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Parallels Desktop For Mac Vs. VMware

Posted by timothy on from the when-it-positively-has-to-run-windows dept.

neilticktin writes "MacTech performed an exhaustive set of benchmarks comparing Parallels Desktop 4 to VMWare Fusion 2 to run Windows on a Mac. To tackle this problem, MacTech undertook a huge benchmarking project starting in December — over 2500 tests by stopwatch. The goal was to see how the recent versions of VMWare Fusion and Parallels Desktop performed on different levels of Mac hardware, using XP, Vista, 64-bit, multi-procs, games, etc. ... As usual, results vary by what's important to you."

8 of 195 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Citrix? by mevets · · Score: 5, Funny

    They are both tiny, and only adequate for virtual applications.

  2. Apparently the final benchmark is still underway by jeffmeden · · Score: 5, Funny

    Slashdotted already? Bummer. I have a feeling I know what the conclusion page says... "Do NOT host a web server with IIS on a Macbook running Windows in VMware Fusion"

  3. This violates VMware's EULA by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Interesting

    VMware states that you can not post benchmarks. This is why there are no benchmarks out there comparing it.

    Prepare to have your page deactivated.

    1. Re:This violates VMware's EULA by ganhawk · · Score: 5, Informative

      Wrong! VMware only wants to review the methodology and approve it. You do not have to get the results approved.

      From register.vmware.com/content/eula.html

      "you (and not unauthorized third parties) may publish or publicly disseminate; provided that VMware has reviewed and approved of the methodology, assumptions and other parameters of the study. Please contact VMware at benchmark@vmware.com to request such review."

      --
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  4. Re:Slashdotted after 3 comments by AKAImBatman · · Score: 5, Informative

    Personally, I prefer VirtualBox. It has all the features you expect of a professional VM (rootless desktop, 3D acceleration, drive passthrough, etc.) but is available for the low-low price of $0.

    The situation looks a bit different if you're going to use it for business purposes, but for home use there is no better option than VirtualBox.

    --
    Javascript + Nintendo DSi = DSiCade
  5. Re:free? by TheRaven64 · · Score: 5, Informative
    I switched from Parallels Desktop to VirtualBox and it has one feature which I really like; the ability to run for over a week without causing a kernel panic. This was something the version of Parallels I paid for couldn't do. Apparently they messed up the IPI handling (doing something that was wrong but relatively harmless on the Core 1, and very bad on the Core 2), but the only way of 'fixing' the problem way to buy the next version of the product. Since I don't like paying for bug fixes, I never found out if the new version actually did fix the problem, but there's no way I'd give the company any money after that.

    VirtualBox got off to a slow start. There were some issues for a long while that prevented it from running FreeBSD in guests, but they were fixed with the 2.1.2 release. Now it works very well, and I didn't have to pay anything to go from the old release to the one that actually works (or for the original release, for that matter). The latest version apparently supports 3D on Windows guests, but I don't have a Windows install set up at the moment so I haven't been able to test this.

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  6. 'Fusion' ne 'ESX' by joe_n_bloe · · Score: 5, Insightful

    That would be 99.99% of home users. It's hard to conceive of an application for ESX[i] at "home," given Fusion and Workstation. ESX is heavyweight and particular in its hardware requirements, nontrivial to manage (especially with the free license), and just generally not the right thing if you don't have a spare tower server or DC handy, a full license, and someone else to pay your power bill. Although, in those circumstances, it's pretty cool.

    (A bunch of the remaining .01% are going to explain why I'm wrong now.)

    Disclaimer: I work for VMware. (And I would run ESX at home if there was a reason to.)

  7. Re:Always funny to me... by IANAAC · · Score: 5, Informative
    I can't speak for Mac use, but I've used Linux pretty much full time for the last few years. I am a freelance translator, and have, for the most part, been able to function fine without any Microsoft products. There is one program that is fairly industry-standard though: Trados. It only runs on Windows. There *ARE* viable alternatives, however, agencies insist on assigning/receiving projects in that format.

    It sucks that I am sometimes forced to use it, but I lose a sale if I don't.

    That's my reasoning for needing a Windows instance, and I bet my situation is not that uncommon.