Apple MacBook 13-inch 1.83GHz

Reviews: Hardware

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Anthony Fiti
Kurtis
N/A
Aug. 1, 2006

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Testing - Interfacing with and Running Windows

One of the first things I did when I got the laptop up and running was see how well it could connect to my Windows PCs. First up was using Samba to connect to a password-protected file share on my desktop machine (Windows 2000). After I found the correct syntax to tell OS X to find the computer and what protocol to use (Samba as opposed to NFS), I entered my password and was in the file share. Likewise, I also tested a printer which is shared on the same computer. I used Apple's Print & Fax applet in the System Preferences to find the PC and select the printer and appropriate printer driver. Wam, bam, done.

One of the most contemplated ideas when Apple announced their switch to Intel was whether they would allow users to install Windows side by side with OS X. In April 2006 (only a short while after the bounty for an independent solution running Windows on a Mac was solved and awarded), Apple released BootCamp (beta) which would allow users to install Windows XP on their Mac. There are also software-based solutions, like Parallels Desktop (for which there is a 15-day trial version available on their website) which allows you to run Windows inside OS X without having to reboot.

I was worried about installing BootCamp, since I don't intend to permanently run Windows on my Mac (I'm really only doing it for this review), however the BootCamp website said that it would also assist in removing the Windows partition which was reassuring to me. The other issue was getting a copy of Windows XP with SP2 slipstreamed, which is required by BootCamp. Parallels will support versions of Windows all the way back to Windows 3.1 (viva 1992), but you're not going to be able to use the hardware accelerated video hardware - whereas rebooting into Windows directly will allow you to access the underlying hardware as if it were a PC.

I started with Parallels VM software. Without going into too much detail (since I'm reviewing the MacBook, not the Parallels software), I will say the performance is better than I had expected, which I credit to having a dual core processor. I was able to create a new VM and install Windows 2000 SP4 in short order. Oddly enough, the VM booted up faster than my Pentium 4 3.0C desktop (50 vs. 147 seconds). Granted, my desktop PC has become a bit bloated over time, but still I think it's odd I have a dual core processor in my laptop before I have one in my desktop (I've been waiting for Conroe). One thing that applies to both BootCamp and Parallels Desktop is that you need to make sure the installation of Windows is secure - so it is still imperative to install anti-virus software and all the latest patches.

The performance was impressive within expectations. I'm not even going to try running Doom 3 in the VM, but I was able to watch flash-based video inside Firefox in the VM. Applications like MS Office performed well also.

BootCamp was easy to install - it prompts you to insert the blank CD and then it burns the driver disc, and then it asks you to put the Windows XP CD in the drive and it reboots the computer. Once it reboots, the screen goes to the traditional blue screen DOS-style Windows Setup portion of the install. From here, it is just like a regular Windows installation (just make sure you pick the correct partition on which to install!). One thing I didn't realize was that since the MacBook uses an eject key on the keyboard (which wont work until the drivers are installed), I had some difficulty ejecting the Windows XP install CD to insert the drivers disc. I had to google to find the old Shift-F10 key combination that will substitute as the right click to eject the CD from the drive via Windows Explorer. Once it's all done, run the drivers CD and you're ready to go.

Performance is the same when compared to commodity PC hardware. I noticed nothing that slowed the experience down that was due to it being a Mac. The GMA950 made intense gaming difficult, but any Dell or HP with identical graphics hardware would be in the same situation. I was able to play Warcraft 3 without any problems, even at the native resolution of the LCD display (1280x800). Surprisingly, Microsoft Flight Simulator 9 was playable (25fps) at 800x600 with many image quality settings set to mid or low. However, the Doom 3 Demo was not really playable, as frame rates would often dip to 10 or below even at the lowest image quality settings at 800x600.

The biggest annoyance out of the box for BootCamp is the TrackPad. Right clicking that is supported in OS X - either command-click or the two finger click, is not supported under Windows regardless of whether or not you have the drivers installed. Likewise, the two finger scroll does not work either. You'll need an external USB mouse or a third party tool to remap keys that will allow command-click to be right click. Otherwise you're stuck with Shift-F10 to perform any right clicking.

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Page 8 of 14

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Page 1: Introduction
Page 2: Ordering the MacBook
Page 3: First Looks
Page 4: Taking a Closer Look
Page 5: Setup & Packaged Software
Page 6: Testing - Hardware
Page 7: Testing - Software
Page 8: Testing - Interfacing with and Running Windows
Page 9: Testing - Temperature
Page 10: Testing - Performance
Page 11: Testing - Battery Life & MagSafe Adapter
Page 12: Tech Support Experience #1
Page 13: Tech Support Experience #2
Page 14: Conclusion

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