New MacBook Air & VMware Fusion Performance

Need to make a decision. Has anyone installed VMware Fusion on the new MacBook Air? If so, is the performance acceptable? I have heard the previous Airs were from from acceptable. Thanks in advance.


DrB

MacBook Air

Posted on Jul 6, 2012 2:01 PM

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2 replies

Jul 6, 2012 2:11 PM in response to drb_2000

I';ve been using Fusion on the last three iterations of the MacBook Air, and have always found it acceptable. However, that is not to say others may find the inherrant slowdown caused by layering a VM over another OS (OS X), to be too much of a slowdown for their own uses. I am of the mind that if someone needs a bit more speed, then they should either opt for running it native by means of Bootcamp, or dare I say don't use a Mac at all if all you need is a Windows machine runing at optimum speed and compatibility.

Jul 7, 2012 8:02 AM in response to drb_2000

I have heard the previous Airs were from from acceptable.

If the opinion is based on on the users' attempt to play a 3D game, I'd agree: far from acceptable. The biggest failing of virtualization is graphics and since the MBA uses integrated graphics that effect is multiplied. However I've used VMWare and Parallels Desktop to run Windows 7 and Office 2010, for programming, surfing, and other less taxing programs with acceptable results. Acceptable enough that I've not had the desire to utilize BootCamp.


And in deference to SP Forsythe's comment about not using a Mac, several of my Windows using friends believe the MBA is the best Windows computer ever made. 😁

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New MacBook Air & VMware Fusion Performance

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