Running Windows, Parallels? Boot Camp?

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Level 1

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Running Windows, Parallels? Boot Camp?

I've used boot camp very successfully with my mac desktop, but I'm hoping to receive a macbook (the black one) for christmas, and I'm hoping for a better option when using windows. I tried parallels with one of my older, clunkier macs (the one that's full of my movies, music, etc.) and it ran very slow, and it was nearly impossible to run other programs alongside it. Has anyone else had this problem, or is it fairly easy for you to run Parallels with other programs? I really love the malleability of parallels compared to boot camp. The idea of partitioning a large portion of my hard drive in a fairly permanent way is not very appealing to me. Any suggestions?

MacBook, Mac OS X (10.5.3)

Posted on Aug 20, 2008 3:36 PM

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Answer 1

Bob Lang1

Level 5

4,090 points

Aug 20, 2008 3:41 PM in response to askrainka

Hi

I'm using Sun's Virtual Box as an alternative to Parallels for running Windows XP. I am very impressed by the performance. However, it won't run programs that require 3D graphic acceleration, so if games are your thing then don't try it. BTW, Virtual Box is free.

Bob

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Answer 2

askrainka Author

Level 1

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Aug 20, 2008 3:50 PM in response to Bob Lang1

Games are actually my focus here, because pretty much every other type of program (MS office, photoshop, etc.) is mac compatible. I like how with parallels I can create a Virtual Machine with a big enough hard drive to support the game, and then wipe it when I get bored with the game. I suppose if you wanted a more concise question, it would be: Who out there has used parallels with their macbook, and if so, what was your experience like? Are there any better programs?

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Answer 3

Kappy

Level 10

362,023 points

Aug 20, 2008 3:56 PM in response to askrainka

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 or Vista. 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, or Vista Ultimate. Parallels is software virtualization that enables running Windows concurrently with OS X.

3. VM Fusionand Windows XP, Vista Business, or Vista Ultimate. 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 yet fully developed for the Mac - some features are not yet implemented - but it does work otherwise.

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. 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 to get it.

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Answer 4

askrainka Author

Level 1

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Aug 20, 2008 4:01 PM in response to Kappy

wow. thanks kappy! ^_^

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Answer 5

jharston

Level 1

30 points

Aug 22, 2008 12:50 AM in response to askrainka

I have a white mac book running Leopard. I upgraded to 2gb of ram. Parallels runs great without any problem.

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Answer 6

Aug 22, 2008 12:48 PM in response to askrainka

I typically run Parallels (WinXP) alongside two browsers, my email app, a newsreader, Skype and perhaps iTunes -- all on my MacBook. I haven't noticed any lag or slowdowns, but I'm not into gaming. HTH.

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