Studio Max and Autocad on Bootcamp Windows

[PaoPao]

Hi guys,
I have switched to Mac 2 months ago and I have never regretted it. My problem is that as an architecture student I need to have access to Autocad and Studio Max so I thought I would install Windows on my Mac Book Pro using Bootcamp. I think I will only use Win only for these 2 programs as I am more than happy with my Mac software. The question is: How much HD space do I need to allocate to run them smoothly? Is 32 Giga enough or I'd better format around 50 giga to be on the safe side? I have a HD of 465 Giga. For these application is it better NTFS or FAT 32?

Thanks for your help.

 

[Kennedy]

50gb+. Windows already takes up ~20, AC and 3dS take up ~15 together. Plus, all the extra files and little things you might not think about.

By the way, I'm in a similar situation. I'm going to architecture school in a year (crossed fingers that I get accepted at my top choice,) and I started research about 2 months ago about what situation I might be in for a laptop. Just to warn you:

Autodesk + Bootcamp = Hell.

There have been ridiculous incompatibility issues (which, supposedly, are fixed now with AC2010 and recent 3dS). Apple is also likely going to use Intel's Arrandale processor in the next MBP, meaning using a discrete GPU will be harder, if not impossible (for Apple, if I understand correctly). And the discrete GPU used now isn't even technically approved for AC and 3dS, as it doesn't support or wasn't designed for OpenGL.

I'm still working on figuring it all out, but in my case, I'm just going to wait until the next MBP comes out. Hopefully everything works. Other laptops just aren't as nice. Honestly, I can admit that half the reason I want an Apple is the design, I mean, I am going to be a 'design' student.

Good luck, and I'm bookmarking this thread to see if you get any answers I haven't.

P.S. Do you mind if I ask where you attend school?

 

[gugucom]

I would use as much as you can afford and certainly at least 50 GB while 80 GB would definitely be more appropriate.

Although Bootcamp uses FAT32 natively for Windows you need to switch this to NTFS at installation. Vista and Seven will not install on anything else and XP will not install to partitions larger than 32 GB. Make sure you do not re partition under XP but only format. If you get it wrong you will have errors.

Your compatibility issues will probably be minimized if you use a MBP with EFI64, which is basically from late 2008. Those MBPs will not give problems with Vista64 and Seven64 that can make use of large RAM installations that will benefit your ACAD.

Make sure to use Bootcamp 3.0 drivers properly installed and that will give you a good shot at a clean install.

 

[VPrime]

50gb+. Windows already takes up ~20

Windows 7 takes about 5-6gb vista is roughly the same and XP is less than 2gb

 

[Kennedy]

If Microsoft is to be trusted, I was a tad bit closer:

Windows 7 system requirements

If you want to run Windows 7 on your PC, here's what it takes:

...

-16 GB available hard disk space (32-bit) or 20 GB (64-bit)

http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windows-7/get/system-requirements.aspx

 

[VPrime]

They say that because during install it moves a lot of files onto the hard drive temporarily.
You can actually install it on a 10gb partition

The requirements also say you need 16gb more for XP mode.. Installing the XP virtual machine only needs 600mb more I beleive. They say a lot of things to cover them selves.

 

[gugucom]

Hey this guy is a student going to use Windows for several years with CAD. Most likely his school will have other Windows exclusive apps as well like Outlook. How long do you think he will exist on a 10 GB partition? You can have OS X on an external drive but you cannot with Windows. So it makes sense to approach this a bit more generously.

 

[VPrime]

Hey this guy is a student going to use Windows for several years with CAD. Most likely his school will have other Windows exclusive apps as well like Outlook. How long do you think he will exist on a 10 GB partition? You can have OS X on an external drive but you cannot with Windows. So it makes sense to approach this a bit more generously.

Well obviously, I was just correcting an incorrect statement made about the size of a windows install.

Also the original poster never said what version of windows he is going to use..
XP, Vista (x86/x64) or 7.. Which all does make a difference in the choice of the partition size.

And also one more thing.. I remember Autodesk software having issues in bootcamp due to the licensing not working, is this fixed?

 

[PaoPao]

What Windows do you recommend me for Autocad and Studio Max? I was used to work with XP professional and I don't know the later releases.

I am a student in Belgium, La Cambre in Bruxelles. I studied in Venice Italy but than I decided to come back to "Northern Europe" as I am not exactly keen of Italy right now and never have been....

 

[gugucom]

What Windows do you recommend me for Autocad and Studio Max? I was used to work with XP professional and I don't know the later releases.

It depends of the amount of RAM installed in your laptop. If you have more than 2GB I would recommend using a 64-bit version of Windows which is only supported for Vista and Seven. So XP isn't the top choice. With a 64-bit version you can still run all 32-bit programs in WoW.

 

[Kennedy]

What happens if he is one of those people that Microsoft makes that 16gb claim for? What if his version of Windows just happens to take up the amount of space MS says? I'm hardly incorrect for claiming that Windows takes up "~20gb." I do believe that in reality, it probably takes far less, but since MS recommends 16-20, I'd have at least that much. Not to mention all the AC files.

Never heard of La Cambre, and the website doesn't have an English-language version, and I'm afraid I'm an ignorant American prick who doesn't bother to learn foreign languages past high school Spanish.

 

[PaoPao]

What happens if he is one of those people that Microsoft makes that 16gb claim for? What if his version of Windows just happens to take up the amount of space MS says? I'm hardly incorrect for claiming that Windows takes up "~20gb." I do believe that in reality, it probably takes far less, but since MS recommends 16-20, I'd have at least that much. Not to mention all the AC files.

Never heard of La Cambre, and the website doesn't have an English-language version, and I'm afraid I'm an ignorant American prick who doesn't bother to learn foreign languages past high school Spanish.

La Cambre was set up by Henry Van de Velde, and it's a decent school of architecture in the French speaking part of Belgium where you are pushed to work in a Bauhaus pedagogical envirnment. I have to be honest and say that I think Flemish universities are far more developed and organised than the Wallonian ones though. Belgium is such an interesting country, full of contraddictions and conflicts where everything comes in 2 flavours: Walloninan (Francophone part) or Flemish (Flemish speaking part). Bruxelles is fast become or better has become the centre of the European Community and is a sort of social lab for future trends. Definitely worth keeping an eye on as it is becoming one the design/fashion/cultural poles of Europe.

And for the Windows question: I am so beginning to hate Windows again! LOL I have a MBP with 4 Giga of Ram and wouls like to upgrade it to 8 as soon as I find the $$$$$.