Boot Camp Dillema

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Hi guys.

Im enrollling into engineering school this april. I have decided to buy a new macbook white unibody (late 2009) although my school does not recommend it:) Im a pc user switching to mac:) Thankfully, there's boot camp;)

So the school will install the following softwares:
Microsoft Office Professional 2007
Expression Web 2
Microsoft Project 2007
Microsoft Visio 2007
Respondus Lockdown Browser
Microsoft Visual Studio 2008 with MSDN
Microsoft SMS Client
McAfee AntiVirus

And of course the specific engineering softwares:
Autodesk Autocad 2010
CATIA
Graphmatica
Mathcad

Im gonna install all these softwares on windows via bootcamp. The thing is, my hard drive is 250 GB. Im thinking of partitioning 50GB for Windows XP. Do you guys think 50GB is enough to last me for my 3 years in engineering school? Or do you think 80-100GB is more realistic? Im only using windows if my lessons on a certain day requires me to use the engineering softwares or the other softwares which is not on my OS X. Everything else will be on OS X including doing Office documents.

Thanks for any advice/opinions:)
 
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Welcome to mac Forums.

It would only be as good as a guess, so I would play it safe with 80-100GB.
Other alternative is to invest in a 500GB 2.5" Hitachi Travelstar 7K500 7200RPM SA... (0S00157) at OWC which you may be able to find a bit cheaper elsewhere.
This would give you ample space to play with, as well as having a better larger and faster HD than the stock 250GB HD coming with your Mac.
You could then get an external enclosure for your existing HD and use it for backups.
Also, before you ask, the HD and Ram are end user upgradable, and will not effect your warranty :)
MacBook Unibody Model A1342 Teardown - iFixit
 
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I would try to get the extra money for the 500 gig drive (i did the same thing the other day to my white unibody) then get a drive enclosure also to give you an external. I am also an engineering student (Electronics Engineering) And i find the macbook works great, you might wanna try parallels or a similar virtual machine software that lets you use your bootcamp partition while still in OSX, and most schools use ecollege, and some type of scan agent on the wireless network. So you will need to enable cookies to view grades in Ecollege, and a virus scanner to get on the network.
 
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Hey guys.

Thanks for the advice. Im in aeronautical engineering:)

I've considered Parallels but decided against it. According to some users, cad softwares like autodesk autocad works but its laggy/slow as compared to boot camp. Any experiences anyone?

Thanks
 
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Well i just started playing with it, but i like the fact that i can boot into my bootcamp partition from my OSX side, i would guess a program like CAD probably wouldnt run well under it, windows 7 does score a 3.8 in parallels for me.
 
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Macbook Aluminum 2.4, 4g mem, 640 gig drive
With all those programs installed under the windows bootcamp, you are going to be seriously eating up some disk space. This, in turn will leave your Mac side hurting for more space. I agree with the above posts in going with a larger drive. They are very cheap now and you will glad you did. Also, if you are upgrading, go with a 7200 rpm drive. With the programs you are using, you will see a big difference in speed when rendering some of the larger CAD files.

Also, you definitely want to install Windows via bootcamp. Parallels or VM ware both use emulation to run windows... meaning you will be using the Mac OS to run Windows, then Windows to run the programs... While Virtual Machines have come a long way, you would not fare well to your CAD these under them. Now, if you want to install a VM to quickly get into your bootcamp if, say you need a file or read/print something pretty quick, this is a great solution. You can use your bootcamp as a VM in either program!
 

chscag

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I hate to recommend this.... but with all the work you'll be doing in Windows, and all the resource intensive Windows programs you'll be using, just buy a Windows notebook. Buy a nice new Mac after graduation.

Regards.
 
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Im enrollling into engineering school this april. I have decided to buy a new macbook white unibody (late 2009) although my school does not recommend it:) Im a pc user switching to mac:) Thankfully, there's boot camp;)
If you are going to use CAD or any other graphics intense software then you really should think about getting the 15" MacBook Pros with the better 9600 dedicated graphics cards. I don't know what your budget is for your Mac but if you can afford it then it's something you should consider. The 15" also comes with a larger hard drive and 4GB RAM.

I also agree with some of the others in that you should get a larger hard drive if you want to install that many Windows programs. From what you have mentioned so far you are not going to be a light occasional Windows user. You really need to give Windows more computer resources.

You can use both Boot Camp and Parallels. You don't have to choose one or the other but you'll definitely need Boot Camp.
 
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puzzled

hey ppl,

i'm also starting my course soon and it's in the business school. they recommended windows-based notebooks cos the softwares tt they'll be providing will be only compatible with windows.

would running on a windows 7 lag the macbook white? cos it's only 2.26GHz, which i feel isnt very powerful. then again, i dont think it's worth to fork out abt 600 bucks more for a macbook pro with 2.53GHz.

thanks!
 
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Considering that you can do a little tweak on the Mac side so that it can access the Windows NTFS drive, but can't do anything like that on the Windows side to access the macside (unless you buy special software)... I would strongly suggest that if you only have 250GB to play with that you spread most of it to the Windows side...

Now while I have only had two Mac running with bootcamp I must also say that I've experienced corruption problems with the Mac partition several times that required me to reformat, never had any problems with the NTFS partition... so based on my own experience I tend to think the NTFS is a little less problem prone than the Mac's.

I do wonder though why you would want to buy a Mac when the school you are going to specifically tells you to get a windows machine.... You will at the very least need to get a decent mouse to go with it, because a mac one button touch pad is a pain to use with windows applications where you have to continually use multiple fingers to do a right mouse click.
 
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Your Mac's Specs
2.8 GHz 15" MacBook Pro OS X 10.7.x & some old Macs
I do wonder though why you would want to buy a Mac when the school you are going to specifically tells you to get a windows machine....
Running Windows natively with the help of Boot Camp is very similar to having a Windows machine with the same specifications. One big difference is the cost so if a person wants both Windows and Mac then this is one option to do so. What the OP should do is ask his school what is the recommended Windows computer specifications he needs and then try to match them on Macs. Ever since Mac switched to Intel, Windows computers are very similar to Mac computers. They basically use the same parts but Apple tweaks the hardware a bit for their needs.

I think the point you are missing is that he wants a Mac now. This is the way to do it if he wants both. If he were only getting a computer for school needs then I'm sure he would have just gotten a Windows machine. He's trying to switch to Mac while also fulfilling his school needs.

I still have some Windows only software so if were not for Boot Camp/virtual environments then I would have had to buy both a Mac and PC or not switch to Mac at all. To me the question is not whether one platform is better for his school needs but rather how can he fulfill his school needs while also accomplishing his desire to switch to Mac.

You will at the very least need to get a decent mouse to go with it, because a mac one button touch pad is a pain to use with windows applications where you have to continually use multiple fingers to do a right mouse click.
Apparently you don't know about the secondary right click feature that turns the bottom right side of the trackpad into a right click. You can find it under System Preferences in the Trackpad section. If you installed the Mac drivers in Boot Camp then it will also works in Windows. I right click all the time in Windows with my one button trackpad.
 
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Hey guys.

Thanks for the inputs.

Anw, the reason i wanna get a macbook was coz i did really well for my 'o' levels so my parents decided to get me a notebook as a gift so that i can use it for my pre-uni education. Its my 1st notebook.

thomas998;1011099 I do wonder though why you would want to buy a Mac when the school you are going to specifically tells you to get a windows machine....[/QUOTE said:
Lol, im wondering too...coz even though they don't recommend mac, they brought 4 vendors to sell notebooks at a discounted price. (Acer, Fujitsu, Lenovo & Apple). I mean, if you don't recommend mac, why bring the apple vendor??:)

Anw, i totally agree with EndlessMac. I get the best of both worlds on boot camp. I guess i'll have to get a 500GB hard drive to satisfy both OS:)

I've compared the prices my school is selling at and the apple store prices.
Specs similar: 4GB RAM, 250GB HD, 2.26GHz. School price still cheaper plus they throw in a bag, mouse, lock and mini-display port to vga adapter. Plus both have 3 years warranty.

Guys, should i buy on the apple store and upgrade the HD and RAM or should i buy through my school and get an external 500 GB HD.

Thanks.
 
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Your getting a better deal at school.... and if you want to upgrade Ram or HD, you can do it yourself, and it doesn't void the warranty.
Go for the 500GB 2.5" Hitachi Travelstar 7K500 7200RPM SA... (0S00157) at OWC if you want the 500GB, and you can get your ram there too.
For installatioin instructions, go to iFixit or you tube.... both have great teardown guides :)
 
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Yeah, i think i'll go for the school deal.

Plus, they installed all the softwares already saving loads of time. Anw, the school deal has already maxed the RAM to 4GB. So yeah, i guess i'll try to save some cash to get the 500GB HD.

Another thing guys, do you guys think that the graphics card in the macbook white unibody (Nvidia GeForce 9400M) is good enough for CAD softwares like autodesk autocad via bootcamp. What i mean is whether CAD softwares will run smoothly?

Comparing the graphics card on the macbook and a cheaper acer notebook which has a Nvidia GeForce 310M, which graphics card is better guys??

Anw, school price: 1,358.51 USD. Apple Store price: 1,380.92 USD

Specs: 2.26Ghz, 4GB RAM, 250GB HD, MiniDisplay port to VGA adapter, 3 years warranty(Apple Care). Additional from school: bag, mouse & cable lock.

Thanks.
 
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Your getting a better deal at school.... and if you want to upgrade Ram or HD, you can do it yourself, and it doesn't void the warranty.
Go for the 500GB 2.5" Hitachi Travelstar 7K500 7200RPM SA... (0S00157) at OWC if you want the 500GB, and you can get your ram there too.
For installatioin instructions, go to iFixit or you tube.... both have great teardown guides :)

Hijacking this thread a little - how is the 7K500 performing inside the MacBook (late 2009)? Does it have any heating and most important of all.. vibration issues?

Can't decide between the Intel X25-M (80GB SSD) and the Travelstar 7K500 for my MacBook.. Leaning towards the SSD.
 
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Hijacking threads..... HMMMM :p
The Intel X25-M is going to be fast and smooth, and it is a great SSD, but it will break the bank, and has the lower capacity of coarse.
The 7K500 is a great HD, fast, quiet, no vibration, and will if anything, run cooler than the existing drive.
I would lean towards the 7K500, but that is personal preference.
 
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Hey guys.

Thanks for the inputs.

Anw, the reason i wanna get a macbook was coz i did really well for my 'o' levels so my parents decided to get me a notebook as a gift so that i can use it for my pre-uni education. Its my 1st notebook.



Lol, im wondering too...coz even though they don't recommend mac, they brought 4 vendors to sell notebooks at a discounted price. (Acer, Fujitsu, Lenovo & Apple). I mean, if you don't recommend mac, why bring the apple vendor??:)

Anw, i totally agree with EndlessMac. I get the best of both worlds on boot camp. I guess i'll have to get a 500GB hard drive to satisfy both OS:)

I've compared the prices my school is selling at and the apple store prices.
Specs similar: 4GB RAM, 250GB HD, 2.26GHz. School price still cheaper plus they throw in a bag, mouse, lock and mini-display port to vga adapter. Plus both have 3 years warranty.

Guys, should i buy on the apple store and upgrade the HD and RAM or should i buy through my school and get an external 500 GB HD.

Thanks.
You can't have your cake and eat it too. I have a new MacBook Pro for my personal use. I really like it. Yet, I also do a lot of engineering design (NASA/aerospace), mathematical work, and use the apps you listed plus many more. I wouldn't even think about replacing my fast, efficient Core i7 ThinkPad W510 Workstation class machine with a Mac. You can save tons of money by purchasing a ThinkPad from school and enjoying the Windows 7 experience. This version of Windows is excellent, and will provide you with the experience you need going forward. If you do a comparison on price you will find you get so much more for less money compared to a Mac. ThinkPads and MacBook Pros are the two best laptops based on my years of personal experience, using a ThinkPad everyday at work. You will be living with this purchase for some time. While it's possible to do it on a Mac, you will probably find you are very sorry for going in that direction. A Mac is very enjoyable until you try to make it a one size fits all device. Plus once you graduate and get a job you will be able to buy the Mac of your choice quite easily. Save yourself the grief, and do it right the first time, you'll be glad you saved the money and bought a true workstation.
 
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50 GB not nearly enough for the Windows side in my opinion.
Also if you do want to run windows alongside OSX try Virtual Box, it doesn't have some of the bells and whistles of Parallels but its free!
 

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