Windows/MacOS question on Mac Pro

[8thMan]

My son is graduating from high school in the spring and will be entering college to study computer science. I plan to help him buy a new computer (Mac Pro) as a graduation present, as his current mac is getting a bit old. He loves Mac OS but really needs to run Windows as well. As I understand it, the new Intel machines can do both. What is the best way to do this? Partition the HD and install each OS on the same drive (is this what is called 'dual-boot')? Or use two harddrives and load one OS on each drive? Sorry about the noob question; this dual-system thing is a bit beyond my experience. Thanks.

 

[Fredou51]

If he wants to use windows for gaming or anything using the graphic card intensively, you have to use Bootcamp. For anything else, Parallel is good.
Keep in mind though that to install bootcamp, you should make sure that you don't get the Mac Pro + x1900 + ACD 23" combination. It doesn't really work and you have to install windows with a different display and then install some drivers seperatly. This problem is here since a while and there's no fix from Apple yet.

Frederic

 

[Chone]

If he wants to use windows for gaming or anything using the graphic card intensively, you have to use Bootcamp. For anything else, Parallel is good.
Keep in mind though that to install bootcamp, you should make sure that you don't get the Mac Pro + x1900 + ACD 23" combination. It doesn't really work and you have to install windows with a different display and then install some drivers seperatly. This problem is here since a while and there's no fix from Apple yet.

Frederic

Well first of all Parellels is good enough as in "run a simple windows specific program in a way" if your son is going to do any serious work (like say AutoCAD or Photoshop) and needs a PC, Parallels will feel pretty slow, as for BootCamp, you can have both OS on one HDD or select a 2nd HDD to install Windows XP on, Boot Camp Assistant will do it all for you. Well basically what I was saying Parelles is good a few casual apps or two (for example I love it to run Windows Live Messenger while working the mac enviroment or watching some WMV movies that can be played back on a Mac whatsoever) but things will slow to a crawl if you use something processor intensive.

And the X1900+ACD 23" bit doesn't make sense but then again computers are unpredictable.

 

[Fredou51]

And the X1900+ACD 23" bit doesn't make sense but then again computers are unpredictable.

The x1900 + ACD 23" is a well known problem on the Apple forum and even here for people who own them.