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Any problems with Mac Pros and Boot Camp?

D

dh2005

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Jan 25, 2010
907
0
Hello folks,

It wouldn't have struck me to ask this - but I read a really pissy consumer review of the 2010 Mac Pro on a review site (CNET, I think...), where the guy wailed on every single aspect of the machine. One thing he moaned about was that Windows programs didn't work properly, because the Xeon processors weren't properly configured within Boot Camp.

If I get a Mac Pro, I'll have to Boot Camp it because certain programs that I use don't have Mac equivalents.

Any comments? Cheers,



DH.
 
Boot Camp works fine with Mac Pro's, there have been some issues with earlier generations of Mac Pro's that run a 32bit version of EFI trying to run 64bit versions of Windows in bootcamp but those are a thing of the past as the past three or more generations of Mac Pro's have have 64 bit EFI and have no issues (that I am aware of) running Windows (32bit or 64bit) in bootcamp.
 
Thanks for the swift reply.

So, you're saying that any Mac Pro from 2010, 2009 or 2008 won't have this problem? I'm asking because I may buy second-hand.
 
that sounds like a load of bs. bootcamp doesnt run windows its just a step by step guide for installing it. the windows you install is as much windows as it is on any other machine, so any problems would not be bootcamps fault.

that being said i used to have issues on my mac pro 1,1 with my old graphics card (x1900) which wouldnt allow me to install windows. i assume it has to do with the mac only nature of the card. once i upgraded my graphics card (to a more recent 5770) that problem went away and i havent had any trouble with windows 7.

ps. im using 2x 2.66ghz dual core xeons


EDIT: ashman70 is correct that the mac pro 1,1 has issues installing the 64 bit versions of windows. however if you have access to a windows machine there are tutorials online on how to burn a new copy with a small extra file that allows for installation. once installed there doesnt seem to be any other problems, so even on the oldest mac pros you can install 64 bit windows if you dont mind fiddling with it slightly.
 
I'm delighted to find a few folks online who know what they're talking about. This part of the forum's been a ghost-town when I've come here, in the past.


Please don't be cross at me for asking proletarian questions - I know these are primarily professional/server/workstation machines - but I'm looking for an opulent home computer that runs OS X that doesn't have the handicapping of the iMac.

It's my plan to have a machine that can do 'lots of stuff', well. So, I'd like to game, run productivity, edit video (a hobby I'm developing), and whatever else you can imagine a demanding-but-general user might plan to do. My question is: do Xeon-based computers do the general computery-type-stuff well, or are they only in their element doing professional/server/workstation tasks? As in, would a Xeon processor be poorer than, say, a Core i5/i7 for everyday tasks?

I appreciate all responses. Sneering optional. :)
 
most programs under most conditions dont stress a mac pro of any generation (sans old un upgraded graphics cards or lack of ram) for instance on my 1,1 i have on average 8-12 programs running at a time with no noticeable lag. (this doesnt usually, but can include games such as world of warcraft, or other "non background" programs like eyetv and photoshop, and there still is not usually any lag.)

that being said if you intend to stress your computer or even just prepare for the future i would take a look at some mac pro benchmark tests. 1,1s are usually around 5-7k and the newest generations can get up past 15k (so 2-3 times faster)

its all about what you're looking for
 
Sure, I appreciate that. To be honest, I don't yet know how much 'grunt' I'm going to need - which is my questions are kinda broad.

Can I ask about the graphics cards sockets? Because, on the gaming front, I'd probably be looking to max this out. Is there only one socket or two (for Crossfire etc.)?

Gaming is a consideration - it's not the only thing I'll do with it, by any means, but it's one thing I want to wrest control of. The iMac, good though it is, gets old fast and there's no replacing the GPU. Drives me mad.


Thanks for your ongoing advice. Anybody else, please invite yourself in...
 
Xeon processors are generally found in servers or powerful workstations which is what Mac Pro's are, powerful workstations. They can do whatever most people require of them easily, the more cores the more they can do. You may find however that as a gaming machine in windows using boot camp, the Xeon may not be as well suited as an i3, i5 or i7 processors as these consumer processors are geared towards gamers. Does that mean your games won't run well, not at all. Does it mean your games will lag, nope. But if you were to say that 70% of the time you use the computer, its for gaming, I'd say, save your money and buy something else more suited for gaming.
 
theres actually 4 pcie slots. in earlier mac pros only one is 16x bandwidth, but in the later ones there is 2 16x ports. as far as i know windows would work with any graphics cards, osx would be limited to 5770s and 5870s(this might require a 2nd powersupply, as the 5870 uses 2 power ports) unless you install the hack/patch/whathaveyou for use with the 6xxx cards. also from what i know crossfire has no extra effect in osx aside from the ability to run more monitors. if you had two cards running crossfire in an older mac pro, because only one slot is a 16x slot you would need to use the expansion slot utility to run each card at 8x instead. (this translates to a very small drop in performance, something like 0-3%) so its not a huge deal.

technically i think you can put 4 graphics cards in but you're going to run into power supply and even bigger bandwidth issues, atleast on the older models.
 
ashman70 said:
But if you were to say that 70% of the time you use the computer, its for gaming, I'd say, save your money and buy something else more suited for gaming.
Click to expand...

Thank you for the specific advice.

It won't be 70% of the time. I wish...! Won't even be half, by a long shot. But it's a significant consideration, which is why I'm making so much fuss about it.
 
interslicer said:
theres actually 4 pcie slots. in earlier mac pros only one is 16x bandwidth, but in the later ones there is 2 16x ports. as far as i know windows would work with any graphics cards, osx would be limited to 5770s and 5870s(this might require a 2nd powersupply, as the 5870 uses 2 power ports) unless you install the hack/patch/whathaveyou for use with the 6xxx cards. also from what i know crossfire has no extra effect in osx aside from the ability to run more monitors. if you had two cards running crossfire in an older mac pro, because only one slot is a 16x slot you would need to use the expansion slot utility to run each card at 8x instead. (this translates to a very small drop in performance, something like 0-3%) so its not a huge deal.

technically i think you can put 4 graphics cards in but you're going to run into power supply and even bigger bandwidth issues, atleast on the older models.
Click to expand...

Wow! Sounds like a rrrright motherfunster!
 
interslicer said:
that sounds like a load of bs. bootcamp doesnt run windows its just a step by step guide for installing it. the windows you install is as much windows as it is on any other machine, so any problems would not be bootcamps fault.
Click to expand...

I could be wrong, but I think Bootcamp actually runs a BIOS emulation because Windows refuses to play nice with the EFI?
 
I know they "support" EFI, but my sys-ad friends tell me it's not painless by a long shot?

anyway, I'm pretty sure I see a BIOS emulation whenever I reboot into Windows, but I still have WinXP so maybe that's why.
 
So... forgive me but this 'EFI' talk is going over my head...

... is there a problem, or is there not a problem?
 
<The only problem>

Mac Pro from 2006 and 2007 used EFI 32 bit
...in order to boot Windows 7 install disc, you had to make an image of the disc, change a character encoding, then burn it again

</ The only problem>


You plan on getting a Mac Pro that is not 2006 or 2007?
Then no problem!

You plan on getting a Mac Pro that is 2006 or 2007 but don't mind going through a 10 minute process(which there are guides for) in order to be able to boot from your Win 7 disc?
Then no problem!

If none of the above.... yeah well then you have a problem I guess.
 
I see... so, this emulated EFI thing is not 'a problem' of any sort? It doesn't result in slow and/or unreliable performance on the Windows side? At all?
 
dh2005 said:
So... forgive me but this 'EFI' talk is going over my head...

... is there a problem, or is there not a problem?
Click to expand...

As already indicated by the first reply you got, there is NO problem.

The guy talking about Xeons not configured for BC clearly had no idea what he's talking about cause it doesn't make any sense whatsoever. There is no such thing as configuring processors for BC.
 
Thank you. I mean, I figured as much anyway, because I'm currently using an iMac with Windows - as you say, "basically a PC".

But when I read that review, spewing about how much it sucked for Windows work, I just had to come here and check it out.
 
Cindori said:
A Mac Pro booting windows is basically a PC.
Click to expand...

But with 32 bit Windows, due to, I'm guessing, memory layout, Windows is limited to about 2GB of real RAM in bootcamp. Other systems can get you to over 3GB, depending on hardware. This is the case even if you have 14GB of RAM on the box :(
 
kevink2 said:
But with 32 bit Windows, due to, I'm guessing, memory layout, Windows is limited to about 2GB of real RAM in bootcamp. Other systems can get you to over 3GB, depending on hardware. This is the case even if you have 14GB of RAM on the box :(
Click to expand...

oh yeah, I did forget this one. wasnt it only a case on XP though?


I don't see a reason choosing 32bit over 64 bit anyway, so I don't think it is an issue...
 
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