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User profile for user: Matt_Dine
Matt_Dine Author
User level: Level 1
8 points

Running windows on my macbook pro

I want to run windows on my Macbook pro (full specs at the end). I need to do this because as part of my university course we need to use CAD/CAM and the software that we will be using is solidworks and it is only available on windows.


what is the best way to be able to run solidworks on my Macbook pro???


If possible i would like to use an external hard drive to store all of the windows information and keep the Mac free of it but i'm open to suggestion if i am not going to get the performance that i will need to run a software like solidworks.


Macbook Pro specs:

Macbook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Early 2015)

Processor 2.7GHz intel core i5

Memory 8GB 1867 MHz DDR3

Startup Disk Macintosh HD

Graphics Intel Iris Graphics 6100 1536 MB

MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch,Early 2015), iOS 11.2

Posted on Dec 11, 2017 10:13 AM

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2 replies
User profile for user: Kappy
Kappy
User level: Level 10
361,709 points

Dec 11, 2017 10:32 AM in response to Matt_Dine

Run Windows on Intel Macs


There are presently several alternatives for running Windows on Intel Macs. Here is a list of the primary options in the market place.


  1. Apple Boot Camp software. Boot Camp enables you to boot the computer into OS X or Windows. (Free because it comes with OS X. You must own a legitimate Windows Full Retail Installer.)
  2. Parallels Desktop for Mac. Parallels is software virtualization that enables running Windows concurrently with OS X.
  3. VM Fusion.VM Fusion is software virtualization that enables running Windows concurrently with OS X.
  4. CrossOver. Enables running many Windows applications without having to install Windows. The Windows applications can run concurrently with OS X.
  5. VirtualBox. Open Source freeware virtual machine such as VM Fusion and Parallels that was developed by Solaris. (Free because it comes with OS X. You must own a legitimate Windows Full Retail Installer.)
  6. Veertu. A new entry from Open Source utilizing native virtualization. It’s a fast and secure way to run VMs on the Mac. Veertu Desktop is supported on Mac models of early/mid-2011 or later running Yosemite 10.10 or later.


Parallels, VM Fusion, VirtualBox, and Veertu 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. A 2015 comparison of Parallels, VM Fusion, and Virtual Box is found at 2015 VM Benchmarks: Parallels 11 vs. Fusion 8 vs. VirtualBox 5. A review of these and other competitors is found in PCMag: The Best Virtualization Software of 2017. Boot Camp is available with Lion and later.


You must also have an internal optical drive for installing Windows. Windows cannot be installed from an external optical drive. Windows must be installed on an internal drive if you use Boot Camp. A license must be purchased for all commercial software and operating system products. Open Source software is free.


Some Boot Camp Articles from Apple Support.

  1. Boot Camp Support.
  2. Boot Camp 5.1: Frequently Asked Questions.
  3. How to Install Windows using Boot Camp.
  4. Boot Camp Control Panel Users Guide.
  5. Use Windows 10 on your Mac with Boot Camp.
  6. Use Windows 8.1 on your Mac with Boot Camp.
  7. Install Windows 7 and earlier on your Mac using Boot Camp.
  8. System Requirements to Install Windows on your Mac using Boot Camp.


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Running windows on my macbook pro

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