Pros and Cons of Boot Camp, Boot Camp-Based VM, and Parallels Desktop Virtual Machine
Run Windows by Booting Mac from Boot Camp | Parallels Desktop Runs Windows on Boot Camp Partition | Parallels Desktop Runs Windows in a VM | |
---|---|---|---|
Performance | Best** | OK | OK |
Run Windows applications on Mac without reboot | |||
Disk space usage* | High | High | Low |
Convenient VM features: Suspend and Resume, Snapshots | *** | ||
Easy backup | |||
Easy move to the new Mac |
- I have just gone back from Bootcamp to Parallels 9, it suits my needs, if the game is a real MUST HAVE REAL SHOW STOPPER I can always setup a partition somewhere for Bootcamp. Parallels will be as good as your machine will allow. Also you can backup the Bootcamp Partition with a program called Winclone if that is your worry, also things are.
- Parallels is an entirely distinct program with far more settings and preferences to learn. In contrast, Boot Camp involves a more direct setup. Parallels strain your Mac's processing power, and memory as both the operating systems are working at the same time, compared to Boot Camp.
The only thing to remember is you have to properly Shut Down the Parallels version before trying to boot the Boot Camp version. Full instructions - Parallels KB - Can I run my Boot Camp partition with Parallels Desktop? One thing it notes is that it only works if your Boot Camp is on the same drive as your Mac partition.
*See disk space information below.
**While Boot Camp provides performance benefits to high-end graphics-intensive applications, most Office workloads don't benefit from using Boot Camp.
***You can suspend and resume Windows on a Boot Camp partition in Parallels Desktop, but you should not suspend when you reboot your Mac to Boot Camp. Otherwise, the data is lost.
Run Windows by Booting Mac from Boot Camp | |
---|---|
Performance | Best** |
Run Windows applications on Mac without reboot | |
Disk space usage* | High |
Convenient VM features: Suspend and Resume, Snapshots | |
Easy backup | |
Easy move to the new Mac |
Parallels Desktop Runs Windows on Boot Camp Partition | |
---|---|
Performance | OK |
Run Windows applications on Mac without reboot | |
Disk space usage* | High |
Convenient VM features: Suspend and Resume, Snapshots | *** |
Easy backup | |
Easy move to the new Mac |
Parallels Desktop Runs Windows in a VM | |
---|---|
Performance | OK |
Run Windows applications on Mac without reboot | |
Disk space usage* | Low |
Convenient VM features: Suspend and Resume, Snapshots | |
Easy backup | |
Easy move to the new Mac |
Migrate Parallels To Bootcamp
*See disk space information below.
**While Boot Camp provides performance benefits to high-end graphics-intensive applications, most Office workloads don't benefit from using Boot Camp.
***You can suspend and resume Windows on a Boot Camp partition in Parallels Desktop, but you should not suspend when you reboot your Mac to Boot Camp. Otherwise, the data is lost.