Windows / VMWare Fusion on a Macbook Pro Touchbar. Is it a battery hog?

[Starfyre]

I want to run Windows on my Mac. Just because I have software thats only for windows. Was thinking of using VMWare Fusion as a way of getting it set up. I've read about how older VMWare Fusion software drains battery life like starving ravenous children.

Has anyone run it before? What are your experiences with this?

 

[ILUVAPPLE69]

I had VMWare Fusion 8 Pro, but always used it while plugged in. I can imagine it draining a lot of battery while not plugged in because you're basically running 2 operating systems at once.

 

[unashamedgeek]

I use Fusion on my 2016 15" Macbook and it runs great, but like the other person said I typically do this while plugged in. I don't have any real numbers, but I run VMware software on many laptops (Mac, Linux, and Windows hosts) and it has always put a pretty big dent in the battery life so I've become accustomed to doing any lengthy work while plugged in.

 

[Starfyre]

Is it possible to post-installation "disable" VMWare Fusion so that it doesn't become a battery hog? And if so, is the VMWare Fusion icon still in the top right corner when disabled?

 

[unashamedgeek]

I'm only seeing VMware Fusion hit the battery when it is actively up and running with a guest operating system. I haven't seen anything caused by the application just being open. There is an icon in the bar for Fusion at all times, whether you have a guest OS running or not. There could be a way to hide that, but I haven't looked as I use that to interact with Fusion and start my guest OSes.

Update: You can remove the menu bar icon under the main preferences of Fusion. Under the General section is the option of when to show the Applications Menu - Always, Never, Only when Fusion is running

 

[Starfyre]

Given the 10 hour battery life of the new macbook. Is it reasonable for a Macbook to last at least 5 hours with a single Windows VM running under fusion? Am wondering how long it would last (or is estimated to last) on battery only.

 

[cookiesnfooty]

Given the 10 hour battery life of the new macbook. Is it reasonable for a Macbook to last at least 5 hours with a single Windows VM running under fusion? Am wondering how long it would last (or is estimated to last) on battery only.

Typically 2-3 hours in my experience doing development and lab testing.

I did once run a game and I got around 1hr so definitely depends on your planned usage.