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Now that Vista is supported, Vista or XP?

M

macjay

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Oct 3, 2003
366
0
Hi,

Assuming you didn't own either Windows OS, which one would you buy today now that both are supported in Boot Camp: Vista or XP?

I've read here that Vista is very intensive to run, and XP is relatively more efficient. However, I would imagine that Vista is more future-leaning.

So if you didn't own either one, which would you buy today to run on a Macbook?

Thanks.

P.S. If your answer is Vista, which version?
 
B

BoyBach

macrumors 68040
Feb 24, 2006
3,031
13
Personally, I wouldn't touch Vista for about six months, until the bugs and driver issues etc have been ironed out, so I'd say go for XP - make sure that you download Service Pack 2 though.
 
weg

weg

macrumors 6502a
Mar 29, 2004
888
0
nj
macjay said:
Hi,

Assuming you didn't own either Windows OS, which one would you buy today now that both are supported in Boot Camp: Vista or XP?

I've read here that Vista is very intensive to run, and XP is relatively more efficient. However, I would imagine that Vista is more future-leaning.

So if you didn't own either one, which would you buy today to run on a Macbook?

Thanks.

P.S. If your answer is Vista, which version?
Click to expand...

I'd say, go for Vista. There may be still bugs in there, but it's stable enough to work with it, and Microsoft will have it fixed, soon. And why pay twice? In the end you'll switch to Vista anyway. The version question can't be answered since you didn't say for which tasks you want to use it.. (if you just want an OS and don't care for eye cany: Go for home basic)
 
Chone

Chone

macrumors 65816
Aug 11, 2006
1,222
0
I also recommend just going for Vista, it has tons of great features and so far its been pretty darn rock solid for me, its also faster than XP for many stuff and much more secure, not to mention a lot more easier to use and pleasing on the eye :)

Vista is definitely the way to go. The only drivers that kind of suck are NVIDIA's other than that, I'm completely migrated to Vista without any issues, now I never boot back to XP (except for special cases, mostly legacy). Gaming is great and many games will be Vista exclusive and DX10 games will only run in DX10 on Vista (will still run on XP under DX9).
 
M

macjay

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Oct 3, 2003
366
0
If I get Vista Home Premium, will it run on the Macbook even if all the graphics aren't fully supported?

Thanks.
 
R

RojoLeo

macrumors 6502
Mar 11, 2007
380
26
Austin, TX
macjay said:
I actually don't have any Windows programs, as OSX is my "home" OS. Windows is just for fun.
Click to expand...

Based on this alone, I'll recommend Vista.

However, to anyone with mission critical apps, don't get Vista yet. It's truly unbelievable how unstable it is and how incompatible with common programs it is, including Dreamweaver, Visual Studio 2005, even Microsoft Word.
 
J

JloR

macrumors newbie
Oct 18, 2006
22
0
Denmark
I'm posting from a Windows Vista Business on my Macbook black ed. (Core 2 Duo).

It's the 32bit version.
Flip 3D works like a charm. HOWEVER right-click is NOT included in the bootcamp 1.2 , even though they state it should work if you press and hold the right option key (I think I'm missing that particular key :) ).

With the new bootcamp it's almost painless to run Vista, it was a bit of a hazzle before. Now.. To fix right-clicking.


But On Topic: Go with Vista if it's for fun - XP is just boring.. If you still use OSX for home computing, then you don't need XP.
 
S

Sirlin

macrumors newbie
Jan 18, 2007
5
0
J

jdechko

macrumors 601
Jul 1, 2004
4,230
325
DigitalAx said:
The biggest question to you OP, is what programs do you plan on running in Windows?
Click to expand...

Yeah, for that reason alone I'm going to go with XP - would need to run AutoCAD and VIZ, so I can't have incompatibility issues with software - reminds me of the nightmare that was XP in 10/2001 - the application compatibility wizard, yeah right. If I remember, Half-Life wasn't originally supported under XP until the patch was released 2-3 weeks later. :rolleyes: Way to go, Microsoft.

At this point, though, it's really a toss up between Vista and XP. I agree with the previous poster, though, who said go with XP now (cheaper) and upgrade to Vista later. If you decide to play any games or anything, then they'll almost be guaranteed to work under XP.
 
Father Jack

Father Jack

macrumors 68020
Jan 1, 2007
2,481
1
Ireland
If you really must run Windows .... Then definitely Xp. I'm sure Vista will have lots of little problems (or big problems) that will need fixing :eek:

FJ
 
SpookTheHamster

SpookTheHamster

macrumors 65816
Nov 7, 2004
1,495
8
London
I couldn't stand Vista. There were so many things that wouldn't work with it, both software and hardware. In the end the final straw was my Windows-only USB TV stick wouldn't work in Vista, and I "downgraded" back to XP Home from Ultimate, which was even more hassle.

Give it a few months for drivers and new products to be released that actually work properly with Vista.

If you want a pretty OS, just skin XP. It's not hard, I use Chocolate Milk to give it an Apple-y theme.
 
TBi

TBi

macrumors 68030
Jul 26, 2005
2,583
6
Ireland
JloR said:
HOWEVER right-click is NOT included in the bootcamp 1.2 , even though they state it should work if you press and hold the right option key (I think I'm missing that particular key :) ).
Click to expand...

ERM ... yes it does ... just put two fingers on the track pad (as if you were two finger scrolling) and then click the button. Works the same as Mac OSX.
 
M

macamacamac

Suspended
Dec 8, 2005
9
0
Vista runs great!!!

I installed vista w/bootcamp on my core2duo imac and it runs like a charm. Love those sidebar widget things. A lot has changed from xp to vista so get used to all the new menus and settings as well as all the new eye candy, just go with vista. Since bootcamp is only a beta and vista is brand new, don't run just don't run any critical apps in there. I still run quickbooks from my xp machine.... Run xp on an old machine if you have one.
 
X

Xyl

macrumors regular
Dec 30, 2006
181
0
macjay said:
However, I would imagine that Vista is more future-leaning.
Click to expand...

I would hope so. :eek: It would rather surprising if they made an OS that goes from XP back to win95. :rolleyes:

macjay said:
I actually don't have any Windows programs, as OSX is my "home" OS. Windows is just for fun.
Click to expand...

For that reason alone, you should get neither version. You should be getting Windows for anything but fun, so I would recommend you not to get either, especially if you have no programs (games) for it.
 
TBi

TBi

macrumors 68030
Jul 26, 2005
2,583
6
Ireland
<rant>

My god, everyone is going around talking about bootcamp as if it was a vital piece of software... It is just a set of drivers! No more, no less. It does not do anything but give you drivers for vista/XP to support some of the more obscure apple hardware.

You'd actually get away without EVER using bootcamp if you had some computing no how. (you might lose some functionality, screen brightness control and two finger right click, but your mac will function fully and play games and what not)

1. You can resize the apple partition using a built in command line tool.

2. Most of the hardware in Mac's are commodity items with existing windows drivers.

You can find them yourself if you want to. Bootcamp just makes it EASIER to this. It doesn't make the impossible possible, it just makes it easier!

</rant>
 
E

ericsthename

macrumors regular
Apr 13, 2005
246
0
Vancouver BC
Here's the thing I don't understand with so many of my PC using friends.

Lately a few of my university friends have gone out and bought laptops. They didn't want to have vista on them, because they heard it was too buggy.

Is vista buggy? well, it doesnt have quite the same support yet that XP does, but any laptop fresh on the market these days will have support. Bearing in mind that these are people that use computers for word, email and MSN what could these people encounter that would be too buggy I have no idea.


I dual boot my MBP in vista, and I have to say that it is much better looking and a lot nicer to work with than XP. It really doesnt hold a candle to the clean and pure functionality of OS X, but if you gotta use windows vista is the only thing I'd be putting on my 'puter! Besides, all these people who throw down vista now will be having a lot more fun later when they decide to do the "Upgrade install".

The only reason I have to use vista is because I got sick and tired of running office mac in rosetta... not only because its slow, its downright unstable half the time... plus there's the whole webcam on msn debacle...
 
B

bmb012

macrumors 6502
Jul 25, 2006
414
0
Well, personally, I don't really considering myself as 'using' windows on my Mac Pro, I sort of just deal with it to use Flash 8 until it's UB, and for games, and Vista's 3d performance is a notch down from XP's.

For anything else, I'm going to be in OS X, dealing with files in Windows makes me want to kill someone. Once you get used to expose and springloaded folders, you really can't go back to the terribly static desktop that is XP...

So I suppose it depends on how often you'll actually be using the features of the OS, or if it's just for (as I assume it is for most) just a few programs that don't work in OS X.

You know what they say, if you want something done right, boot into OS X :D
 
Cybergypsy

Cybergypsy

macrumors 68040
May 16, 2006
3,094
0
Central Florida!
I have been using Vista for the last few months and its amazing.... I am going to buy a PC for a while, till new apple items come out.....Vista Rocks ....
 
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