Windows 7 via Bootcamp: 32/64 Bit, Premium or Pro?

Joined
Mar 18, 2012
Messages
90
Reaction score
3
Points
8
Location
the Netherlands
Your Mac's Specs
iMac 27" i5 3.1GHz / 1TB HDD / 16GB RAM / Model 12.2 / Mavericks 10.9
Hello folks;

I have some Windows-only software that I need to use, so I want to install Windows 7 via Bootcamp on my iMac (Mountain Lion). Have not bought a license yet, and I wonder:

- 32 or 64 bit? My preference is 64 bit, but does that run well on the iMac? Heard that there may be issues.

- Home Premium/Professional/Ultimate all run equally well? Would like the Pro version.

Thanks in advance,

Thymen
 

cwa107


Retired Staff
Joined
Dec 20, 2006
Messages
27,042
Reaction score
812
Points
113
Location
Lake Mary, Florida
Your Mac's Specs
14" MacBook Pro M1 Pro, 16GB RAM, 1TB SSD
Hello folks;

I have some Windows-only software that I need to use, so I want to install Windows 7 via Bootcamp on my iMac (Mountain Lion). Have not bought a license yet, and I wonder:

- 32 or 64 bit? My preference is 64 bit, but does that run well on the iMac? Heard that there may be issues.

64-bit if you have 4GB of memory or more. No, there are no issues.

- Home Premium/Professional/Ultimate all run equally well? Would like the Pro version.

Thanks in advance,

Thymen

They will all run identically because they are the same thing - Microsoft simply locks out certain components depending on how much money you cough up. The big difference between them is whether you need to join a domain (corporate network), if not, then Home Premium is for you. If someday you do, you can always purchase an "Anytime Upgrade" to change the edition.

I'm not sure why one would purchase "Ultimate" other than that they like spending money needlessly, or enjoy the use of superlatives.
 
OP
T
Joined
Mar 18, 2012
Messages
90
Reaction score
3
Points
8
Location
the Netherlands
Your Mac's Specs
iMac 27" i5 3.1GHz / 1TB HDD / 16GB RAM / Model 12.2 / Mavericks 10.9
Thanks for the reply. Going to order 64-bit Professional!

Thymen
 

cwa107


Retired Staff
Joined
Dec 20, 2006
Messages
27,042
Reaction score
812
Points
113
Location
Lake Mary, Florida
Your Mac's Specs
14" MacBook Pro M1 Pro, 16GB RAM, 1TB SSD
Thanks for the reply. Going to order 64-bit Professional!

Thymen

Just to be clear - you're going to need to join a Windows domain with an iMac?
 
OP
T
Joined
Mar 18, 2012
Messages
90
Reaction score
3
Points
8
Location
the Netherlands
Your Mac's Specs
iMac 27" i5 3.1GHz / 1TB HDD / 16GB RAM / Model 12.2 / Mavericks 10.9
Just to be clear - you're going to need to join a Windows domain with an iMac?

No, just a home network. In case you are asking this because of the fact that Home Premium cannot connect to a domain, I need at least Professional because the software I intend to run requires it. Otherwise, Home Premium would be fine.

The W7 will be run from the internal disk of the iMac via Bootcamp, and the all data is available on a Synology NAS. No need to access the data disks that are being used with OSX.

Greetings,

Thymen
 
OP
T
Joined
Mar 18, 2012
Messages
90
Reaction score
3
Points
8
Location
the Netherlands
Your Mac's Specs
iMac 27" i5 3.1GHz / 1TB HDD / 16GB RAM / Model 12.2 / Mavericks 10.9
Well... W7 64bit Pro up and running...

Was not difficult, although at first I got an error message when creating the BootCamp partition. Some internet searching provided the answer, and from then on it was a breeze.

At first the screen was as bright as the sun, and I could not find the screen brightness adjustment setting. System ran very hot (to the touch, however the fans did not kick in yet). But that was present in the Power Settings, so now it is running cool as usual.

Appears to be quite stable. Still have to thoroughly test it, but so far so good.

And performance is great: a score of 7.6 and higher in a scale of 7.9 of the Performance Assessment, except for the disc I/O; that one is stuck at 5.9.

So now I have got the best of both worlds! Although I will mainly dwell in the realm of OS X.

Thymen
 

Shop Amazon


Shop for your Apple, Mac, iPhone and other computer products on Amazon.
We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon and affiliated sites.
Top