Best Windows product for new iMac via Parallels

[WilliamDu]

I've never used Windows before but unfortunately need it for software I plan to acquire.

What is the best Windows 7 product to use for installation on my new 27" i5 w/3TB FD to use with flight simulators and games?

I already have Parallels 8.

Not interested in Windows 8.

Are there any measures needed to avoid virus issues with this installation?

 

[itsamacthing]

Best Windows Product? You mean version of Windows? XP requires very little resources from your iMac and runs very quickly on 1GB of RAM, but tends to degrade as an OS over time. Windows 7 is a good OS, but will require more of your iMac resources

 

[Arman]

I'm not sure but running a Flight Simulator off windows virtualization may provide a subpar experience but this would depend on the software requirements. Maximum game performance would be via Bootcamp. You have 3TB to play with and you already have parallels so you can try both out and see what you like more.

 

[KrasHr]

I've never used Windows before but unfortunately need it for software I plan to acquire.

What is the best Windows 7 product to use for installation on my new 27" i5 w/3TB FD to use with flight simulators and games?

I already have Parallels 8.

Not interested in Windows 8.

Are there any measures needed to avoid virus issues with this installation?

On my early 2009 iMac, I had Parallels 6 installed (until mountain lion broke it, but I'll be getting parallels 8 when my 2012 iMac Arrives), anyways, it ran older DX9 games surprisingly well. Not as good as bootcamp, but very much playable. As far as windows OS's go, Windows 7 all the way. It's pretty solid and reliable (at least in my experience). Any version should be quite adequate. Stay away from Windows 8.

As far as anti virus goes, I personally use Avast (free for personal use), on all my PC rigs, and I haven't had any issues at all. There are also others like AVG that people like. Just stay away from Norton whatever you do.