Computer Hope
Software => Apple => Topic started by: remember2010 on January 30, 2015, 02:55:10 PM
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hi, I am thinking about buying a macbook for my first Mac experience. (I have never had any Apple product)
. I have a couple of questions.
1. I don't like to turn off my computer even I go to bed, is it bad for a macbook to be ON for long period of time - a continuous few weeks or months.
2. I don't play games or do any graphics work, most of the time watching youtube, checking email or skype, is the most inexpensive one and low-end model already good enough?
3. Can I use my macbook as a PC (running windows 7) when sometimes I want to get back to windows environment, does it work perfectly and function fully or does it just act as an emulation or not something suitable for windows environment?
4. Can I connect my portable or desktop external hard drive for PC to a macbook? Or should I buy a portable hard drive specially designed for macbook in Apple stores?
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First of all, you can run Windows 7 on a Mac book. With some limitations.
Apple support provides information on how to do it.
See here:
Boot Camp: System requirements for Microsoft Windows (http://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204048)
The keyboard and mouse or trackpad that came with your Mac (If they aren’t available, use a USB keyboard and mouse)
A minimum of 2 GB of RAM, 30 GB of free disk space are recommended if you are installing Windows for the first time, or 40 GB of free disk space if you are upgrading from a previous version of Windows
An authentic Microsoft Windows full install disc or ISO file
Current Apple PCs will also run Windows 8.1, which you can girt free for awhile. My recommendation is to use Windows 8.1 and see if you like it and forget windows 7.
As to which Mac, I do not fell qualified to say. Maybe somebody else.
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1. It won't damage anything but it's silly to leave it totally on when it's not doing anything, at least put it to sleep/hibernate it. What is the reason for leaving it on?
2. The base model will suffice (although spending more to get a retina display would be something to consider since it is so good). Whatever model you get, make sure you get an SSD for best performance and durability.
3. That will work fine, Apple even officially support it. It will run just as well as it does on a similarly specced PC. Bear in mind though that you will need to pay for a copy of Windows, this is around $100.
4. It will work fine, however it it is formatted as NTFS you will either need to format it to something else (erasing everything on the drive) or install special drivers to let you write to the drive.
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Good advice. But point #2 needs to be expanded. You gain sped at a greater cost and less archive space.
How much faster is an SSD compared with HDD drives and is it worth the price?
A solid state drive or SSD can speed up the performance of a computer significantly, often more than what a faster processor (CPU) can. A hard disk drive or HDD is cheaper and offers more storage (500 GB to 1 TB are common) while SSD disks are more expensive and generally available in 64 GB to 256 GB configurations.
SSDs have several advantages over HDD drives.
http://www.diffen.com/difference/HDD_vs_SSD
What it means is you still have to go buy a HDD anyway if you want more than few gigs of storage.
Also, you can optimize a HDD for better speed on a group of files and programs. Of course, never equal to a SSD. :)
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First of all, you can run Windows 7 on a Mac book. With some limitations.
Apple support provides information on how to do it.
See here:
Boot Camp: System requirements for Microsoft Windows (http://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204048)Current Apple PCs will also run Windows 8.1, which you can girt free for awhile. My recommendation is to use Windows 8.1 and see if you like it and forget windows 7.
As to which Mac, I do not fell qualified to say. Maybe somebody else.
hi, with some limitation with windows 7? So is it an emulation on a macbook if I want to run a windows environment sometimes? I am worried that I cannot escape from windows very quickly.
girt free for a while? what do you mean? I have a retail license for windows 7 home premium, I'd like to know if it can be used with a macbook??
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hi, with some limitation with windows 7? So is it an emulation on a macbook if I want to run a windows environment sometimes? I am worried that I cannot escape from windows very quickly.
girt free for a while? what do you mean? I have a retail license for windows 7 home premium, I'd like to know if it can be used with a macbook??
and which macbook / or macbook pro have SSD inside? It looks like there is no such term - SSD - on Apple stores.
btw, is it a good idea getting a refurbished one?? better hardware for lower price? Is there many negative comments in the Mac-user-world about refurbished macbook?? Thank you.!!
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Myself, I like the idea of getting refurbished equipment. But that is a personal thing. Many Mac owners have pride in having the newest model. If the machine was rebuilt to Apple specs and if it has a warranty, it may be a good value.
The Enterprise edition of Windows 8.1 is now available for evaluation from Microsoft. You have 90 days to decide if it is right for you.
Did not mean to scare you with my remark about limitations of running Windows 7. Microsoft is going to short change the support for Windows 7. And to get the most from Windows 7 you would run the 64 bit version, which means the old DOS games with not run or only with some emulation. This is true of Apple and PC machines. The 64 bit system does not run native 16 bit code.
This has been discussed elsewhere extensively. Here is what they say on Ypm's Hardware. As I mentioned, it is not a n Apple issue, it is a 64 bit issues common to 64 bits OS. Very old MS0DOS games require emulators.
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/7161-63-game-windows
Of course, this also applies to Windows 8.1 as far as I know. And I doubt MS will ever change that. There already are free emulators out there for MS-DOS.
There is a similar issue with old programs that do direct hardware reading. In particular games that want to go directly to the sound card. Again., that is true for both Apple and PC machines running current versions of Windows.
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hi, with some limitation with windows 7? So is it an emulation on a macbook if I want to run a windows environment sometimes? I am worried that I cannot escape from windows very quickly.
girt free for a while? what do you mean? I have a retail license for windows 7 home premium, I'd like to know if it can be used with a macbook??
Since you have a retail copy of 7 then you can use that no problem. You have two options for running Windows on a Mac, you can either run it in a virtual machine using software such as Parallels or VirtualBox, with this you would start Windows from within MacOS and be able to switch back and forth between them as you would with any other program. Alternatively you can install it using Bootcamp which means that you pick which OS to boot when you turn the computer on.
As far as the SSD - Apple seem to call it "Flash Storage" on their store.
For refurbished, it really depends on how you feel, the machine may not be perfect and may have some small signs of use, it will also possibly be an older model and may not have as long a warranty. It comes down to whether the saving is worth it for you.