VMware Fusion questions

[npriess]

Hi

I have recently installed VMware Fusion and I really like the unity function. However, when I check the 'device manager' in Windows XP, my sweet 9600m gt card is not listed. Instead it is some VMware graphics controller.

Of course it runs graphic demanding apps really poorly but isn't it possible to take advantage of my 9600m gt card?

Also tried Parallels which seems to do the same.


What should I do?

 

[Queso]

The only way to utilise the full power of the graphics card is via Boot Camp. Both Parallels and VMWare present virtual hardware to the guest OS. Although both companies trying to optimise the performance of the virtualisation in their respective products there's no direct link between the guest OS and the hardware itself, hence why it's so much slower.

 

[npriess]

So there is no way to get slightly better performance?
Just enough to run NFS Underground 2.

 

[BigHungry04]

There is a way. You will need to use Boot Camp. That is the best way to run windows games on your mac.

 

[npriess]

What does this mean then? (taken from parallels.com)

"Blazing Fast 3D Graphics
Expanded DirectX 9, DirectX Pixel Shader 2.0 and OpenGL 2.0 support for optimal performance."

"Maximum Video Performance
256 MB video RAM support — Drives faster, smoother video output for maximum performance."

 

[Queso]

They have much improved performance over the previous versions of their products, but it still isn't anywhere near the same performance you get from using the card natively under Boot Camp.

 

[npriess]

What is the best solution for playing old games like NFS Underground 2 then? (besides bootcamp)

 

[SnowLeopard2008]

You could try CrossOver from CodeWeavers. Just google it. You don't need a windows cd/key at all. Just the cd of the software you wish to use. However, it's not as fast, but it's faster than Fusion/Parallels I think. Boot Camp blows them all away.

 

[npriess]

Okay, I'll try CrossOver.
For normal windows tasks, should I use Parallels or VMware Fusion?