Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Parallels 5
- Thread starter alphaod
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
I was just about to order it. Does anyone know if you can use it on more than one computer, or must I order a copy for each computer?
Unless they've changed their license since version 4 you need one license/key per machine.
Just got it. It's a lot faster that the older version; they weren't kidding when they said they made some "under the hood" improvements. I'll post an update once I play around a bit.
+1 on this idea, as Im still undecisive which virtualisation software to get
Some preliminary feedback:
1) Graphics performance is very good. It is not as good a native, but significantly better than before. The Windows index now nets a solid 6.0; I know this isn't really a determining factor, but it's a good start. I don't play many games, but for Source games I can get on average about 60fps at 2560x1600 resolution. No I don't have Crysis or those newer games to run.
2) Like my first impression, it is faster. I mean it may just be that I feel it's faster when it's not, but boot times are lower for my VMs. Applications launch quicker. I have allocated 4 CPUs, and 4GB of RAM to the VM, so that may be a contributing factor. I used the same allocation before with Parallels 4.
3) The full desktop mode is amazing. I think it's a great way to go to a Mac and still use your computer as if you're running Windows. I'm sure some people will frown upon that, but maybe you can convince your boss to update you to Mac next time at work? They did have this in VMWare Fusion, but it didn't feel as fluid. Very smooth and seemless. They have the whole Linux Compiz like cube when you switch from Window to Full-screen mode.
If anyone has suggestions on other things to run to test, I will gladly do so. I will probably buy Fusion 3 for Mac since it supports 64-bit kernel extensions now. Will run that side-by-side so see which is faster.
1) Graphics performance is very good. It is not as good a native, but significantly better than before. The Windows index now nets a solid 6.0; I know this isn't really a determining factor, but it's a good start. I don't play many games, but for Source games I can get on average about 60fps at 2560x1600 resolution. No I don't have Crysis or those newer games to run.
2) Like my first impression, it is faster. I mean it may just be that I feel it's faster when it's not, but boot times are lower for my VMs. Applications launch quicker. I have allocated 4 CPUs, and 4GB of RAM to the VM, so that may be a contributing factor. I used the same allocation before with Parallels 4.
3) The full desktop mode is amazing. I think it's a great way to go to a Mac and still use your computer as if you're running Windows. I'm sure some people will frown upon that, but maybe you can convince your boss to update you to Mac next time at work? They did have this in VMWare Fusion, but it didn't feel as fluid. Very smooth and seemless. They have the whole Linux Compiz like cube when you switch from Window to Full-screen mode.
If anyone has suggestions on other things to run to test, I will gladly do so. I will probably buy Fusion 3 for Mac since it supports 64-bit kernel extensions now. Will run that side-by-side so see which is faster.
Hey Alpha what are your base system specs? I have 4 on a MBP, I qualify for t free upgrade to 5, but I'm wondering what advantage I can see gaming wise.
Also, unrelated question, is it better to boot from a bootcamp partition or just have an image on my primary hd?
Also, unrelated question, is it better to boot from a bootcamp partition or just have an image on my primary hd?
The biggest downside of running a Boot Camp-installed OS in Parallels is that you cannot suspend a VM, you have to shut it down whenever you exit parallels. Presumably this is to prevent issues from inconsistent states that may come up if you were to suspend in Parallels then boot the same OS natively.
OTOH, disk access is slightly faster due to direct access (vs. the disk-to-file translation needed for normal VMs) and you get the ability to boot directly into the guest OS if needed, which could be important if you're a gamer.
I have a iMac 3.06 Ghz with 4 GB ram with the 4850 Video option. How would you suggest that I set up Parallels if I choose to install it? Another words, how much Ram would you say I need to allocate for it? And any other suggestions would be most helpful.
Should I try the trial first? I heard that Parallels does not uninstall well if I don't like it. I don't want it to mess up my system.
Should I try the trial first? I heard that Parallels does not uninstall well if I don't like it. I don't want it to mess up my system.
Parallels 5 is screaming fast for me - just bought it yesterday. Runs Windows XP Professional like a champion, and I'm going to give it a try with Vista and 7 as well.
???? I am running Parallels 5 with 64-bit kernel extension and it seems to be more stable than when I was running it without.
I am running SL 64bit on a MacBook Pro 2.26GHz with 4GB. Parallels 5 runs very well with Windows 7 except that it is unstable if I turn on both video acceleration and dual CPU, in which case the Windows display manager seems to keep crashing in the background.
Upgraded to SL and upgraded from PD 4 to 5, yesterday. Everything is running great on Windows XP Pro.