Of course, I would never advise you buy a MacBook Pro just to use Windows 10. Something like the HP Spectre x360, Dell XPS 13, or a Surface in most cases is significantly cheaper, come with a better selection of ports, have nicer displays, and offer neat things like facial recognition or flip to become tablets. Still, Windows 10 on a 13-inch MacBook Pro (2880x1800; though Windows for some reason recommends 2560x1600) is more than fine.
Sure, there's no touch screen, but personally, that is not something that bothers me although I get that for some users this is a deal breaker. I will point out that because there is no digitizer the display is sharp, bright, and has an excellent color gamut. Plus, like the Surface series it has a less-wide aspect ratio (16:10), which I prefer (seriously, I think PC manufacturers need to go to 3:2 or 16:10 at least).
Battery life is on par with most Ultrabooks in this category, and I can get 6 to 8 hours depending on some settings. While I agree that the new 'Butterfly' mechanism for the keyboard and very low key travel is different, I surprisingly do not hate it. In fact, I type just fine on it and sometimes even prefer it. I do agree though that it's a very divisive feature amongst users and one that you either get used to or you will forever loathe. I find that result surprising if only because mentally I was prepared to hate Apple's new keyboard design, but I don't. The Force Touch Trackpad is stupidly huge on the new MacBook Pros. Being able to click through something as you can in macOS understandably doesn't work in Windows 10 (there's no function for it to perform anyway), but the solid-state trackpad does 'click' as expected through its 'taptic engine'.
While not the best out-of-the-box experience on Windows, Apple still does make very good trackpads that feel great. I'd still recommend installing something to bring back gesture support and more configuration options. Overall, the trackpad experience with a MacBook Pro is shockingly still better than some PCs, but far behind something like Microsoft's optimized Surface Book. Turning to ports what's there to say? The 13-inch MacBook Pro with Touch Bar has four USB Type-C ports, all supporting Thunderbolt 3. There's no SD card slot, no HDMI, or anything else besides a headphone jack. Despite the angry blowback and #donglegate controversy, how much an all-Type-C machine bothers you will vary on your daily habits.
Is it weird that for my daily use I don't mind an all-Type-C layout? I do not deny people have qualms with Apple's decision, and I get how it's a deal breaker for many, but in my case, it's not a problem. At least for PC users, we have a choice though for laptops, manufacturers, and models. Those tied to Apple have none, hence the greater outrage, which is understandable.
MacBook Air and MacBook Pro 2015 use Apple's older scissor switch system that's a bit looser but also has much better travel. MacBook and MacBook Pro 2017 use a second generation dome and butterfly switch system to achieve a flatter keyboard and keep the laptop thin. Apr 4, 2017 - It had something to do with the problem I solved here: HGST 1tb in mid 2012 mbpro not working in sata bay but drive seems fine. After I solved.
What about the Touch Bar and Touch ID? The new MacBook Pros (all except the low-end 13-inch version) come with Apple's somewhat gimmicky Touch Bar and Touch ID for fingerprint logins. Both systems are optimized for macOS, but Apple does provide fundamental drivers for Windows 10 to at least use the Touch Bar. Here is what you get:. Escape key.
Brightness Up and Brightness Down. Keyboard Brightness Up and Brightness Down. Skip Back, Play/Pause, Skip Forward. Mute, Volume Down, Volume Up Missing, of course, are important things like Print Screen.
To get to the useful function keys you just hold down the FN button and the Touch Bar will show F1-F12. You can also set the function keys to display be default instead of the media and system keys, which is a nice nod. However, unlike in macOS you the Touch Bar never changes based on the app being used and those functions are non-configurable. In other words, those are static, presets that never change. The LED lights that power the Touch Bar do turn off after defined user time though to save battery.
Unfortunately, the Touch ID also does not work with Windows 10. That's interesting if only because Windows 10 natively supports fingerprint readers for bio-authentication, but Apple would presumably need to write a driver for their Bootcamp tools to let that happen and they have not. While it is conceivable that Apple could make that happen (and take advantage of the Force Touch trackpad), the odds that they will devote any resources to that end are very small.
The Touch Bar, while limited, works quite well, even if it's just duplicating buttons here. Notably, the slider option you get for screen brightness and volume in the Touch Bar no macOS did not make the transition to Windows 10 on the MacBook. Keeping on those updates Apple has been good with software updates. Initially, there was a severe audio issue with the new MacBook Pros and drivers that could cause the speakers to get physically damaged.
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As you can see, Apple's SSD and motherboard setup allow for some very high read and write speeds out of the box. While you cannot upgrade the MacBook Pro's SSD, there is little reason you would need to unless you want more storage. Even though it's 'only' a Core i5 processor, Apple uses the more powerful 28W version in the Touch Bar models, compared to the 15W versions found in almost all Windows Ultrabooks.
Customers, however, can also customize their MacBook Pro during ordering and for an extra $300 get a more powerful Core i7 version of the 28W processor. (In real life that means a Core i5 (6267u) in the MacBook Pro with Windows 10 performs as well as a Core i7 (7500u) Ultrabook like the XPS 13 or even Surface Book: Geekbench 4.0 Benchmarks (Higher is better).
And that's just in this 13-inch model. The 15-inch MacBook Pro can be configured with a quad-core Intel Core i7 running at 2.9GHz (with boosting up to 3.8Ghz). For the GPU Apple uses the Skylake-based Intel Iris Graphics 550, which is more performant than the Intel HD graphic system found in most Windows Ultrabooks.
Intel Iris is still far below a dedicated NVidia GPU like the GTX-965m found in the Surface Book with Performance Base, but it is much faster than the standard Surface Book with integrated HD20 graphics. Geekbench 4.0 Graphics OpenCL (Higher is better). Opting for the 15-inch MacBook Pro throws in a dedicated GPU in the form of an AMD Radeon Pro 455 with 2GB of VRAM, or for $100 more a Radeon Pro 460 with 4GB VRAM. The best-configured model scores around 43,000 on GeekBench's GPU test — far better than integrated graphics, but far behind the Surface Book's last-generation NVIDIA GPU.
Better than expected Overall, the late-2016 MacBook Pro 13-inch with Touch Bar is an accomplished machine dominating single-core tests, while unsurprisingly falling behind a quad-core i7 device like the Razer Blade in multi-core scenarios. Factor in the GPU and the MacBook Pro performs far below a Surface Book with Performance Base or Razer Blade, but it easily bests any Windows Ultrabook without a dedicated GPU. When combined with decent battery life, a high-quality display, excellent speakers, and good build quality it's not hard to understand why people put Apple's hardware on a pedestal. Perhaps it's surprising to you, dear reader, that I didn't lambast the glaring deficiencies with the MacBook Pro like ports, the butterfly keyboard, or lack of touch display?
My habits are unique, and I've stated numerous times that touch, inking, and a bevy of ports are not my priorities for computing. Writing, multi-tasking, getting good battery life, and ideally excellent performance are what I am concerned with these days. Putting Windows 10 on the MacBook Pro along with Trackpad for better gesture support and I think the experience is impressive. That's not to say I would recommend the MacBook Pro over any high-end Windows 10 Ultrabook. On price alone, there are far better options in that category that not only will save you some cash, but you get more features in return. Still, I think it's exciting that those tied to the macOS world can install Windows 10 on their machines and get a solid experience.
That is, after all, how you get people to switch. If Windows 10 on a MacBook Pro was terrible Windows fans might laugh with condescension, but that experience may also prevent a future switcher from jumping ship. Finally, as a testament to how well HP, Dell, Lenovo, and even Microsoft are doing for PC hardware, I can at least say that in 2017 Apple is not the only game in town when it comes to building a quality laptop. I think PC manufacturers still have room for improvement, but that gap is quickly closing, and that competition is good for everyone — even Apple.
HEllo, The 2012 MBP is a very capable laptop. If you shop around, you can find one with an i7 for almost the same price as an i5. Both being dual core. The i7 models comes stock with 8GB of RAM and a 750GB hdd. The upgrades you should do after the purchase is a SSD. I like the ones from OWC and if you purchase the kit, it comes with tools and an expternal enclosre so you can use the drive you removed as an external drive. The next upgrade should then be adding more RAM.
Windows runs fine on the MBP whether you use boot camp or fusion. HTH and good luck.
or to post comments #4 Hi, Submitted by Justin on 26 May, 2017. Hi, Here's my thought. Personally, I haven't even thought of windows in almost 7 years. However for you, I'd say get a good windows machine. Personally, you can get a very good windows machine for the price of a 2012/newer MBP. I just bought the new MBP with touch bar and don't regret it one bit! Sure, you can boot it with BootCamp or use VM fusion, but in my opinion, the mac does everything that I can do with windows.
or to post comments #5 I have the Pro 2012 with boot Submitted by Maldalain on 28 May, 2017. I have the Pro 2012 with boot camp. I bought it in 2014 and it had at that time 4GB of ram and 500GB of hDD. I upgraded the RAM to 8GB and replaced the spinning mechanic hard drive with SSD from Samsung. That made a huge difference in performance, battery life and also heat and noise. However, I have also the Mac Air 2015, as you know processors are different and the CPU gen on the 2015 Air is better in terms of power usage, heat and of course the use of PCIe SSD. I tried boot camp on both machines, on the Pro 2012 it heats up, the battery does not go for more than 3 to 4 hours and the heat is just sizzling with boot camp.
It is not an issue with my Pro 2012, neither with the battery. It is simply because of the Intel chip installed on it. It is a mobile chip, not as that on the U chip on the Air. Now my recommendation is to get the Air 2015 or maybe to wait for next generation Airs as they use ultra low voltage. The difference in performance is not really noticeable as CPU on the Air and the super speed PCIe SSD does not allow really big benchmarking figurrs to come up and decide on specific model purchase.
Get the Air 13, it is great and if you need a DVD burner/reader, you can get one for something less than £20. or to post comments #6 Hi, Submitted by Justin on 28 May, 2017. Hi, I heard that the MacBook air is dead, gone. Anyway, i've found that the new MBPs, 2016 15 inch toucher unit definitely run very cool compared to the 2012 machine. I still have a 2012 machine, however am planning to remove the parts and not sell it. Anyway, if you can afford to get it, the new MacBook pros are a great option, and should, I say should, as I don't use windows. Haven't looked back in almost 7 years now.
But for your needs they should run it fine. If you get the new machine, which I'd strongly recommend by the way, you'll have to purchase some USBC to USB tape A adapters. or to post comments #7 TouchBar, bad idea Submitted by brandt on 28 May, 2017. I would not buy a mac unless you need or want Mac OS for a specific reason. I have the non touch bar 2016 mac book pro and I have not booted out of windows in months. If I could go back in time I would have saved a lot of money and got a windows machine, because I no longer need mac OS. Also, if you plan to spend any time in windows at all you should steer clear of the touch bar.
A lot of windows use cases for screen readers use the function keys, and it would be a pain to remap around this. It might be possible, I for one have my machine set up so that I never have to hit alt f for, but your better off keeping function keys. If you do get a mac book make sure you get an ssd. I think that is the one upgrade that might be mandatory. I had a 2011 mac book pro and the thing was as worthless as a paper wait by the time I got rid of it, however, I think I just had a lemon. I went through two track pads, one screen, and a hard drive; the thing was trouble from the start.
Good luck,. or to post comments #9 Macbook and bootCamp Submitted by chris88 on 29 May, 2017.