Running Windows on a Mac: Boot Camp, Parallels Desktop & VMware Fusion

[Sam]

Sticky Update:

I've added a review for both VMware Fusion and Parallels Desktop. They are both from Macworld magazine. If you have any other reviews for these two applications, send them in to me!

Parallels Desktop 3.0 Review
VMware Fusion 1.0 Review

[Sam]

I'm back, guys!

Anyways, minor Sticky Update. The previous link to Macworld's VMware Fusion Review does not work, and I've edited it so it is the proper link. Thanks to tpoynton for pointing that out!

[Ichigo]

I'm still on the fence on what Windows to buy for a purely gaming partition. Everything else is going to be done within OSX, but not most games (Civ IV works on OSX, hehe).

The options are between XP Home, Vista Basic, and Vista Basic 64-bit. I've seen benchmarks that favour XP, and some that favour Vista, so I'm a bit clueless how both will perform under Bootcamp. While I would like to get Vista Basic 64 just for a 64-bit OS, I need the internal microphone to work. I've heard certain devices like the iSight camera (which I don't care about) don't work, but I'm not sure about the microphone, obviously.

So, help me.

[Sam]

Well, as far as I've seen, Windows XP is still the way to go for gaming...the main advantage of Vista is DX10 but most games have not heavily incorporated DX10 yet.

Vista Basic is kind of pointless if you ask me...it barely has any of the features that Microsoft marketed Vista to be all about.

So if you ask me, I'd say get Windows XP Home. Your applications and hardware are sure to work fine on XP, but the same cannot be said for Vista.

Hope this helps .

[Ichigo]

Well, for a purely gaming partition, the Aero interface, Windows Media Extender, backup options, etc. won't mean a thing to me. The 64-bit + DX10 merely seemed a reasonable choice, given that performance difference be miniscule.

XP Home will take up less space though...

[Zedr0n]

Well, for a purely gaming partition, the Aero interface, Windows Media Extender, backup options, etc. won't mean a thing to me. The 64-bit + DX10 merely seemed a reasonable choice, given that performance difference be miniscule.

XP Home will take up less space though...

yeah, and bootcamp doesn't officially support 64-bit OS for now, so XP is one of the best options so far

[Ichigo]

I've heard the drivers for the essentials work fine, but that I'll simply be missing things like the iSight camera, which I won't miss in Windows.

[Sam]

Sticky Update

I've decided to remove this part of the Windows on a Mac Guide until more confirmed reports:

According to several reports, although not confirmed by Apple, Tiger users who do not want to upgrade to Leopard can pay $29 US for the final version of Boot Camp as well

Mainly because more recent reports are saying that Boot Camp will be Leopard-exclusive, so I've decided to remove this until we have more information on whether Boot Camp will be available for Tiger.

[Redline]

Sticky Update

I've decided to remove this part of the Windows on a Mac Guide until more confirmed reports:



Mainly because more recent reports are saying that Boot Camp will be Leopard-exclusive, so I've decided to remove this until we have more information on whether Boot Camp will be available for Tiger.

Are you ****ing kidding? That really sucks for the people that use Windows exclusively. I don't want to pay $69, much less $129, for an OS that I will never use, no matter how upgraded it is.

As a Windows version for Gaming, I'd either go XP (whatever version you like best - I'm using Pro with the MCE theme), or Vista HP if you want DX10. I'd stay the hell away from Vista though - its an absolute pain.

[Sam]

Nopes, I'm not kidding .

More recent reports seem to indicate that Apple is hinting that Boot Camp will be an exclusive feature of Leopard. There's been no mention whatsoever about whether Tiger will be able to have Boot Camp. So for now I've decided to take down the message.

Frankly, Vivek, what you just last said is a great example of why I don't recommend people get Macs for the sole purpose of running Windows full time. You'll be paying for things you never use. Exactly in your case, where you may need to get Leopard to get Boot Camp even though you don't use OS X.