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3587

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Mar 23, 2008
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I have an '09 Mac Pro running Parallels 4 right now... I'm wondering if there is a drastic performance increase for the $60 upgrade price? I'm running basic stuff in Windows XP, but it isn't very smooth. Maybe due to the GT 120 graphics card?
 
Don't know about Parallels, but WinXP absolutely flies on my 1,1 MP using VMWare Fusion 2.06! I tried out Fusion 3 in hope that Win7 would run OK in a VM environment, but the performance is just abysmal, despite all the "3D graphics" BS. So I'm to sticking with Fusion 2.06 for VMs and Boot Camp for Win7. Anyway, getting back to Parallels, I owned the early versions (1 & 2), but ditched it as soon Fusion came out. Parallels was just too unstable (my VMs kept getting corrupted). Never had any such issues with Fusion.
 
Don't know about Parallels, but WinXP absolutely flies on my 1,1 MP using VMWare Fusion 2.06! I tried out Fusion 3 in hope that Win7 would run OK in a VM environment, but the performance is just abysmal, despite all the "3D graphics" BS. So I'm to sticking with Fusion 2.06 for VMs and Boot Camp for Win7. Anyway, getting back to Parallels, I owned the early versions (1 & 2), but ditched it as soon Fusion came out. Parallels was just too unstable (my VMs kept getting corrupted). Never had any such issues with Fusion.

That's too bad... Parallels 4 has been awesome! No complaints! Running on a Mac Pro, I always want to take advantage of more speed! Love that snappy feeling. I almost switched to Fusion, but before I do, I want to hear more about the results of Parallels 5.
 
If you really want your VM's to get snappy, grab yourself a SSD and install them on it!

I just moved my VM's from a Raid0 of normal disks to an Intel SSD and couldn't be happier!

My VM's run on Parallels 4 and Fusion 2, but I will definitely try the latest versions of both programs in the near future.
Both have trial version for 30 days. Just try them and pick the most suitable.
 
If you really want your VM's to get snappy, grab yourself a SSD and install them on it!

I just moved my VM's from a Raid0 of normal disks to an Intel SSD and couldn't be happier!

My VM's run on Parallels 4 and Fusion 2, but I will definitely try the latest versions of both programs in the near future.
Both have trial version for 30 days. Just try them and pick the most suitable.

Yup, all have an SSD as you can see in my signature... I'm specifically asking Parallels 5 version Fusion 3...
 
That's too bad... Parallels 4 has been awesome! No complaints! Running on a Mac Pro, I always want to take advantage of more speed! Love that snappy feeling. I almost switched to Fusion, but before I do, I want to hear more about the results of Parallels 5.

I used Parallels v3 & v4. Had a bunch of bad issues. Switched to VMWare Fusion and all the issues that I had with Parallels are gone... :)
 
No complaints? Wasn't it you who started this thread by saying "I'm running basic stuff in Windows XP, but it isn't very smooth"?

Okay, maybe my initial post wasn't that clear...

What is better/faster... Parallels 5 or Fusion 3? Only responsed if you have tried both...

What is better/faster... Parallels 4 or Parallels 5? Only respond if you have used both.

It will be installed on a 2009 Mac Pro with Windows XP and possibly Windows 7 in the future.

Thank you all.
 
Using the Win7-RC bootcamp drive with VMware Fusion 2.0.6 causes my Win7 to lose it's activation. Which one is to fault? Can I get rid of the problem by getting Win7 retail (which I will get at some point anyway) or by getting Fusion 3.0?

Does the new Parallels have the same problem?
 
IMO all virtual machines do that due to the OS X drivers being used. Windows always see this as different hardware. Legally it is still the same machine, so you can claim another installation code for it. RC got multiple COAs anyway. I think you can still download them.
 
I've had no activation issues when booting the shipping version of Windows 7 in Fusion 2.06 and Boot Camp. But honestly, Win 7 does not virtualize very well on a Mac (at least not on my Mac and not with Fusion). Yeah, you can get Aero to sort of work, but the lag is noticeable to the point of being very distracting.
 
Do you mean the regular activation when Windows asks for it or something else?

I'm not talking about the activation mechanism. The important bit is that you are legally entitled to have two activations because you use your license on one identical machine. The fact that Microsoft's anti theft technology fails to recognize it cannot be used as a basis to refuse repeated activation. IMO MS have a mechanism that works automatically on the telefone and your Mac to input a code for activation. They usually ask you on how many machines you are using it. You just have to confirm it is one machine and off you go.
 
Fusion 3 no question. But I run mulitple Linux vms one once. I only run winblows vms for testing and shut it down. Haven't tried parallels 5 with windows but it seemed slower using Linux than fusion 3.
 
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