New Mac Pro Win 7 or Win 8?

Joined
Jul 25, 2011
Messages
10
Reaction score
0
Points
1
Currently have Win 7 on my Mid 2010 Mac Pro and am wondering if I should install on the new "Trashcan" or should I get Win 8? I will use OSX for my photography but I also like using Windows for gaming. Heard some negative things about Win 8 and is it as bad as Vista was?
 
Joined
Oct 12, 2013
Messages
149
Reaction score
2
Points
18
The complaints for Windows 8 revolve on the tablet side being used on the pc desktop hence touch screen tiles. Currently the Windows 8 can be converted back to the original start menu. Also having to use a mouse to click on tiles is more frustration based idea. Have a quick search for Windows 8 start menu adaption.
 
OP
A
Joined
Jul 25, 2011
Messages
10
Reaction score
0
Points
1
Ah I see what the complaint was and totally agree. Hopefully start menu is put back in. Thanks I may just upgrade to Win 8 and hopefully they fix start menu.

Wow, Microsoft doesn't even have upgrade price anymore, Microsoft really does SUCK!!!
 
Joined
Nov 28, 2007
Messages
25,564
Reaction score
486
Points
83
Location
Blue Mountains NSW Australia
Your Mac's Specs
Silver M1 iMac 512/16/8/8 macOS 11.6
Suggest sticking with Windows 7 64 bit. It is pretty fast and steady.
 

chscag

Well-known member
Staff member
Admin
Joined
Jan 23, 2008
Messages
65,248
Reaction score
1,833
Points
113
Location
Keller, Texas
Your Mac's Specs
2017 27" iMac, 10.5" iPad Pro, iPhone 8, iPhone 11, iPhone 12 Mini, Numerous iPods, Monterey

I second what Harry said. Windows 7 is rock steady and will run all your games without a problem. Just make sure you purchase the 64 bit version as the 32 bit version can not handle memory over approximately 3.5 GB. The 64 bit version will use all your memory.
As for Windows 8, the interface and tablet like setup is its downfall. Perhaps Windows 8.1 is better.
 
Joined
Nov 28, 2007
Messages
25,564
Reaction score
486
Points
83
Location
Blue Mountains NSW Australia
Your Mac's Specs
Silver M1 iMac 512/16/8/8 macOS 11.6
Would not have suggested it otherwise.
 
OP
A
Joined
Jul 25, 2011
Messages
10
Reaction score
0
Points
1
I currently have Win7 on this Mac Pro in 64 bit so hopefully I can use it again when I wipe this HD clean. Thanks for the advice.
 
Joined
Nov 8, 2010
Messages
967
Reaction score
4
Points
18
Location
Indiana
Your Mac's Specs
Main-11" Air, iPhone 6+, iPad Mini 3, Hi-Fi Extras- Too many to count
I have windows 8 on my retina MacBook Pro and it runs fairly well. I dont like the layout, it was designed to be used on a tablet. I also run windows 7 on this machine as well. Make sure you install the 64-bit version. It runs great on my machine and if i were you i would stick with windows 7.
 
OP
A
Joined
Jul 25, 2011
Messages
10
Reaction score
0
Points
1
Another question, with the new Mac Pro I will have the SSD inside of it and will run a couple of Thunderbolt EX HD's. Do I still have to partition some of the SSD for Win or can I just install with bootcamp to one of the EX HD's I plan on using for strictly Windows. Would this slow down gaming? I would prefer to keep all Win off my internal SSD.
 

chscag

Well-known member
Staff member
Admin
Joined
Jan 23, 2008
Messages
65,248
Reaction score
1,833
Points
113
Location
Keller, Texas
Your Mac's Specs
2017 27" iMac, 10.5" iPad Pro, iPhone 8, iPhone 11, iPhone 12 Mini, Numerous iPods, Monterey
Windows (any version) can not normally be installed to an external hard drive without a hack. You can thank MS for that and their paranoia with piracy. I honestly don't know how the external TB drives will appear to the system though. But if you have a large enough SSD internal drive in the new Pro, you should be able dedicate some of it for a Boot Camp install of Windows. The external TB ports and drives are so fast that they really act like internal drives anyway.
 
Joined
Jan 14, 2014
Messages
81
Reaction score
2
Points
8
Location
Arizona
Your Mac's Specs
2012 Mac Mini 2.5 ghz i5, 16 GB RAM, 960 GB SSD + 500 GB HDD (5200 RPM)
I was toying with the idea of going to Windows 8 while I was using up the trial period on Windows 7. The GUI changes that everyone hates weren't a real issue for me. Windows only purpose on my computer is to act as a launcher for computer games that are unable or annoying to run while booted to OS X. Any time I do anything besides play a computer game, I switch back to OS X.

Ultimately, I stuck with 7 because it had compatibility with everything I needed and I couldn't really see any specific benefits to going with 8 instead. If you have any specific legacy programs that you need to use, I'd recommend doing a bit of research to find out if they have problems running on 8. 7 is generally more compatible.

My gut feeling right now is might as well stick with 7 until Windows 9 comes out and see if that has some of the issues that 8 had.
 
Joined
Oct 1, 2007
Messages
7,163
Reaction score
275
Points
83
Location
UK
Your Mac's Specs
Mac Mini i5 (2014 High Sierra), iPhone X, Apple Watch, iPad Pro 12.9, AppleTV (4)
I know you can transfer a bootcamp install over onto a thunderbolt connected drive and it works fine (because Windows has seen the thunderbolt drive and the bootcamp drivers have been installed. It's also treated like an internal device) but I haven't tried a direct install.
 

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