Running Windows on Mac – there are three options to run Windows and Windows software programs inside Apple Mac computers namely Parallels Desktop, Boot Camp from Apple and Fusion from VMWare. Boot Camp is free while Parallels and VMWare Fusion cost $80 each. Boot Camp will become a native feature in Leopard – the next version of Apple’s Mac OS X operating system, due in October.
Boot Camp Tutorial – Install Windows XP on a Mac.
You need a purchase a full licensed version of Windows XP / Vista to use it on a Mac with Fusion, Desktop or Boot Camp. While Parallels and Fusion all you to run Windows programs alongside other Mac programs, Boot Camp can run only one OS at the time – you need to restart Mac to switch to Windows. This is similar to installing Ubuntu Linux on a Windows Machine.
Walt, in his review, writes that Parallels has a nice feature that lets you assign any file to automatically open in a Windows program instead of a Mac program. Both Parallels and Fusion allow you to run the full Windows desktop either in a window on your Mac or in full-screen mode. Alternatively, both allow Windows programs to float on their own, with the Windows desktop hidden, so they look and feel just like Mac programs.
Both permit you to fetch and save files from folders already on your Mac. Both support copying and pasting between Mac and Windows programs. Both automatically use your Mac’s Internet connection.
Walt however says that the new Fusion puts less strain on his MacBook pro when compared with Parallels desktop.
Find this article at: http://www.labnol.org/software/download/compare-parallels-bootcamp-fusion-vmware-review/1036/
Reader Comments
WOW, this video review was VERY helpful. I’ve been a PC user for about 10 years and this convinced me that going with a new Mac will still allow me to run my PCs apps. Thanks!
~Tom
Written by Tom Vo on 08.29.07
Good review, thanks Walt
wish one is better if i want to run AutoCAD and 3D studio Max on my Macbook pro? as both these program need a lot of intel power to run.
mic
Written by Michael Chan on 09.28.07
I’m running fusion but it seems to tax my system just launching and running MS Windows. My MacBook Pro heats up significantly and the fan kicks into overdrive. I’m not even running any other applications on the Mac side – just Fusion.
I like the idea of Boot Camp except for the fact you can only boot into one OS at a time.
Written by Roger D on 10.19.07
Awesome video review. :)
I currently use VirtualBox on ubuntu. But, I might try one of these. :)
Written by Joe on 11.15.07
Yes, VM is known to be less resource-intensive than Parallels, and CNet has done a review of them and proved it.
Written by Sumesh on 11.24.07
Why does he call them “PROGRUMS”. What are progrums? I have regular programs on my machine. Perhaps that’s why Parallels runs slow on his system – he’s trying to install PROGRUMS on it.
Written by Aaron on 11.25.07
Good review. Very informative. It would have been useful to bench test VMware Fusion and Parallels on a variety of Macs to see if higher spec machines do better.
Written by Colin Kirkpatrick on 12.02.07
Great information.
its very useful for Mac community.
Written by Iqbal Sajid on 12.25.07
As a real estate agent I’m forced to use some sort of windows os on my mac to be able to access our mls system and our contract writing software. Boot camp was never an option for me because it cannot run windows and os x side by side. Fusions high security prevents it from doing some of the cool things that parallels does like to coherence mode which makes it a more productive desktop option.
I tried both parallels and fusion running windows xp and parallels is the winner. It runs windows xp faster on my macbook pro than boot camp or my old toshiba 2.8Gh p4 machine. I upgraded my home iMac’s to fusion due to the fact that I wanted to run Vista on it. Vista runs much slower on parallels than it does in fusion.
All three products are great and I’m thankful that I can run windows on my mac at such high speeds.
Written by Breckenridge Real Estate Agent on 12.29.07
“I tried both parallels and fusion running windows xp and parallels is the winner. It runs windows xp faster on my macbook pro than boot camp”
You are either completely INSANE or work for Parallels.
Parallel is complete garbage. It runs about 10 times slower, on my MacBook Pro, than Boot Camp does.
Written by JPV on 02.19.08
He is not insane… I have the same results. Windows boots SLOW and runs slugish on my Intel Macbook with 2 GB of ram, while Parallels running the same copy of a Bootcamp partition boots and runs fast.
Written by Jonathan Bardi on 01.13.09
That was a comparison of VMware Fusion and Parallels… Parallels for me is WAY faster.
Written by Jonathan Bardi on 01.13.09