Does Windows utilize full MP (Late 2013) hardware under Boot Camp?

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Level 1

8 points

Does Windows utilize full MP (Late 2013) hardware under Boot Camp?

I am looking at purchasing the new Mac Pro (late 2013) as a workstation-class computer for multiphysics modeling (look up COMSOL, Ansys HFSS, or CST if you need to know). HFSS and CST are windows only and all three are heavy RAM users while also being graphics hogs (think of CAD on steroids, or maybe just really large CAD files) ruling out virtual machines. We also have space constraints here in my university research lab, hence the Mac Pro versus many other windows options.

I basically want to know just that, would a 64GB RAM, dual GPU machine work efficiently in Windows 7/8? Does anyone have experience with this versus "it should?" Or maybe someone has run benchmarks on the new Mac Pro under Windows? Thanks ahead of time for any help provided.

Posted on Jan 7, 2014 1:20 PM

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Answer 1

Jan 7, 2014 1:34 PM in response to brockap3

Windows installed using Boot Camp uses all the computer's resources. Make sure you get a version of Windows that can use 64 GB of ram if that is what you have.

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Answer 2

brockap3 Author

Level 1

8 points

Jan 7, 2014 3:55 PM in response to BobTheFisherman

So, I understand Windows is "capable," but was more asking if the provided boot camp drivers provided efficient use of the same. Also, can't any 64bit version of windows (7, 8, or server) handle 64GB of RAM. Thanks for the quick reply.

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Answer 3

Jan 7, 2014 7:01 PM in response to brockap3

No, not all 64 bit Windows versions can handle 64 GB of ram. You also did not specify you were going to install the 64 bit version of Windows hence my caution. I did not want you to install a 32 bit version of Windows. Also the 64 bit versions of Windows 7 Basic and Windows 7 Home Premium can not use 64 GB ram. All 64 bit versions of Windows 8 can use 64 GB ram.
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windows/desktop/aa366778%28v=vs.85%29.as px#physical_memory_limits_windows_7

Windows server versions are not supported by Boot Camp.

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Answer 4

brockap3 Author

Level 1

8 points

Jan 8, 2014 5:43 AM in response to BobTheFisherman

Thank you for that. I was not aware of the lower end Windows 7 64bit having such limitations, nor that Windows server isn't supported under Boot Camp. We will likely run Windows 7 professional or Windows 8 professional since those are most accessible at our university and those won't have issue with RAM limits here.

So I guess it's more a matter of it should work, but I'd be the guinea pig with such a new system then (the only things I question are the new video cards that are Apple specific and maybe some other internals' compatibility, but Windows tends to be "all-inclusive" with such things). If anyone has further input on the benchmarking, feel free to share.

Thanks again BobTheFisherman.

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Answer 5

Jan 8, 2014 8:02 AM in response to brockap3

Boot Camp contains the drivers for your Mac hardware, not Windows. This is one critical reason to use Boot Camp Assistant which contains a step/menu item to download the Windows Support software. If Windows had the drivers for your Mac hardware there would be little reason to use Boot Camp other than to create the partition.

Print and follow the instructions to partition, download, and install the Windows drivers/support software.

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Answer 6

ivan54

Level 4

2,844 points

Jan 9, 2014 8:17 AM in response to brockap3

And FYI, only Windows 8 is supported on the new Mac Pro (Late 2013) with Bootcamp.

See Boot Camp: System requirements for Microsoft Windows operating systems

Look under Boot Camp requirements by Mac model

Mac Pro

Mac model	Windows 8, 64-bit	Windows 7, 64-bit	Windows 7, 32-bit	Windows Vista, 64-bit	Windows Vista, 32-bit	Windows XP, 32-bit
Mac Pro (Late 2013)	BCA	-	-	-	-	-

"BCA" indicates that Boot Camp drivers are automatically downloaded as part of the Boot Camp Assistant in OS X, for 2013 or later models of Mac computers.

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Answer 7

brockap3 Author

Level 1

8 points

Jan 10, 2014 6:25 AM in response to ivan54

This is definitely good to know as well, as I was contemplating Windows 7 Pro 64-bit. Thank you for that.

Do we think this BCA for Windows 8 includes Windows 8.1?

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Answer 8

Jan 10, 2014 7:02 AM in response to brockap3

Have you read the Boot Camp Guides? Windows 8.1 is not supported. There are no Windows 8.1 drivers to date.

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Answer 9

Jan 10, 2014 7:03 AM in response to brockap3

Can't imagine BCA would include a licensed copy of Windows?

I too am interested in this subject and if anyone here knows of discussions about running Windows on the new Mac Pro please chime-in. A cursory search in the Apple Community turned-up only this thread for me (thanks brockap3!).

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Answer 10

Jan 10, 2014 7:08 AM in response to TomsiPhone

BCA does not include Windows. You buy Windows then install it using BCA. This whole discussion group is about Boot Camp. https://discussions.apple.com/community/windows_software/boot_camp

And the Boot Camp manuals are here. http://www.apple.com/support/bootcamp/

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Answer 11

brockap3 Author

Level 1

8 points

Jan 10, 2014 7:26 AM in response to TomsiPhone

It's nice to know I'm not the only crazy person dumming down an amazing piece of hardware ;-). Some engineering software companies are just too far behind the game (and VMWare just won't cut it as it will leave the GPUs virtually, pun intended, unused) and still only support Windows. We'll get there one day.

BobTheFisherman, Thanks for directing to the guides, I hadn't actually looked as I didn't think there was that much information on it from Apple, yet (with Mavericks, Win 8, and the Mac Pro being fairly new), but that assumption was opbviously wrong. We will at least have to wait a little while before looking into 8.1 then. But that's generally a good idea anyway in a pseudo-business (read: academic) environment.

TomsiPhone, We plan on making a computer decision by the end of the month, so if you aren't in too much of a rush, and the decision goes the right way, you just might get your wish through myself. I will definitely come back and update on anything I find with the Mac Pro in Windows should we get it.

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Answer 12

Jan 11, 2014 6:44 PM in response to brockap3

I would make a joke about possibly "beating you to it" but I see they're not shipping until Feb earliest. Maybe by then I'll have saved the pocket change needed to get the $10K maxxed-out coffee can model! I wonder if they'd throw-in a mug or something!

😍

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