imac bootcamp or pc to run windows 7?

[efishnc]

I currently use both a pc as a desktop and a macbook (late 2008). I am very tempted to replace my current desktop (a core2 duo E4500) with either an i5 or i7 imac. The dilemma is that the most important application I use on the PC is Microsoft Excel 2007 (Excel 2008 for the Mac does not cut it as I also need Access). I have seen benchmarks that show how the quad core i5 and i7s show significant performance improvements for Excel. That being said, is the imac running Windows 7 in bootcamp a better choice than say this Dell i7 I saw at Best Buy?

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Dell+-+Studio+XPS+Desktop+with+Intel%26%23174%3B+Core%26%23153%3B+i7+Processor+-+Black/9532749.p?id=1218120178969&skuId=9532749&st=dell i7&cp=1&lp=1

Thanks in advance. I apologize if this is too close to a pc vs mac post.

 

[Stingray454]

I just did the same thing. I work with PC's all day long, but have been very tempted to switch to Mac lately. When the iMac was released I finally ordered one.

I also need some PC-only software for my work, but felt it was a bit much hassle to reboot every time I needed a PC app. My solution was to set up VMWare for this. I basicly run windows in a window in OS X. I love the integration in VMWare (and probably other similar products too, but I haven't tried them yet). You can get the start-menu of your Windows installation as a menu on the OS X desktop - just select "Programs -> Excel" from the menu, and up pops MS Excel in its own window. The file sharing works great too (drag/drop apps from the mac desktop to the Windows application for example).

Also I've set up both an XP and Win7 installation so I can easilly swap to the OS I need. Works very smooth overall, and although VMWare is not free, it's well worth the cost imo.

This gives me all the benefits of working with the mac desktop at the same time as I can use all of my old windows stuff I need for work. Couldn't be happier.

 

[fruitpunch.ben]

I currently use both a pc as a desktop and a macbook (late 2008). I am very tempted to replace my current desktop (a core2 duo E4500) with either an i5 or i7 imac. The dilemma is that the most important application I use on the PC is Microsoft Excel 2007 (Excel 2008 for the Mac does not cut it as I also need Access). I have seen benchmarks that show how the quad core i5 and i7s show significant performance improvements for Excel. That being said, is the imac running Windows 7 in bootcamp a better choice than say this Dell i7 I saw at Best Buy?

Thanks in advance. I apologize if this is too close to a pc vs mac post.

Windows 7 is not yet supported in bootcamp, although some people have got it running. Apple has said it will be supported by the end of the year.
Bootcamp is native support for windows, so it should run just as fast as a similarly spec'd PC, if not faster.
That computer from bestbuy looks pretty much the same specs as the iMac, just maybe slightly faster graphics if you're into games.
For the price of the iMac i7 you're also getting a pretty amazing screen with it too, so i'd go the iMac.
But i'm biased (as will be 99.99% of people on this forum, either towards macs or against them)

 

[efishnc]

I just did the same thing. I work with PC's all day long, but have been very tempted to switch to Mac lately. When the iMac was released I finally ordered one.

I also need some PC-only software for my work, but felt it was a bit much hassle to reboot every time I needed a PC app. My solution was to set up VMWare for this. I basicly run windows in a window in OS X. I love the integration in VMWare (and probably other similar products too, but I haven't tried them yet). You can get the start-menu of your Windows installation as a menu on the OS X desktop - just select "Programs -> Excel" from the menu, and up pops MS Excel in its own window. The file sharing works great too (drag/drop apps from the mac desktop to the Windows application for example).

Also I've set up both an XP and Win7 installation so I can easilly swap to the OS I need. Works very smooth overall, and although VMWare is not free, it's well worth the cost imo.

This gives me all the benefits of working with the mac desktop at the same time as I can use all of my old windows stuff I need for work. Couldn't be happier.

Thanks, I do use fusion on my macbook too and it does serve most basic needs. My problem is that I usually max out excel...I make full use of the 1,000,000 rows and do monte carlo simulations which take forever both on fusion and even my core2 duo running windows 7. It will come down to whether the imac is actually BETTER at running windows 7 than a pc itself would be...I am not quite sure of the answer on that one! Thanks for the help.

 

[efishnc]

Windows 7 is not yet supported in bootcamp, although some people have got it running. Apple has said it will be supported by the end of the year.
Bootcamp is native support for windows, so it should run just as fast as a similarly spec'd PC, if not faster.
That computer from bestbuy looks pretty much the same specs as the iMac, just maybe slightly faster graphics if you're into games.
For the price of the iMac i7 you're also getting a pretty amazing screen with it too, so i'd go the iMac.
But i'm biased (as will be 99.99% of people on this forum, either towards macs or against them)

Yes, the screen is an obvious advantage and I am biased towards the Mac too based on my macbook experience. I honestly don't care about the graphics card, so I would love to hear that Excel 2007 runs as well as or at least very close to in bootcamp as it would on the pc.

 

[Stingray454]

Yes, the screen is an obvious advantage and I am biased towards the Mac too based on my macbook experience. I honestly don't care about the graphics card, so I would love to hear that Excel 2007 runs as well as or at least very close to in bootcamp as it would on the pc.

Well, bootcamp isn't emulating anything (as VMWare / Parallells and similar products are), it's just windows running on 2.8Ghz i7 hardware. It should perform equal to a windows installation of the same specs. Your link seems to be equal hardware as the iMac, the only thing I didn't see mentioned was the memory speed. If you do a 1,000,000-row numbercrunch in excel, I guess memory speed plays a significant role next to CPU speed. Try getting some information if it has much faster memory than the iMacs 1066Mhz.

 

[efishnc]

Well, bootcamp isn't emulating anything (as VMWare / Parallells and similar products are), it's just windows running on 2.8Ghz i7 hardware. It should perform equal to a windows installation of the same specs. Your link seems to be equal hardware as the iMac, the only thing I didn't see mentioned was the memory speed. If you do a 1,000,000-row numbercrunch in excel, I guess memory speed plays a significant role next to CPU speed. Try getting some information if it has much faster memory than the iMacs 1066Mhz.

It looks like the dell also has 1066Mhz memory.

 

[flopticalcube]

Windows 7 runs flawlessly on our 2-year old iMacs in bootcamp. I even got it running with a little effort on my daughter's 3-year old white iMac even though the graphics card is no longer supported by ATI. I would think that you will have very little trouble getting it to run on the new iMacs. As long as you don't think you will need to upgrade anything in the future like processor (I don't think there is much of an upgrade path anyway) or graphics card, the iMac would be the more esthetically pleasing choice.

 

[thejadedmonkey]

If you really are that hardcore into Excel, I would never consider a mac running bootcamp. First off, you'll spend more for a slower machine, or spend a lot more for a comparable machine.

Then, you have to get Windows running on Bootcamp. Many people have no problems, but some do - myself being one of those people - and Apple doesn't provide support for bootcamp.

Seriously, you'd be better off spending your money on that computer from Best buy, and the get a used Core 2 Duo Macbook from 2007 off of eBay then betting that Windows on a mac will work half as well as Windows on a normal PC does.

 

[zerohp]

You might want to consider learning a real programming language and/or database package. A 1,000,000 row spreadsheet is a sign that you're doing something terribly wrong and inefficient.

 

[Stingray454]

It looks like the dell also has 1066Mhz memory.

Then I'd say they'll be about the same speed with windows in bootcamp. If you think the design / screen / OS / whatever appeals to you with the mac is worth the extra bucks - go for it The experiecence should be the same.