How much RAM to run parallels?

[eric44]

I was thinking about running parallels with XP alongside my other apps.
Likely to have four users logged on and perhaps at least six apps open along with parallels running XP. Will my 4GB be enough or will the system get bogged down?
Be interested to find out people experiences of using parallels and how the performance is on a 3.06Ghz imac.

 

[torchwood04]

What kind of mac are you on. It could depend if you have a mac mini or say a Mac Pro...

 

[eric44]

3.06Ghz iMac...

 

[Leto-Parallels]

I was thinking about running parallels with XP alongside my other apps.
Likely to have four users logged on and perhaps at least six apps open along with parallels running XP. Will my 4GB be enough or will the system get bogged down?
Be interested to find out people experiences of using parallels and how the performance is on a 3.06Ghz imac.

I'd say with 4GB of RAM total, you're fine running multiple apps. Make sure you dedicate about half of the 4GB to the virtual machine. It will only use as much as it needs, but it caps at the amount you give it.

This also depends on the type of applications you're running. Like I wouldn't suggest trying to encode 6 videos at the same time while recording a music album. Basically expect to have the same workload your iMac currently handles, only with a second operating system taking up a bit more resources.

If you want to check out Parallels Desktop 4.0 for Mac before buying, there's a free trial available at the product page. It has all the features and functionality of the full version, and if you end up buying all you'll need to do is enter the activation key.

 

[Jethryn Freyman]

You need about 200MB + whatever amount of RAM you dedicate to the VM. You should give the VM about 1GB of RAM to itself, so you'll need a Mac with 2GB of RAM at least. Your iMac will do fine.