Macbook Air 11" (Basic model). VM Fusion + Windows 8

It will work but Win 8 will be slow in a VM on the Air. Slower if you only have 4GBs of total System RAM. Better but not great with 8GBs of RAM.

I have Win8 installed on a Core 2 PC with 8 GB of RAM and a standard drive and on my 4GB MacBook Air in VMWare. On the PC, Win8 is noticeably faster than Win7 was - this was an upgrade installation not a clean installation. It runs quite well on the Core 2 PC. Running Win7 in VMWare, my MacBook Air was pretty close in feel to the PC though anything graphical oriented got blown away by the PC. But except for certain types of applications the computer spends more time waiting for us than us waiting for it so that isn't a problem. Like the PC, Win8 in virtualization is a bit peppier than Win7.

So Shootist is right, it is slow - but slow is a relative term. I find Win8 perfecly usable (as Win8 can be) for Word processing, programming, and other tasks (including casual games). Playing Diablo 3 would be right out however.

I recommend using Bootcamp instead of using VMWare Fusion. VMWare Fusion is running Windows virtually on your Mac, which means that it uses more resources and processor power. It tend to lag the computer, since it takes up alot of RAM, unless the MacBook Air you bought plenty of RAM. Bootcamp is installing Windows side by side with Mac. However the downside is that you can only run one operating system at a time, but that might not be too bad, one operating system running means a less of a hog for resources. For me, I would prefer Bootcamp, although restarting the computer numerous number of times is a pain, but the experience will be better. Gaming is alot better using Bootcamp. However, I cannot guarantee that Bootcamp will be right for you, especially with the lack of support of Apple. You can try Bootcamp first, and if you don't enjoy the experience, go ahead and try VMWare Fusion.

Windows 8 is not FULLY supported by Bootcamp drivers, however it works properly, and has only a few bugs. Consider trying it out.

Another thing I notice is that, for Bootcamp, the computer tends to get hot when running it. But I am not saying that VMWare Fusion will not make the computer hot. You are running two operating systems at one time.

Well I don't recommend Boot Camp at all. IMHO there is nothing worse then a Dual Boot System. You always find yourself needing to boot back into the other OS for something.

If you are buying a Mac then Use the Mac OS for most of your computer needs. The whole idea and the only reason, IMHO, of having Windows on a Mac is to run those Few programs that You Need that do not run on OS X.

If you need to use Windows as your Main operating system then buy a Windows PC, Not a Mac.

For the reasons stated above, IMHO, running a Version of Windows in a Virtual Machine is the best way to go. It allows you to run those Few Windows program that don't run on OS X and allows you to use both Operating systems at the same time.

When running any VM it will use RAM that you have allocated to it and take that RAM away from the Host OS. But that does not mean that RAM is Always used. When done working in your Windows VM and the programs you need to access Shut the VM down and all the RAM will then be back for use with the Host OS.

When you need to run the VM limit the porograms you have open in the Host OS so you Don't run out of RAM.

The whole idea of having many programs open on the Host when in actuality you can only work in one program at a time is just Dumb. Close the programs you don't need open before you start the VM OS. Doing that will greatly increase the amount of RAM for each system to use and your overall computer experience.

Kidsnd274 wrote:

I recommend using Bootcamp instead of using VMWare Fusion. VMWare Fusion is running Windows virtually on your Mac, which means that it uses more resources and processor power. It tend to lag the computer, since it takes up alot of RAM, unless the MacBook Air you bought plenty of RAM. Bootcamp is installing Windows side by side with Mac. However the downside is that you can only run one operating system at a time, but that might not be too bad, one operating system running means a less of a hog for resources. For me, I would prefer Bootcamp, although restarting the computer numerous number of times is a pain, but the experience will be better. Gaming is alot better using Bootcamp. However, I cannot guarantee that Bootcamp will be right for you, especially with the lack of support of Apple. You can try Bootcamp first, and if you don't enjoy the experience, go ahead and try VMWare Fusion.

Windows 8 is not FULLY supported by Bootcamp drivers, however it works properly, and has only a few bugs. Consider trying it out.

Another thing I notice is that, for Bootcamp, the computer tends to get hot when running it. But I am not saying that VMWare Fusion will not make the computer hot. You are running two operating systems at one time.

In essence, I need Windows because I use MS Office and Office for Mac is rubbish and iWorks is rubbish too!

Rubbish.

Yea, that might be a good choice as well. But if you need to run certain applications, another alternative is CrossOver. It does not have full functionality of Windows, it just lets you run the applications.