Windows on Mac?

[Ben Hussey]

I've recently been offered a cheap but pretty good Mac from an acquaintance, I've always been a windows boy, however I hear tell that the Mac performance is significantly better?
Anyway, I heard tell that you can run windows off a Mac, how does this work, does it just replace the running system with windows or is it just a feature that allows you to run windows programs?
Also, how well does this work with such things as games (I really don't want ot buy Mac versions of all my games) will they run well on a Mac with the Windows thingy?
So really, are there any downfalls to running a Mac with Windows?

 

[pmdezso]

thats bollocks. don't trust him. just buy a pc
mac versions of games are 10 bucks more, and M&B don't work on Macs!!!

 

[13 Spider Bloody Chain]

Er...pm, you do realize that they have something called "Boot Camp" out there now for Intel Macs?

 

[Archonsod]

I've recently been offered a cheap but pretty good Mac from an acquaintance, I've always been a windows boy, however I hear tell that the Mac performance is significantly better?

Not really. The Intel processors perform at more or less the same level as their PC equivilents, though the bus functions of the Mac still let it down. It all depends on what you want it for really, in terms of performance vs. cost they outperform PC's in certain areas (multimedia, video editing stuff) but fall way behind in others (gaming).

Anyway, I heard tell that you can run windows off a Mac, how does this work, does it just replace the running system with windows or is it just a feature that allows you to run windows programs?

If your using an intel processor you can use boot camp (which basically is a dual boot system, though not all drivers are 100% compatible with the mac yet). There's also a number of emulators, but naturally performance suffers as with any other emulator. Again, drivers and similar tend to be the main issues.

Also, how well does this work with such things as games (I really don't want ot buy Mac versions of all my games) will they run well on a Mac with the Windows thingy?
So really, are there any downfalls to running a Mac with Windows?

Dual booting with something like Bootcamp they should perform similarly to the PC equivilent of the mac hardware. Emulating, not so good. Like I said, the big obstacle is hardware drivers which function under Windows. Even macs with ATi cards or similar can run into problems here.

 

[Gregor Eisenhorn]

Hate to challenge you on this, but Macs perform much, much better than PCs. I--the owner of several PC computers and a couple Macs--can safely say that I have had my iMac lock up only once or twice. When I tell it to end the program, it endsthe program. Instantly. Faster than Vista. The dual booting works great on my "Mactop" and the Windows side looks like Windows. Now, gaming is a different matter. Games look and perform excellently on Macs, but not all games are compatible with Macs. I haven't tried using the Windows side of the laptop, but I assume it plays Windows games just fine. 

 

[Archonsod]

Hate to challenge you on this, but Macs perform much, much better than PCs. I--the owner of several PC computers and a couple Macs--can safely say that I have had my iMac lock up only once or twice.

I've never had Windows crash, at least, not unless it was deliberate. Worse I ever get is app crashes, but the Mac has it's fair share of those. Macs used to have the advantage, since the Mac OS actually multitasked rather than Window's faux multitasking (though again, only an advantage for certain areas). Unfortunately, Motorola's chips literally got left in the dust of AMD & Intel. Now they have Intel & ATi on board they're doing much better, but these days the Mac is pretty much a branded PC. They're outperformed in the gaming department (whatever they're running) simply down to the Mac implementation of AGP / PCIe

I haven't tried using the Windows side of the laptop, but I assume it plays Windows games just fine. 

It's not the games that are the problem (especially not with a dual boot), it's drivers. There's few mac specific windows drivers (bit of a mouthful) with the result that you either run a driver expecting to be talking to standard x86 hardware (tends to cause problems, especially when gaming) or else you try running a driver specially designed for a Windows running Mac (as yet tend to be buggy as hell). To be honest, you get better performance running Linux or Unix on a Mac, but again, pointless for gaming.

 

[Gregor Eisenhorn]

I've never had Windows crash, at least, not unless it was deliberate. Worse I ever get is app crashes, but the Mac has it's fair share of those. Macs used to have the advantage, since the Mac OS actually multitasked rather than Window's faux multitasking (though again, only an advantage for certain areas). Unfortunately, Motorola's chips literally got left in the dust of AMD & Intel. Now they have Intel & ATi on board they're doing much better, but these days the Mac is pretty much a branded PC. They're outperformed in the gaming department (whatever they're running) simply down to the Mac implementation of AGP / PCIe

I meant application crashing. Windows crashes constantly in games. Most game patches tweak two things: balancing and stability. Whatever the cause, Halo functions on my Mac and doesn't on my PC.

It's not the games that are the problem (especially not with a dual boot), it's drivers. There's few mac specific windows drivers (bit of a mouthful) with the result that you either run a driver expecting to be talking to standard x86 hardware (tends to cause problems, especially when gaming) or else you try running a driver specially designed for a Windows running Mac (as yet tend to be buggy as hell). To be honest, you get better performance running Linux or Unix on a Mac, but again, pointless for gaming.

Ah.

 

[DJNad]

Macs are cool. Everyone knows it. Macs are also very expensive. Everyone knows this too. Therefore most people here who earn a low wage will not buy a mac. But really, who cares if a Mac will close programs quicker than Vista?? Everyone knows that Vista is really crap and slow atm. However if I get a nonresponsive program in XP, I can close it instantly 9 out of 10 times. And the only reason most Windows programs crash is because you are either doing things you shouldn't be, or because whoever made it made it with errors. Not the PC's or Windows fault, I think.

 

[Gregor Eisenhorn]

Macs are cool. Everyone knows it. Macs are also very expensive. Everyone knows this too. Therefore most people here who earn a low wage will not buy a mac. But really, who cares if a Mac will close programs quicker than Vista?? Everyone knows that Vista is really crap and slow atm. However if I get a nonresponsive program in XP, I can close it instantly 9 out of 10 times. And the only reason most Windows programs crash is because you are either doing things you shouldn't be, or because whoever made it made it with errors. Not the PC's or Windows fault, I think.

Do you have a new computer with Vista Ultimate?

 

[Hack McSlash]

I've heard good things about mac's customer support. Fast-effective trouble-shooting, and good repairs.

The problem is, they are able to do this because they have such a small percentage of customers when compared to Windows. The fewer demands, the greater your quality can be...but as macs start to take more of the market-share, I imagine that their customer support will take a hit or two. This causes a major problem because macs (compared to PC) are hard as hell for most people to repair.

Now imagine if you had to ship your PC to its makers to have it repaired every time you had a problem.

 

[Mage246]

Macs accomplish simple tasks (like closing programs) quickly because the OS locks you (and any 3rd parties) out of any of the more complex functions. This is a very crude comparison, but the difference between a Mac and a PC is like the difference between a calculator and a computer. I don't mean that Macs are inferior in capability, what I mean is that they have been intentionally limited in function. A Mac is like a calculator because it only allows you to do what it has been expressly been programmed to do (by restricting you to a set of buttons that can not be changed). Because a computer is a more open-ended piece of equipment, it is much easier to break because you can try to change how it works. If all you want to do is simple tasks, like typing a report or editing a video, then a Mac is what you want. If you want to tweak your computer's performance and customize your user experience, then a PC is what's far you. Contrary to the myth that Apple has sought to promote in its commercials, Macs are far more bland and utilitarian than PCs. You can take one Mac and set it next to another and they would be virtually indistinguishable on a basic level, but you cannot do the same thing with two PCs (assuming their users have sought to customize them at all).

 

[DJNad]

Macs are cool. Everyone knows it. Macs are also very expensive. Everyone knows this too. Therefore most people here who earn a low wage will not buy a mac. But really, who cares if a Mac will close programs quicker than Vista?? Everyone knows that Vista is really crap and slow atm. However if I get a nonresponsive program in XP, I can close it instantly 9 out of 10 times. And the only reason most Windows programs crash is because you are either doing things you shouldn't be, or because whoever made it made it with errors. Not the PC's or Windows fault, I think.

Do you have a new computer with Vista Ultimate?

No but I've just been working in a computer repair shop and have used many Vista computers, and compared to XP, it's SLOW. Unreasonably slow, even on high end machines. And I have a friend who's dad works for HP and they have Vista Ultimate and he also reckons it's a pile of crap.

 

[Hack McSlash]

It does look like Windows has ****ed up with Vista....but they do that every time they come up with a new OP. Give it about a year, and they'll have Vista (insert flashy adjective), which will have decent performance.

 

[DJNad]

Yeah, that's why I said atm.... in about 6 or so months when they've released 5 gig worth of patches etc. it will probably be much more stable and fast.

 

[thesneakster]

Hate to challenge you on this, but Macs perform much, much better than PCs. I--the owner of several PC computers and a couple Macs--can safely say that I have had my iMac lock up only once or twice.

How much and when did you spend on each?

 

[Hræfn]

Don't get a Mac, over time they slowly turn you gay.

 

[Kobrag]

hey! plenty of strait people have macs, i.e ummmmmmm.........

 

[mrcrotch]

Me.

Well actually, my mum. In our house we have an IMac, iBook and our normal Windows. But my mum loves mac's although I don'y exactly know why. She's a graphic designer and said that they're are better for that sort of stuff. I don't see any preformance difference in them.

 

[Hack McSlash]

Any form of media work is better on a Mac, I will agree. I've yet to find a program that bests Final Cut Pro for video editing (although, it is damned pricey).

 

[Goodknight]

Who manufactures for apple? Is it exclusively motorola? I know there is an endless sea of PC manufacturers.