Which path, Bootcamp, Parallels, or Fusion?

[Richdave]

So I have somehow converted to Mac... not sure how it happened...

First I dabbled with a hackintosh as a bit of fun....

and after that it was a non working Imac off eBay that I fixed...

and now I have 2 iMac's, 2 PC's -1 PC running W7 x64 Pro, Vista x64 Home Prem, and 10.6.2, and the other XP.

So now I am ready to jump... I think.

I think I'd rather a virtual system so that I can access either OS on the fly w/o rebooting but perhaps this is a flawed reasoning...

Advice and ideas appreciated...

BTW I'd rather a solution that allowed me to "port" a running install over if possible - again pro's/cons if it IS possible

EDIT - Just realised there is CrossOver too to consider... particularly the "Games" version as I do play... just a little

 

[spinnerlys]

Do you need the GPU at its fullest speed and capacity? Games are the prime example or 3D software.
Then use Boot Camp.

As far as I've read, one can't "port" an already existing Windows installation, so that you can use it in Boot Camp or any of those VMs.

Have you taken a look at MRoogle, as the question about what to use for Windows comes up every week, and you haven't been specific for what you use Windows.

 

[kernkraft]

I agree. If gaming is important, you cannot ignore Boot Camp. Then you could use virtualisation and use the same install. Both Fusion 3 and Parallels 5 can do that. There is a free virtualisation software from Sun, check it out, but I would personally recommend either Fusion or Parallels with Boot Camp.

MacUpdate just have a bundle offer, you can have Parallels 5 for $50 with a bunch of other software that you will never use. It's worth that. Apparently, Parallels 5 is faster than the latest Fusion, although some complain about stability issues.

 

[Richdave]

thanks for the ideas and advice... the macUpdate offer is tempting if only for the parallels 5 at $30 off RRP (that's a saving of AUD$64 on the local apple price ) But I have to decide how I want to set things up first...

I don't quite understand

either Fusion or Parallels with Boot Camp

why would you use a VM WITH bootcamp. Isn't it an either/or choice

 

[nefan65]

If you're unsure about VM, download Virtualbox. It's free, and supports all versions of Windows and Linux. I don't think it supports Windows 2008 Server, yet. But Windows XP, Vista, and 7 are. It's a SUN product, and they have regular updates. I use it all the time on my Macbook for Windows 7 access. I need it for Visio.

Give it a shot. It's as good, performance wise, as Parallels and Fusion [I used the latter, but got tired of buying updates].

My 2 cents

EDIT: My bad, the latest release DOES support Windows 2008 Server. Just not the Datacenter edition.

 

[kernkraft]

thanks for the ideas and advice... the macUpdate offer is tempting if only for the parallels 5 at $30 off RRP (that's a saving of AUD$64 on the local apple price ) But I have to decide how I want to set things up first...

I don't quite understand why would you use a VM WITH bootcamp. Isn't it an either/or choice

You can do the traditional Boot Camp Windows install, but when you install Parallels (I think it's the same with Fusion), it can use the Windows install that is already on your computer, so you just choose what is already on your computer. So at booting, you may choose OS X or full on Windows, but if you choose OS X, you will still have the option of running a virtual Windows machine on your OS X. So you need to install once and you don't need two serial numbers. Don't forget that virtualisation is always more problematic. That's why I recommended having Boot Camp AND one virtualisation software. In fact, you may try more virtual computers with Fusion or Parallels. Or Virtualbox, if you want something for free.

 

[Richdave]

nefan65 - Thanks for the pointer to Virtualbox I'll d/l and have a play I think

Kernkraft - appreciate the expanded explanation. I did a MRoogle and found THIS thread which has given me some things to consider too.

I think I need to up my RAM though if I go the VM route...esp if I settle on a W7 installation.

I am leaning towards a bootcamp/VM solution though. That way I can hard boot for gaming and VM for apps like MS office et al...

I would probably port my email and calendar over to OSX though...

 

[kernkraft]

Sorry for the confusion, but I'm doing something and I've had a long night filled with solid multitasking.

(English is not my first language, anyway.)

Good luck with the virtualisation! Check out the manufacturers' websites too, if you can and see a few impartial reviews. Fusion enjoys a lot of support, but I found some recent tests proving that the latest version of Parallels is ahead.