Should I install Windows on my new MBP?

[dloreski]

Hi everyone, here is my situation.
Got tired of Vista being super slow with everything.....Even boot up and shut down times were ridiculous.
I bought a new MBP 13 base model about a month ago and have been extremely happy with the switch.
The only thing I'm still needing Windows for is MS FrontPage, which I'm using on my desktop. While in FP, I also use Adobe Photoshop Elements to create graphics for my site.
It would be really convienent to have it all on my MBP, but I'm concerned that when I install Windows, I'm going to slow things down with it.
So my questions are.....
For my particular situation, should I try Windows on it?
If so, bootcamp, Fusion, or parallels?
And I would assume if I use elements for Mac, I would have to run Windows in Parallels or Fusion so that I could bounce back and forth easily between FP and Elements.
Also, when Windows is used through Parallels or Fusion, will it slow down Mac boot times if it isn't active?
Thank you for any suggestions / input !
- Dave

 

[robby818]

I'd recommend going with Fusion and XP Pro for maximum performance and minimal impact on the Mac OS.

Fusion is better than Bootcamp because you will inevitably need to go back and forth between the two OSes, can't do that with Bootcamp. Bootcamp is also not perfect..lots of little issues esp. with device drivers. I'd rather have a virtual machine folder (that can be backed up and thrown away at will) than a boot camp partition.

If you are concerned about performance, get a Solid State Drive. It is unbelievable how fast Windows will boot up..I used to suspend my virtual machine when I was not using it, but with the SSD I can get back into Windows in 20 seconds so I just shut down Windows until I need it.

Having Fusion on your Mac will not necessarily slow down your Mac. It will only slow down when you are running Fusion and actively using Windows...when Windows is idle and vmware is running you probably won't even notice it. RAM helps in this regard so 4 GB is recommended and SSD will make things all that much better.

 

[MyNameIsMac]

Parallels desktop for mac is also very well made, and won numerous awards.