VMware Fusion 5 vs VMware Fusion 4: impact on OS X performance

I'm wondering whether to upgrade to Fusion 5.

I run a Win 7 64bit VM using Fusion 4 on a 2009 MBP running OS X 10.8.

It does not run too badly, but improvements in the impact of the VM on the host system would always be welcome (i.e. lower cpu/battery usage, less spinning beachballs in OS X whilst the VM is running).

If you have upgraded from Fusion 4 to Fusion 5 have you noticed much impact on these things?

simsaladimbamba said:

How much RAM have you installed in your 2009 MBP and how much RAM have you allocated to the Windows 7 VM?

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MBP = 8 GB RAM
VM = 3 GB RAM, 1 processor core

tkermit said:

They offer a trial version, so you can see for yourself. Personally, it wasn't worth it to me to upgrade (on a Mid2010 MBP). In fact, version 5 was subjectively slower than Fusion 4.

You may want to think about getting an SSD which will help a lot in terms of virtual memory performance and should significantly reduce the amount of beachballs you see. Putting the virtual machine on a separate volume would also be advantageous. (I'm assuming you've maxed out the RAM already)

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Thanks for input.

How much of a nuisance is it downgrading from a trial version to an old version? Obviously the software is no problem, but what about the VM itself? My assumption is that it would be a nuisance, hence asking here prior to deciding whether to bother with the trial.

Getting an SSD is not something I am going to do just yet. I will be switching to a new, SSD equipped, machine later in the year or next year so keeping funds for that. I would need a 500 GB SSD.

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CylonGlitch said:

FWIW, I have found that if you run 32 bit windows instead of 64 bit, you'll get a lot better performance. 64bit windows REALLY wants 4GB of RAM.

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Didn't think about that. Has this opinion come from just a couple of VMs....or many more?