BootCamp and M1 Mac Computers

Thank you Loner T. I've never came across QEMU previously. I’d edit my post above, if Apple allowed me.

Digging around further, I found the following recent article instructing how to obtain and run the Windows 10 ARM Preview in virtualization (vs emulation) for free using QEMU on M1 Macs with at least 32 GB for free space:

https://randomblock1.com/blog/qemu-windows-mac/

It uses Homebrew via the Terminal CLI for downloading, building and installation.

To quote:

"M1 Macs don’t have support for Bootcamp. So, in order to have a working Windows environment, you have to do it all in a virtual machine. The problem is that QEMU isn’t optimized for M1 Macs, and virtualization is very slow… unless it uses MacOS’ Hypervisor.Framework. While this isn’t quite as performant as paid solutions (like Parallels), it works ‘fast enough’ and is completely free…. It’s not terribly fast, but it works well and is fast enough to do most things."

But again note that Windows 10 on ARM Insider Preview is limited to running only Windows 10 ARM native software, not X86 software.

Windows 10 for arm does have an emulation layer for running x86 software. Much like Rosetta 2 for Mac os. It runs 32bit (unlike Mac os) and 64bit software at really good speeds considering the how much emulation is going on.

I and others have been looking into the compatibility and speed of games within Parallels 16.5 and posting the results of YouTube.

Take a look at this:

https://youtube.com/channel/UC5OHvLWL8i6oVlYrr1k43sg

Most games I have tested there run at least 30fps. Saying that not all games work but most do.

No worries! I personally have stocked-up' on Intel Mac (minis) to be able to run W7/W8.1/W10. I use QEMU frequently. It is sufficient for my needs. Unless Graphical or Scientific (number-crunching) needs arise, it seems to be able to perform reasonable well.

Charlievarley66 wrote:

I and others have been looking into the compatibility and speed of games within Parallels 16.5 and posting the results of YouTube.

Have you tried comparing games on native Intel Windows Desktops vs the Apple M1s? The Mx line should start producing faster CPU/GPU/Cores which should improve the performance on Parallels as well.

Excellent Charlievarley66! I’m glad we can all share knowledge here.

Your testing successes and Loner T’s posts inspire me to do the same with the QEMU setup I linked above. I may well upgrade my Parallels version as well. This is promising.

I do note you had an audio issue with one game on CrossOver. We takes our chances. But the graphics are surprisingly good so far with CrossOver and Parallels running Windows 10 ARM. There is a future before us.

Sorry, no I have not, but I can imagine that even an older, mid range pc or a cheapish gaming laptop would have a higher FPS than the Mac mini M1 whilst it is running Windows in a VM. It does not stop the tinker in me wanting to see how far the M1 can be pushed though.

Probably better to buy an M1 Mac and a completely separate Windows machine. That way, you get the upgradeability that Windows machines offer, and you get a lot more choice in your hardware options. This would be even more the case, if you are setting up desktop hardware. An M1 Mac Mini would be ideal, as it would allow you to share peripherals.

Apple have made it very clear that they will be treating Intel Mac owners like second class citizens, so sadly an Intel Mac is probably no longer a good option.

For many road warriors, a laptop is typically the hardware. Bootcamp (and VM engines) allow you to carry a single device, which runs both OSes - macOS and Windows. For non-mobile cases, Macminis are ideal desktops. I use a 13-in Intel MBP on the road and a 2018 Mini as a desktop.

Big Sur and M1 still feel very first release environments. And losing USBc ports is another issue with the M1s. The 24-in M1 iMac is a better investment for an M1 from my perspective. I prefer to wait for another year (or more) before Apple Silicon will replace the Intel Macs. This should allow better performance from next iteration of Apple Silicon and better hardware (more memory and storage).

Boot camp i don't know but you can still run windows on your m1 mac through parallels by giving a small fee per month or year.

I've used it and it works completely fine. Just go to youtube and checkout how to install parallels.

Abhay_19 wrote:

Boot camp i don't know but you can still run windows on your m1 mac through parallels by giving a small fee per month or year.

I've used it and it works completely fine. Just go to youtube and checkout how to install parallels.

I think most Apple users know how to install Parallels. The issue is that Windows 10 will not run on a M1 Mac. There is no production version of Windows available to users who want to run Windows on a Mac.

blasrodriguez wrote:

just use parallels. parallels will run decently well considering you have a MacBook Pro m1.

Parallels may run but Windows 10 won't. Running Windows on M1 Macs is the subject of this thread. Windows 10 will not run on an M1 Mac using Boor Camp or using Parallels.

"Just run Parallels," seems to be the stock standard answer, but Parallels has never been a good solution for running Windows apps on a Mac. Not only is it ridiculously expensive, to the point where in a few years of using it you could have bought a dedicated low end Windows machine, but many apps wont run on Parallels at all.

Using Windows on an Apple silicon Mac is pretty well dead at this stage, with no signs of Apple bringing this functionality back. The best thing users can do if they need Windows, is to purchase a dedicated Windows based PC. This could be used directly, or remotely through solutions like Microsoft Remote Desktop. Cloud computing using products like Azure might also be an option.

To be clear: Parallels (latest version) provides a path to run the ARM version of Windows 10 successfully. That’s a compromise as the ARM version cannot natively run x86 apps. There is an emulator built in that runs some, but not all, x86 apps. When it comes to high end games, forget it.

There is an ARM version of WINE, but it is not much of a solution, having been stalled for some time and having all the limitations of WINE in general.

Derek Currie wrote:

To be clear: Parallels (latest version) provides a path to run the ARM version of Windows 10 successfully. That’s a compromise as the ARM version cannot natively run x86 apps. There is an emulator built in that runs some, but not all, x86 apps. When it comes to high end games, forget it.

There is an ARM version of WINE, but it is not much of a solution, having been stalled for some time and having all the limitations of WINE in general.

That is great but it does not answer the subject of this thread. The ARM version of Windows 10 is not available publicly so it is a mute point whether or not Parallels can run the ARM version of Windows. Users may be confused into thinking they can run Windows 10 in a production environment on a M1 Mac. They can't. Tinkering and testing environments may work, but for the average user wanting to run Windows 10, they want it to work without tinkering, potential loss of data, or possible errors.

Bob: Read and respond to what i wrote, plus please be nice as well as accurate. Your attitude is neither appreciated nor helpful IMHO. What I posted is entirely helpful and on target. Apparently, you’d rather the thread ended with “You can’t do that, goodbye.”