MBP 13 2.4 - Parallels 6 or VM Fusion (Windows 7 x86 or x64)

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Hey you guys!

I'll be purchasing my first Mac, the Macbook Pro 13 2.4 model.

I'd like to run Windows 7 at the same time so I'll have to purchase either Parallels 6 or VM Fusion. I have both Windows 7 x86 and x64 from the college. Which software should I purchase and which format of Windows 7 should I install?

Thanks you guys!
 
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Hey you guys!

I'll be purchasing my first Mac, the Macbook Pro 13 2.4 model.

I'd like to run Windows 7 at the same time so I'll have to purchase either Parallels 6 or VM Fusion. I have both Windows 7 x86 and x64 from the college. Which software should I purchase and which format of Windows 7 should I install?

Thanks you guys!
 
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Hey you guys!

I'll be purchasing my first Mac, the Macbook Pro 13 2.4 model.

I'd like to run Windows 7 at the same time so I'll have to purchase either Parallels 6 or VM Fusion. I have both Windows 7 x86 and x64 from the college. Which software should I purchase and which format of Windows 7 should I install?

Thanks you guys!
 
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I prefer VMWare for my purposes, though they are very similar products. VMWare typically has better promotions and finding it cheaper than Parallels is more likely.

I'd install x64 providing there are no legacy apps you are needing to run. Oddly, Microsoft recommends installing MS Office 2010 x86 on x64 machines due to compatibility restraints. So what that tells me is that x64 is the future still. The nice thing with virtualization is you can have as many virtual machines you want. Install both x86 and x64. Run whichever you want, but the option will be yours at that point.
 
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I would start by reading the Switcher's Guide sticky at the top of this forum - this is exactly why it is there. After reviewing the Guide, you should have a better sense of what to do because the answer is different for each user's needs.

Remember, each of Parallels and Fusion have a 30-day free trial download -- so you can try both to see what you prefer before purchasing. You should also consider Sun's VirtualBox, which is free and works well with Win7. With respect to whether you should go with 32-bit or 64-bit Win7, the main difference is that the 64-bit version will allow access to more RAM. All of the virtual machine applications allow you to allocate your system RAM between Windows and OSX. If you are purchasing a MBP 13 with 4 GB of RAM, you won't really be able to allocate more than 3 GB of RAM to your virtual machine anyways and still be able to run OSX. Most people who buy the 13 get it with 4 GB of RAM. If you were otherwise planning to get the 8 GB version, Win7-64 would allow you to use more RAM. Ultimately, that choice depends on whether you really need more than 3 GB of RAM on either the Windows or OSX side at the same time you are running the other OS, - for most applications and users of virtual machines, the answer is no.

Good luck!
 

robduckyworth


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i tried virtualisation once with XP and i couldn't deal with it. it lagged for me. would you not prefer to save some money and use bootcamp?

runs windows 7 x64 perfectly, and doesn't have to share RAM with OSX.
 

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If you don't know what the differences between X86 and X64 is does it even matter? Either way if you are running Parallels or VM Fusion they both are doing the same thing.

Personally I liked Parallel when I was using it. This was Parallel 4 though and I haven't used the newer versions so I can't really comment on 6.
 
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I use VM Fusion 3 for Windows 7 64 BIT with my Macbook Pro 15" i7 2.8 Ghz, 8 Gigs of RAM. I have no problems what so ever. I highly recommend it.
 
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VM info

Hello there. As for running A VM partition, I recently just upgraded to back the software smoothly and I tell you, buttery smooth. I'm on 13 MBP 2.66 C2D 240 Mercury Pro SSD, 8GB Ram SL 10.6.6 and Windows 7 64 bit. The VM itself is noticeable as it hogs RAM when tested. Now when allocating settings, I set 4 GB for each one of the partitions as them being for both SL&Win7.If you can spare some dough for an upgrade on ram I say go for it. best bang for the buck in that. As for running either VMWare or parallels 6 I have parallels and it's a money program. I like how in Parallels, you can set your appearance to either look like a PC or look like a Mac. Now with 8GB of ram total, the experience is very fast and responsive. On website Macsales.com, 8 GB ram DDR3 1067 4 per. went for $120. So worth it
 
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Honestly, the only thing I'll be using Parallel or VM for is my Zune and possibly playing a few games through Stream. I will be maxing it out to 8gb. Does that change anyone's original input?
 
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Honestly, the only thing I'll be using Parallel or VM for is my Zune and possibly playing a few games through Stream. I will be maxing it out to 8gb. Does that change anyone's original input?
 
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Honestly, the only thing I'll be using Parallel or VM for is my Zune and possibly playing a few games through Stream. I will be maxing it out to 8gb. Does that change anyone's original input?
 
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Have you considered VirtualBox. it is freeware. That wil be the one i try first if i find myself needing a windows app.
 

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Thanks for the additional information. If you are purchasing the 8 GB version of the MBP 13, then Win7x64 would allow you to access more RAM (either in Boot Camp or via a Virtual Machine).

Given the uses you are planning, obviously the Zune is pretty non-demanding. For gaming, normally we recommend using Boot Camp because it gives you native access to your video hardware, while a virtual machine does not (but is still adequate for your purposes). However, I note that the nVidia 320M graphics that come with the MBP won't necessarily give you the kind of video performance you'd get with the 330M (on the 15" or 17" MBPs) so that might not matter a whole lot - it really is game-specific, and others on the forum can comment on Steam-based game performance with different cards (I don't use Steam in any derivation).

Given this situation, I think your best course is to install VirtualBox or one of the free trial versions of Fusion or Parallels, create a virtual machine with Windows and try it out. If you are happy about how it works, then you're set. If you are not happy with the VM performance, then do a boot camp installation with the same Windows disk and see how that goes. You can also install Windows on Boot Camp and then create a virtual machine from that partition under each of these programs - that way you can choose whether you want to reboot or stay in OSX. Best of both worlds. Based on this, just pick what you like best. :)

Cheers
 

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