I was wondering if there is any benefit in the new Nehalem Mac Pro for running multiple VMs vs. the 08 Mac Pros. Does the Nehalems 16 virtual cores help in running multiple VMs compared to 08 Mac Pro. Any input would be greatly appreciated.
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multiple VMs on 09 mac pro vs. 08 mac pro
- Thread starter crusial
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cmaier
Suspended
The 16 virtual cores is not as much of a help as is the on-chip memory controller; since each VM is completely independent in terms of memory space, being able to access memory directly should be a big help speed-wise, especially if the memory allocated to the VM is small enough to avoid having to break affinity.
Vmware
I have a new mac pro i didnt test it out yet but im pretty sure you can run 16 virtual machines. 1 core for each operating system.Dont quote me on that but im sure i heard it some where on mac rumors 😕
I have a new mac pro i didnt test it out yet but im pretty sure you can run 16 virtual machines. 1 core for each operating system.Dont quote me on that but im sure i heard it some where on mac rumors 😕
cmaier
Suspended
Keep in mind that there are only 8 cores. The "virtual" cores are nowhere near as good as the real ones.
Boneoh
macrumors 6502
VMware 2.0 is supposed to see a performance increase on Nehalem due to changes in some type of paging table in the hardware. I can't seem to locate the thread post now. I was using Parallels and switched to VMware when I got the new MP, so I have no frame of reference.
I am running a Windows 2003 Server vm w 4 virtual processors and 4 gb of ram. Very responsive and nice.
I am running a Windows 2003 Server vm w 4 virtual processors and 4 gb of ram. Very responsive and nice.
thanks for the reply everyone, so then it would be definately worth it to get the new 8 core mac pro then.
wetrix
macrumors 6502
Your question hasn't really been answered, but perhaps you should just consider: is there any reason to get the 2008 Mac Pro? Probably not.
You can run more VMs than you have cores. You can run 10 VMs per core if you like with ESXi, but they need to be pretty lightweight.
For max performance, you want a bare-metal hypervisor, but you might like to check that it will run on the 2009 Pro. I haven't seen anybody try it out yet. VMware ESXi only started working stably on the Pro in late 2008.