Parallels vs. VMWare

I am purchasing a new MacBook Pro 15 inch. 2.2 GHz and 8 meg Ram. Can I get opinions on which would be the best software to use in order to run Windows 7; Parallels or VMWare? Will one make the machine run hotter than the other? Is one faster than the other? How about support? Does one company do a better job of support than the other? Thanks for taking the time to help.

It's kinda long to post my full findings of the two here. So here's a link to the two articles I wrote on my blog.
The first link here my initial findings of Parallels Deaktop 7 vs VMWare Fusion 3, that's before 4 was released. http://www.atpeaz.com/index.php/2011/31-reasons-why-parallels-7-wins-vs-vmware-f usion/
And here's then the updated version after I purchased VMWare Fusion 4. http://www.atpeaz.com/index.php/2011/vmware-fusion-4-vs-parallels-desktop-7-a-us ers-pov/
Just a background on where my views may be based upon, I'm a user of both on a regular basis since fusion v3 and now 4, and parallels v5,6 and now 7. I also use the free Oracle (SUN) VirtualBox for work.
Hope this helps.

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How can I install virtualized mavericks on Mac? Parallels or VMWare?

I need to use safari(mac) to test my website, However safari is also my default browser.
It will cause some problems while debugging, because safari is also my default browser, I need to ignore a lot of non-development http requests/responses data.
Also, sometimes, I need to empty the cache to ensure I got a fresh installed safari to test, that would be very inconvenient if safari is my default browser.
Usually, I use Virtualbox to install Windows/Linux on my Mac to test different browsers.
For safari, I hope I can do it in similar way. That said, to have a virtualized Mac vm on my mac, so I can have an independent safari browser for test.
I don't want to spend a lot of time to investigate how to do it on Virtualbox, and I don't know if Virtualbox figure out a way to do it now or not.
It seems Parallels and VMWare provides easier way to install mac mavericks vm on mac.
for example, I can see this
http://kb.parallels.com/118806
I am wondering if Apple suggests an official or easier way for developer to test safari. To buy Parallels or VMWare?

I've attempted to install Mavericks as a VM in BOTH.
Fusions was so "choppy" and slow, it was impossible to use, and it wouldn't run bigger than 1024X768, or go "Full Screen". Pretty useless with dual 1920X1080 monitors.
Parallels was slightly more manageable, but I still had performance and resolution problems. While I could go bigger than 1024X768, the resolutions it would allow were 1600X1200 and 1920X1400, with No "Full Screen" option available either. Those sizes left me unable to access my dock or the bottom 120 to 320 pixels of my desktop or any open window.
Installing was no problem. I used my 10.8 installer, and once I had the VM up & running, either the AppStore or a previously downloaded Mavericks installer will do.
Note: BOTH VMS were set up with 2 cores and 4Gb RAM so, it wasn't a matter of resources. Mavericks just doesn't perform that well as a VM yet. I'm pretty sure VMWare and Parallels need to make app updates to handle it better.
What design softwarte do you use?

Just switched from Tiger to Leopard, please advise on Parallels or VmWare

Hi all, I just made the switch to a new Macbook Pro (From a macbook) and thus also the switch to Leopard. I am having difficulty understanding the differences between Parallels and VmWare.
Primarily I frequently hear that Parallels does not play nice with Bootcamp under Leopard. I am hoping to explain my usage and get some assistance in deciding. I should also say that I HAVE parallels 2.5 and that was what I used with Tiger.
My main problem under that application was the inability to have windows access USB on the fly. I.e the only way parallels could use usb was by clicking it at Vitual machine start-up. Once done I could not toggle back to have OSX have USB access without shutting down the VM.
My use:
I need to be able to easily swap files between my VM (which will be XP) and OSX. I never had a problem with this, but now I am reading that Parallels 3.0 and VmWare have specific "share" folders. I am not sure how this differers from my old drag and drop method that I used before. Can anyone explain?
Another concern of mine is how taxing it seems Parallels 2.5 is on the system itself. It seems to require great resources at the cost of battery life. I had read that VmWare required far less resources. At the time VmWare was being compared to Parallels 2.5. Have things changed in 3.0? Do VmWare less resources also result in lower system performance?
Third I would love hot swappable access to USB. Is this an option on either? If not which handles USB the best? My USB uses are: Printer, USB flash key, USB connection to digital camera for downloading.
I really appreciate your time in reading this and any help I receive. Also if anyone has any good comparison links it would be greatly appreciated. I have been unsuccessful in finding any do to my not entirely understanding the VM lingo, as well as running into comparisons between "non-current" versions of these softwares.
Thank you again.
Kalel

I run both Parallels 3 and VMWare 1.1.1 on a MacBook Pro 17" with 4g of memory running Mac OS X 10.5.1. There are some differences between the two. Parallels has the best integration with Mac OS X. Disk folders are easily shared meaning that you can mount your Mac folders directly in Windows. Windows sees them as remote disks and will move files back and forth. You can also directly open a document in a Mac folder in a Windows application. VMWare provides a similar capability but it is harder (more steps) to set up. You can cut and paste between the two environments. Select text in a Mac application and paste into Windows or the other way around. VMWare takes advantage of the dull CPUs in the PowerBook and allows Windows to use both. Parallels uses only a single CPU--at least I've never been able to find a way to use both. I ran Windows XP under Parallels and had no problems with it at all. Lately I've been running Vista Business addition under VMWare and it is working. I did see a review (don't remember the source) that stated Parallels was better for Windows XP and VMWare was better for Vista. From my experience I agree. So far I have had no problems with USB device on either VM.
Parallels 3 is much improved over Parallels version 2 and if you have not tried it you should give it a try.
My only real complaint is having to lock up 40 g of my hard drive to hold the file with the Windows disk in it. I would really like to see the VM vendors find a way to use the Mac file system without the need to emulate a Windows hard drive.

Anyone Using Parallels or VMWare on Early 2009 mini 2.0GHz?

There's been some controversy as to whether the Early 2009 mini 2.0GHz has VT-x (needed for fast virtualization) enabled. The stock P7350 Intel processor in it has VT-x disabled, but Apple is supposedly getting a custom version with VT-x enabled.
I'm just trying to find some final confirmation on this subject: people actually using Parallels Desktop or VMWare Fusion on this machine.
I'd be especially interested in reports of a 64-bit Windows version as guest as this apparently absolutely requires VT-x to be working (not just falsely reporting so, or "sort-of" implemented but flawed).

I've seen confirmation from screenshots of people using Parallels, and from various CPU identifier tools in OSX and running Windows via Boot Camp.
What I can't comprehend is why Apple doesn't advertise the fact.
Thinking that the bottom-end Mini didn't have Vt (and not wanting to deal with special-orders) I bought a new Windows PC rather than a new Mac last month.
(I'll get around to the Mac; since I run both, they both need periodic upgrades. But Apple threw away money last month because they couldn't bother to make it clear that both Minis support Vt.
Since they're happy to sell Parallels and VMWare through their store, you'd think they'd want to make it clear...)

Comparison between Parallel and VMWare

I am wondering which is better to run Window XP: Parallel or VMWare?

They both work well. They both have free trial versions available for download. Try them then pick the one you like best.
If you don't want to try them for yourself, there are thousands of reviews comparing Parallels, Fusion, and VirtualBox here http://www.google.com/search?q=compare+parallels+vmware+fusion+virtualbox&ie=utf -8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a

Mas90 in Parallels or VMWare Fusion?

My Mother is considering buying an iMac as her next computer, but she runs software called Mas90. It is an accounting program. Now, does anyone know for sure that it will work in a virtual machine such as Parallels and VMWare Fusion and will also be completely compatible for Boot Camp. Thanks!

I have Parallels 5 running on my iMac i7 with Windows 7 64bit. I set it up to use 4 out of the 8 processors, and assigned 4GB of Ram (I have 8GB total on my iMac) to the virtual machine.
I also have an older home-brew PC here with Asus AI7 Motherboard, 500GB Seagate SATA HD (x2), 3.4GHz P4 processor, ATI Radeon 4670 Video (AGP!), and 4GB RAM running Windows 7 32bit.
Comparison? There is none! iMac Running Parallels above SMOKES the AI7 Machine. I couldn't believe the difference. It is just unbelievable.
And the key thing here is on my iMac I can run OS X at the same time with NO noticeable performance degradation. I'm sending this from Safari right now, with Entourage and few other things running in the background, along with Win7 running in a different Space full screen. This is GREAT!

Slow Snow Leopard - esp. Parallels or VMWare - 140-500gb VM Page File Size!

I know that the VM page file size is only the hypothetical maximum VM size that could be used, but immediately after startup on my recently installed (not upgraded) Snow Leopard my VM Size is 140gb. It is not running anything at that point, other than Vuze which starts up at login.
Before restart, when I was trying to install Windows XP under VMWare, it was over 500gb!
My MBP 2.4 unibody has been feeling sluggish generally with plenty of beachballs, grinding to a halt under VMWare or Parallels in particular, and I wonder if the VM Size is an indicator of some problem? Examples of Parallels and VMWare problems were that it would take hours to install Windows XP or Windows 7, and eventually just ground to a halt with the install almost finished.
I have used Disk Utility to check the disk and repair permissions, but maybe bigger guns are needed? I took a quick look at my Xbench results, and the hard drive results were about 40% of the baseline... I have a feeling the hard drive might be churning away on something, slowing everything else down.
For example, surely it shouldn't take a few seconds to actually show all the applications in the applications folder when you open the folder (when no other programs are running)...
B
Message was edited by: Bingggo

Sorry, 2gb RAM. When I restarted, the VM Page File Size was 140gb, the free memory was over 1gb, and there were no page in/outs from memory.

Parallel vs VMware

Im thinking of using virtual machine on my MBP.
Im going to use Windows XP SP3
- for works (Office, PDF & MindManager)
- web surfing
- little gaming (Flash games)
- internet calling
- chatting (Yahoo! Messenger, Skype)
So which one should I use? Parallel or VMware?
After I install Windows XP on virtual machine, do I need to do anything?

Go to mactech.com and look for their report comparing each. Also see:
Windows on Intel Macs
There are presently several alternatives for running Windows on Intel Macs.
1. Install the Apple Boot Camp software. Purchase Windows XP w/Service Pak 2, Vista, or Windows 7. Follow instructions in the Boot Camp documentation on installation of Boot Camp, creating Driver CD, and installing Windows. Boot Camp enables you to boot the computer into OS X or Windows.
2. Parallels Desktop for Mac and Windows XP, Vista Business, Vista Ultimate, or Windows 7. Parallels is software virtualization that enables running Windows concurrently with OS X.
3. VM Fusionand Windows XP, Vista Business, Vista Ultimate, or Windows 7. VM Fusion is software virtualization that enables running Windows concurrently with OS X.
4. CrossOver which enables running many Windows applications without having to install Windows. The Windows applications can run concurrently with OS X.
5. VirtualBox is a new Open Source freeware virtual machine such as VM Fusion and Parallels that was developed by Solaris. It is not as fully developed for the Mac as Parallels and VM Fusion.
6. Last is Q. Q is a freeware emulator that is compatible with Intel Macs. It is much slower than the virtualization software, Parallels and VM Fusion.
Note that Parallels and VM Fusion can also run other operating systems such as Linux, Unix, OS/2, Solaris, etc. There are performance differences between dual-boot systems and virtualization. The latter tend to be a little slower (not much) and do not provide the video performance of the dual-boot system.
See MacTech.com's Virtualization Benchmarking for comparisons of Boot Camp, Parallels, and VM Fusion.
Boot Camp is only available with Leopard or Snow Leopard. The Boot Camp Beta that was used with Tiger has expired and is no longer available for use. So contrary to the other poster's comment, Boot Camp isn't truly "free." You must purchase Leopard or Snow Leopard to get it.
Message was edited by: Kappy

Boot camp, parallels, or vmware?

I'm looking at buying a mac this fall for school. I'll be studying engineering and running some fairly heavy software for programming and 3D modeling. I'm also interested in running Windows somehow, but I don't have much of an idea as to how to do that. I've heard that boot camp, VMware, and Parallels would all be capable somehow. I know that with boot camp I could only run one or the other. In order to access files in one operating system that I saved in the other, would I have to use external storage somehow to transfer it? Also, would it be easier at that point to just go with VMware or Parallels instead? Or would they significantly slow down my laptop?

momorauls,
with Boot Camp, you’d have read-only access to the other operating system’s partition — NTFS read-only under OS X, HFS+ read-only under Windows.
Whether a virtualizer would be easier than Boot Camp or not depends on what you’d like to do. The advantage of a virtualizer is simultaneous access to both operating systems; the disadvantages are that some portion of your RAM would be exclusively dedicated to the virtualizer, and that the guest OS would be somewhat slower than if it were in a Boot Camp partition. If your Windows programs are demanding on the hardware (e.g. GPU-heavy games), then that would make the slowdown even more noticeable.

Multi-touch Windows Audition on Apple Mac via Parallels or VMWare or bootcamp?

Has anyone used the Windows version of Adobe Audition on the Mac via Parallels, VMWare or bootcamp?
Does Parallels / VMWare provide multi-touch capability in Audition whereby sections of audio can be selected via a pinch gesture, and zooms can be done using the same?
I know Audition is being developed for Mac, but I work in a mixed platform enviroment: Windows and Mac, and having already bought Audition for Windows I would prefer to use this in the Mac rather than make another purchase.

Click here and select the product which best meets your needs. VirtualBox and the Q emulator are free Windows emulators for Mac OS X.
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Should I get parallels or vmware fusion

Im using bootcamp right now to play xp (might get 7 soon). bootcamp is great but I dont like restarting my computer. I tried the trial version of vmware and parallels but they both seem real slow. If I get the full version of these programs will they be better? Right now I mainly play Call of duty Modren Warfare 2, Unreal, and modeling in maya. These are the main things I dont want to lose when i buy this program.

Hi mylegs,
as for playing Windows games and specifically newer games, nothing can beat BootCamp speedwise due to it using the Mac hardware natively.
Parallels and Fusion use virtualized hardware through a hardware abstraction layer and therefor always will be slower.
Especially with software like games and 3D rendering, that rely on having native access to the computers hardware.
For the typical "Office-like" programs (word processing, spreadsheet, etc.) Paralles and Fusion are indeed more suitable, since they run alongside OSX.
So my advise is, stick with BootCamp for the useage you have.
Regards
Stefan

Parallels vs VMWare Feedback needed

Hi,
I have read many posts regarding parallels as well as VMWare. My trial key is about to expire in 5 days and I would like to decide whether to use Parallels or wait for the new VMWare version coming out.
Based on your personal experience I would like to know which is more stable, faster, etc.
Thanks in advanced.

I was going to use Bootcamp, but felt parallels was a better option for me, although you can run parallels on bootcamp partition.
Parallels just got better, on 2-5-07, upgrade was available. I downloaded and it installs over the original copy and it has some great improvements. I don't use xp often and it was just easier to have xp a click away, instead of a reboot!
Enjoy!

Partitioning-Use BootCamp, Parallels or VMware

I need non-technical advise on whether to use bootcamp, parallels or the other software like parallels (VMware?). Every time I call Applecare for another reason, I ask the question and get a different answer every time. I need to finish setting up my iMac. I need the PC side for a few programs such as Office, Quicken, Quickbooks only. Otherwise I am using all the Mac applications on the other side of the partition.

You have two options in this regard: Option one is to install Windows on your Boot Camp partition. Parallels will then create a VM using the Windows system installed on your Boot Camp partition.
Option two is to remove the Boot Camp partition using Boot Camp Assistant. Install a new Windows system using Parallels. Parallels will then create a disc image file on your hard drive that will be used as the Windows drive.
If you use Option one then you have a fallback in case the Boot Camp Windows or the Parallels Windows fails to work.
For your stated purposes running Windows exclusively in Parallels seems the right option because you can have Windows running concurrently with OS X so you can use your PC applications right alongside your OS X applications seamlessly.

What is the Winner on Parallels vs VMWare and why?

I have to use Internet Explorer along with ActiveX for MLS, I'm a Realtor. I just bought a brand new macbook pro with 4g memory. What would you say is the best option? This is really the only application that I need to run smooth, fast, and efficient.
What do you think the best setup is? I tried Crossover, but it didn't work well at all.
Thx!

It's kinda long to post my full findings of the two here. So here's a link to the two articles I wrote on my blog.
The first link here my initial findings of Parallels Deaktop 7 vs VMWare Fusion 3, that's before 4 was released. http://www.atpeaz.com/index.php/2011/31-reasons-why-parallels-7-wins-vs-vmware-f usion/
And here's then the updated version after I purchased VMWare Fusion 4. http://www.atpeaz.com/index.php/2011/vmware-fusion-4-vs-parallels-desktop-7-a-us ers-pov/
Just a background on where my views may be based upon, I'm a user of both on a regular basis since fusion v3 and now 4, and parallels v5,6 and now 7. I also use the free Oracle (SUN) VirtualBox for work.
Hope this helps.

Parallels vs VMware Fusion

I am new to Apple and have an Intel iMac. I have been looking at adding windows as I have a Windows Laptop and my Daughters both have Windows systems. I have been reading reviews on the Parallels software and it seems to be many many negative reviews than positive ones. VMware Fusion on the other hand seems to have more positive reviews. I have heard and been advised the Parallels software is the way to go. Can some body please help me out and provide some advise.
Thanks
Michael D. Scott
[email protected]

michaeld53 wrote:
I am new to Apple and have an Intel iMac. I have been looking at adding windows as I have a Windows Laptop and my Daughters both have Windows systems. I have been reading reviews on the Parallels software and it seems to be many many negative reviews than positive ones. VMware Fusion on the other hand seems to have more positive reviews. I have heard and been advised the Parallels software is the way to go. Can some body please help me out and provide some advise.
I wish I could help you out, but I don't understand it any more than you do.
I can tell you that this trend has continued unchanged since before VMWare Fusion was even released. I even got suckered into it and bought a copy of VMWare Fusion. I tried it and found it made my Mac unstable even when Fusion wasn't running. I went back to Parallels (maybe a year ago?) and have had no problems. I never had problems with Parallels to begin with. I'm just slow to upgrade and people said Parallels 3.0 was a disaster. It wasn't. It runs great. Now people say 4.0 is a disaster. I don't know. I'm slow to upgrade so I'm just now getting around to installing Parallels 4.0.
I have not seen a single bit of anti-Parallels venom supported by fact - not even once.

Parallels vs VMWare fusion 5

Recommendations please. Windows version 7 or 8 with Parallels 8 or VMWare Desktop 8??
Thank you.

mrbob1928 wrote:
Recommendations please. Windows version 7 or 8 with Parallels 8 or VMWare Desktop 8??
Thank you.
It's really all up to you. I got Parallels v3 as a part of a bundle deal when I bought my first MacBook Pro, and I have gotten upgrade discounts on it since to keep me current. I got VMWare Fusion through a cross platform or competitive upgrade program when I bought it back in the v2 time frame. I have always tended towards Parallels for speed reasons, but both seem to work.
One thing to keep in mind is that I am only running 32 bit Windows systems in my virtual environments. I use one for Work support purposes, so nothing but work is run there, and for my personal things that still need Windows, I don't need 64 bit, so I still use a 32 bit install there too. The only problem I ever had with Parallels was when I was running it on a Boot Camp partition that also had an HFS+ driver loaded for Boot Camp. In that situation, it would hang during shutdown if run as a virtual machine.

Parallels vs. VMWare

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