gaming on MBP using a VM using parallels

Virtualization and Direct X 10 are still not best of friends.

 

Don't waste your time on this, it will never give you the performance and support that you need. Use a native installation of Windows - the so-called Boot Camp - instead.

 

For gaming definitely use Bootcamp. It will run completely native, whereas Parallels is "virtualizing" the OS. Parallels is great for basic applications, but anything graphically intensive will "kill" it.

 

I use a combination of Crossover Games, Parallels and native Mac games (some bought as PC games and converted to Mac by using hacks based on downloadable demos).

Since my MBP is getting pretty old now as it is a 1st gen I'm pretty much limited to games no newer than a couple of years back. I have Doom 3 installed which plays well as a native Mac version (this was one of my PC to Mac conversions) as well as Return to Castle Wolfenstein using Crossover Games.

Older Quake 3 based games will play well in XP under Parallels but I've also tried Far Cry and that really doesn't play well with lots of textures missing and so on. It plays much better via Boot Camp but I can't be arsed to reboot into Windows.

I'm sure a modern MBP will be able to cope with everything out there but you're going to have to face facts and use Boot Camp for many of them. Good news about Boot Camp and Parallels is that you can boot the Boot Camp install in Parallels so for games that do play well in Parallels you can just install them on the same copy as you use for Boot Camp.

 

Boot Camp. Because Parallels will never give you the experience of the game actually on Windows