'll find you can't apply any if you go Windows only because you can only do so from an OS X partition. If Boot Camp drivers are updated for your rMBP, only Boot Camp Assistant (which runs only in OS X) can download new versions. Also understand you'll never get the fine-tuned battery / power savings from Boot Camp drivers over OS X's drivers because it's not in Apple's interests to give a competing OS the same level of support it gives its own, no matter how you and others bitterly bitch about it. If this weren't true, Office 2011 wouldn't be such a piece of poo poo. Seriously, just go buy a Dell or something if you want a full Windows laptop. Binary Badger fucked around with this message at 05:25 on Aug 6, 2012 |
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Aug 6, 2012 05:17
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Binary Badger posted:No unmodified Mac laptop will boot without a valid OS X partition. Binary Badger posted:If you somehow modify EFI to do so, and have only a Windows partition, if you ever bring it to an Apple Store for a needed repair, the Apple techs will laugh hard in your face, then tell you that you've violated the warranty and won't even so much as touch your machine. Binary Badger posted:Also, if your rMBP ever needs firmware updates (and it being a first revision machine you sure will need to) you'll find you can't apply any if you go Windows only because you can only do so from an OS X partition. Binary Badger posted:Seriously, just go buy a Dell or something if you want a full Windows laptop. Sonic Dude fucked around with this message at 06:00 on Aug 6, 2012 |
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Aug 6, 2012 05:58
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Yeah you can definitely run without a OS X partition if you really really want to. But you really should leave a minimal OS X install just for the reasons that other people have already said.
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Aug 6, 2012 06:23
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I've also been able to get Windows to run without a Mac partition with no issues in the past. All I've had to do was boot off an OS X DVD/Boot stick, use disk utility to repartition the drive as MBR with a FAT partition then reboot using a Windows 7 DVD. One caveat is that I think you might have to be careful about only reformatting the existing partition rather than deleting it and recreating it because it breaks whatever OS X wrote to the MBR. I'm also not sure if it's been changed, but after installing the Boot Camp software, Windows used to hang for 30-40 seconds after typing in a username/password while Boot Camp tried to find a Mac partition and timed out when it couldn't. This was back when Snow Leopard had just come out so hopefully they've fixed it by now.
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Aug 6, 2012 06:38
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Well, I've considered Windows based machines already. The only models which really fit my criteria (high speed quad-core i7 in 15" or below with SSD) would be a 13" Sony Z which requires you to carry a "media dock" everywhere with the ati graphics adapter, or a 14" Dell/Alienware M14x which is 50% heavier, 2x thicker, very poor battery, worse screen and considerably uglier. There doesn't appear to be anything by Toshiba, Samsung & HP that fits the bill. For reference, I'm considering the 2.7Ghz model. The screen is pretty enticing to me since I'm a fairly serious hobbyist photographer. Just how common/necessary are firmware updates for macbooks? Are we talking night-and-day functionality changes, or are we talking along the lines of bios updates to cpu microcode?
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Aug 6, 2012 07:22
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Ardent posted:Well, I've considered Windows based machines already. The only models which really fit my criteria (high speed quad-core i7 in 15" or below with SSD) would be a 13" Sony Z which requires you to carry a "media dock" everywhere with the ati graphics adapter, or a 14" Dell/Alienware M14x which is 50% heavier, 2x thicker, very poor battery, worse screen and considerably uglier. There doesn't appear to be anything by Toshiba, Samsung & HP that fits the bill. Tell me about it, I ended with the RMBP too because there is nothing really comparable in the Windows world (Sony Vaio S15 would be the one thing that comes close - IPS 15" Full HD-screen, thin, light, BD-drive - but you have to wrangle with the lovely Sony driver policy and general mediocre support and it has "only" a Nvidia 640M LE). But as others have said the RMBP is a very mediocre Windows laptop at best, no comparison with running it under OS X. It gets hotter since the NVidia-GPU is always running, it gets far less battery time because of it, the fans are louder in general and the touchpad is very noticeably worse. Also, Windows isn't really well equipped for such high resolutions (DPI scaling is a crutch at best).
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Aug 6, 2012 07:44
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Ardent posted:Well, I've considered Windows based machines already. The only models which really fit my criteria (high speed quad-core i7 in 15" or below with SSD) would be a 13" Sony Z which requires you to carry a "media dock" everywhere with the ati graphics adapter, or a 14" Dell/Alienware M14x which is 50% heavier, 2x thicker, very poor battery, worse screen and considerably uglier. There doesn't appear to be anything by Toshiba, Samsung & HP that fits the bill. For reference, I'm considering the 2.7Ghz model. The screen is pretty enticing to me since I'm a fairly serious hobbyist photographer. Look at the Lenovo W-series, or possibly the 15" HP Elitebooks. You don't want to be buying a consumer grade Windows laptop at the premium prices you'll need to pay for those specs
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Aug 6, 2012 07:51
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Sonic Dude posted:Wait, what? We have two laptops at the office that feel differently - one is an early-ish MacBook with XP, the other is a Mid-2010 MBPro with Win7. Also, if that were true, there'd be no way to run things like Memtest86+, which we do at least a few times a week. I stand corrected, and if you restored OS X on those laptops and they were still in warranty they'd get serviced. Buuuttt.. quote:Again - wait, what? They'd format/reinstall from an external and say "there you go." I'm sure any Apple tech would ask if he had data on the Windows-only Mac and if he answered yes they'd refuse to touch it, let alone blow away the Windows partition as if it didn't exist, since 1) Apple isn't in the business of supporting a competitor's OS even if it's on their machine and 2) he had data in the Windows partition, and Apple isn't in the habit of destroying user's data.
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Aug 6, 2012 07:55
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Binary Badger posted:I stand corrected, and if you restored OS X on those laptops and they were still in warranty they'd get serviced. Buuuttt.. For hardware issues don't they always plug in their hard drive, boot in target disk mode and run their diagnostics?
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Aug 6, 2012 08:15
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dissss posted:Look at the Lenovo W-series, or possibly the 15" HP Elitebooks. Price isn't really an issue for me, but I took a look at the Lenovo W series which was something I'd not looked at before. An near-identically specced one with a 512GB SSD I buy myself (the largest SSD they seem to offer is 180GB) works out at roughly the same price as the Macbook in GBP, obviously with a lower screen resolution, 35% heavier and 2x as thick.
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Aug 6, 2012 08:31
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And yet it runs Windows with proper hardware and software support. Have you seen a Windows interface at 2880x1800? Can you really see that well? I've got 20/15 vision and my eyes would murder me. And are you prepared for lackluster driver support and half the battery life that you would see in OSX?
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Aug 6, 2012 08:53
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Factory Factory posted:And yet it runs Windows with proper hardware and software support. Well, I run windows at 7680x1600 on my main workstation, but that is spread across 3 30" monitors. I suspect you mean if I am prepared for the super high DPI, or if I am prepared to live with scaling - and most people I have read seem to suggest that the scaling is livable. As for driver support, that's the first I've heard mention of that apart from the trackpad, which doesn't concern me since I use an external mouse always. Could you elaborate re. driver issues? The graphics switching issue is a pain yes, but reviews I've read have said from 6.5hrs under OSX to 5hrs under Windows under light use, which I could accept. There is some guy who keeps posting that it can be fixed using a utility called grub24dos, but people have tried his idea and it doesn't quite work apparently.
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Aug 6, 2012 09:25
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dissss posted:Look at the Lenovo W-series, or possibly the 15" HP Elitebooks. Also the 14" HP Elitebooks. And heh why not add the Panasonic Let's Note B11 (which has weight parity and battery advantages over the rMBP, and no discrete graphics) since we're already in the rMBP price range. Ardent posted:13" Sony Z which requires you to carry a "media dock" everywhere with the ati graphics adapter, What. You don't need to carry around a media dock. I don't recommend getting a Z with the intention of having a media dock, for what it's worth. If you want a discrete graphics card instead of Intel 4000 graphics, list that as a performance requirement why don't you. Ardent posted:Well, I run windows at 7680x1600 on my main workstation, but that is spread across 3 30" monitors. I suspect you mean if I am prepared for the super high DPI, or if I am prepared to live with scaling - and most people I have read seem to suggest that the scaling is livable. The scaling in Windows? The scaling on an rMBP Mac (rendering 4x retina and scaling down to 2880x1800) is graphically pretty nice, modulo performance issues, but scaling Windows up?? If it's only "livable"... well, I strongly recommend getting a Windows laptop -- an HP Elitebook 15" or 14" or Thinkpad T530 or W530, probably. shrughes fucked around with this message at 09:41 on Aug 6, 2012 |
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Aug 6, 2012 09:34
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Ardent posted:Just how common/necessary are firmware updates for macbooks? Are we talking night-and-day functionality changes, or are we talking along the lines of bios updates to cpu microcode? http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1237
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Aug 6, 2012 10:15
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hobbesmaster posted:For hardware issues don't they always plug in their hard drive, boot in target disk mode and run their diagnostics?
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Aug 6, 2012 14:17
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NASA loves them some MacBook Pros
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Aug 6, 2012 16:29
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Bob Morales posted:NASA loves them some MacBook Pros
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Aug 6, 2012 16:43
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Binary Badger posted:I stand corrected, and if you restored OS X on those laptops and they were still in warranty they'd get serviced. Buuuttt.. Apple doesn't really give a poo poo about 1) what OS is being ran, and 2) users data. This is why the first question asked when checking in a computer is "is your data backed up?" Depending on the issue, if dealing directly with Apple you can usually expect to have your machine returned with a clean install. They normally will not try to preserve your data. E: obviously, if you're running windows and have a software problem, Apple isn't going to help, but for a hardware problem the OS won't matter, as they'll boot from an external anyway. empty baggie fucked around with this message at 18:22 on Aug 6, 2012 |
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Aug 6, 2012 18:14
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I'm not sure if this thread or the software thread is the best place to ask, but I'm having trouble setting up a Windows partition with Boot Camp. Every time I start it up it says I don't have the required 10 gigs of free space, even though I have 30 gigs free right now. I googled for some more info, and found that repairing the disk at startup should help, but I did that and nothing changed. I also saw that defragging might work too, but the program I saw for that cost $30. Anyone know what might be up?
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Aug 6, 2012 19:10
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Dr. S.O. Feelgood posted:I'm not sure if this thread or the software thread is the best place to ask, but I'm having trouble setting up a Windows partition with Boot Camp. Every time I start it up it says I don't have the required 10 gigs of free space, even though I have 30 gigs free right now. I googled for some more info, and found that repairing the disk at startup should help, but I did that and nothing changed. I also saw that defragging might work too, but the program I saw for that cost $30. Anyone know what might be up? Fragmentation can make it so there's not enough space to resize the partition, I ran into this problem a few years ago. The free way to solve this problem is to clone the partition using CCC or SuperDuper on to another drive and then format your Mac and restore it. There's a thread about it here.
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Aug 6, 2012 19:31
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Is it worth spending the extra $500+ to get a SSD on an iMac? I'm getting close saving up the money for a new machine (to replace my 2008 MBP) and I've been pricing out options. How about the graphics card upgrade? I'm looking at 27" and I really hate going over $2,000 but I'm debating if I should spend the extra $800-$900 to max it out if this is going to be the machine I plan to use for the next 4 years. I do plan to wait for the pending refresh but I'm assuming I'll have to make similar choices regardless. Bob Morales posted:NASA loves them some MacBook Pros Meh bunch of JPL yuppies. We were stuck using lovely dells at KSC.
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Aug 7, 2012 00:46
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No. SSD prices will drop like a rock within the next couple years. We'll probably see 512gig SSDS for under $250. What will you use the graphics card for? If it's mostly games I'd say forget it. Macs suck at games in the first place and the ported games usually run a lot poorer on OSX any way. And even with a maxed out configuration you're never going to be able to play at native resolution anyway. Just get the default card.
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Aug 7, 2012 00:59
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I'm not too worried about games, though I may play something here and there. My biggest use is going to be Aperture, various plugins for Aperture, and a little photoshop. I really just want a machine that won't lag while I'm editing. It's getting to the point where Aperture is unusable on my old 2008 MBP. Storage is a big issue for me too (lots of photos) as I'm always running out of space even on the 750gb I popped into this MBP. I was looking at maxing out to 2tb internal but maybe I should start thinking about external TB drives? Edit: I was thinking the gfx upgrade might add a little more longevity to the machine.
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Aug 7, 2012 01:18
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USB 3.0 kind of kills the requirement of having a big internal drive in a desktop. You could always get a 256GB SSD and a 3TB internal drive, and run those both at the same time. Buying from NewEgg is much cheaper than Apple.
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Aug 7, 2012 01:37
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Is there a particular reason you have to spend all the money on one machine? I'd just get the low end 27" for now and then get another 2-3 years from now when the retina iMacs are out.
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Aug 7, 2012 01:41
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Bob Morales posted:USB 3.0 kind of kills the requirement of having a big internal drive in a desktop. You could always get a 256GB SSD and a 3TB internal drive, and run those both at the same time. Buying from NewEgg is much cheaper than Apple. Is USB 3.0 going to run as fast as an internal? If so I guess you're right about not needing a big internal. Mu Zeta posted:Is there a particular reason you have to spend all the money on one machine? I'd just get the low end 27" for now and then get another 2-3 years from now when the retina iMacs are out. Do you think it'll remain a smooth running photo editing machine for that long? Should I just get the base model 27" and maybe max the RAM out myself?
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Aug 7, 2012 02:27
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Haggins posted:Is USB 3.0 going to run as fast as an internal? If so I guess you're right about not needing a big internal. quote:Do you think it'll remain a smooth running photo editing machine for that long? Should I just get the base model 27" and maybe max the RAM out myself? Having an SSD really makes photo editing much less of a pain in the rear end. Importing and loading the previews/cache is waaaaaay better. I would look into a thunderbolt goflex adapter and (64/128) gb ssd while you work on files-- or actually installing an ssd yourself- a 256 is very comfortable if you have access to an external for storage, and 128 is doable. I prefer Lightroom though. E: vv. If you don't want to open it up you can run either the OS or photo imports and cache on the ssd. Shmoogy fucked around with this message at 03:31 on Aug 7, 2012 |
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Aug 7, 2012 02:52
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How hard is it to jam in a SSD myself? I thought opening up an iMac was pretty difficult. Edit: Or do you just run the OS or the library off SSD? I'm a little confused. Haggins fucked around with this message at 03:03 on Aug 7, 2012 |
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Aug 7, 2012 02:58
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Honestly it looks more involved than I'd like. It would probably take 30 minutes http://www.ifixit.com/Guide/Installing-iMac-Intel-27-Inch-EMC-2429-Hard-Drive/7555/1
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Aug 7, 2012 03:23
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I wouldn't say it's difficult. Extremely annoying, yes (especially the part where you put the glass back on without trapping any dust, or when you try to screw the LCD back in and the drat magnets next to the screw-holes keep loving up the process).
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Aug 7, 2012 03:33
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I'm either going to have to crack my 27" open or pony up for a Thunderbolt enclosure because going between my Air and the iMac is painful.
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Aug 7, 2012 03:38
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Mu Zeta posted:Honestly it looks more involved than I'd like. It would probably take 30 minutes Hmm I'm pretty comfortable tearing things apart like that (had to do it for this MBP), but messing with that glass scares me. At the very least I know I'm going to get some dust or finger prints in it. With just the 256 SSD I'm looking at $2067 before tax with my discount for the base. $2443 for the high end with the graphics upgrade. I'm starting to think I should lean towards the base with the SSD and pick up a reasonably priced USB 3 external drive for my non-current photo libraries and my music and what not. $2500+ is pushing it but I can certainly live with around $2000. Hopefully the SSD will be cheaper or bigger or both for the next refresh. Haggins fucked around with this message at 03:45 on Aug 7, 2012 |
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Aug 7, 2012 03:42
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It's fairly simple. You just need a torx screwdriver ($7 at pretty much anywhere) and a lint-free cloth or two and maybe a blanket to set the screen on so you don't get finger prints everywhere. Also helps to have someone hold the screen, or an extra arm.empty baggie posted:drat magnets 
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Aug 7, 2012 03:51
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Mu Zeta posted:What will you use the graphics card for? If it's mostly games I'd say forget it. Macs suck at games in the first place and the ported games usually run a lot poorer on OSX any way. And even with a maxed out configuration you're never going to be able to play at native resolution anyway. Just get the default card. This is dumb reasoning. If he wants to play games on a Mac then he should play games on a Mac with the best GPU he can get. Educate about the caveats, sure, but why make the end experience even worse. Tonnes of people play Blizzard and Valve games on their Macs.
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Aug 7, 2012 06:10
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Ardent posted:Price isn't really an issue for me, but I took a look at the Lenovo W series which was something I'd not looked at before. An near-identically specced one with a 512GB SSD I buy myself (the largest SSD they seem to offer is 180GB) works out at roughly the same price as the Macbook in GBP, obviously with a lower screen resolution, 35% heavier and 2x as thick. The other thing to watch with the W530 is the power brick - it really is a brick. Thinkpads have their own appeal but I can see how one wouldn't suit if you want portability (the smaller, lighter ones are also much less powerful than an MBP)
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Aug 7, 2012 07:36
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MOLLUSC posted:Fragmentation can make it so there's not enough space to resize the partition, I ran into this problem a few years ago. The free way to solve this problem is to clone the partition using CCC or SuperDuper on to another drive and then format your Mac and restore it. There's a thread about it here. I tried this and it didn't work.  It still says I don't have enough space. I was able to set up a separate partition just using Disk Utility though. Can I set up a separate Windows partition just using that instead of Boot Camp?edit: Nevermind, after I created the partition using Disk Utility, I tried Boot Camp again and now it does work. Thanks for the info. wizardofloneliness fucked around with this message at 17:09 on Aug 7, 2012 |
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Aug 7, 2012 16:48
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I'm about to buy a non-retina MBP, and earlier the thread recommended a Samsung 830 or Crucial M4 SSD to replace the spinny disk which goes in the OptiBay. After researching this, I see the Samsung is faster, but is it really $100-$150 faster? Would I actually notice the difference between these two drives? Is one more reliable?
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Aug 8, 2012 03:35
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Luceo posted:I'm about to buy a non-retina MBP, and earlier the thread recommended a Samsung 830 or Crucial M4 SSD to replace the spinny disk which goes in the OptiBay. After researching this, I see the Samsung is faster, but is it really $100-$150 faster? Would I actually notice the difference between these two drives? Is one more reliable? I just started a new job working on a 12-core Mac Pro with 64GB of RAM. I complained right out of the gate because it's not nearly as fast as my old iMac with a Crucial M4. Does that answer your question? If you're used to using a skateboard to get to work, does it matter if you suddenly get upgraded to Marty's hoverboard or Biff's hoverboard? kuskus fucked around with this message at 03:53 on Aug 8, 2012 |
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Aug 8, 2012 03:49
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