But everyone's not so lucky. If you fall into that category, you'll want to consider springing for Parallels Desktop 5 for Mac, the latest version of the software for running Windows on a Mac.
The new version is purportedly up to 300% faster in virtual machine operations than the previous version. And that may be true. Running Windows apps on my test machine (more on that in a moment) is very smooth, even with some heavy duty games. Plus, you can read some specific stats at MacTech.. If that's not enough, there are more than 70 new features in Parallels Desktop 5 for Mac.
The main use Windows gets in the Sellers household is for my son, Matt, to run games. This test was done on an i7 quad-core iMac with 8GB of memory. That's a lot of computing power, so your mileage with Parallels Desktop 5 may vary. Less computing power and less RAM will probably mean a decrease in performance. System requirements are any Intel-based Mac running Mac OS X 10.4.11 or later, including Snow Leopard. And I wouldn't recommend using this on a system with less than 4GB of memory.
In addition to the speed, the thing I like best about Parallels Desktop 5 is that you can choose how much or little Windows you want to see -- for me, the less the better. Your choices range from running Windows in full screen mode where Windows completely covers the Mac user interface to the new Crystal view mode that makes Windows completely disappear.
In other words, the Crystal mode completely does away with the Parallels application menu and puts everything in the Dock and Mac OS menu bar. You can also even get a Mac-like experience in Windows applications, using the Apple Trackpad Gestures technology to pinch, swipe, and rotate as they do in Mac applications -- the "MacLook" mode.
If you're counting that's now a total of five window modes: Windowed, Modality, Full Screen, Coherence, Crystal, and the MacLook option. In Windowed mode, you can choose to run our virtual machine as a separate window alongside your Mac apps. In Modality mode, you can view all your Virtual Machines and programs running in transparent windows working in Mac OS X. In Full Screen your Mac desktop is fully replicated in Windows. In Coherence mode, you can have Windows Vista applications right there in your Mac OS X Dock, with no Windows desktop.
Parallels Desktop 5 also ships with a host of useful tools, including Acronis True Image and Acronis Disk Director Suite, to help manage VM creation. In addition, the product comes with a one-year subscription to Parallels Internet Security 2009 by Kaspersky Lab, which you may need if you're going to be running Windows on your Mac.
Parallels Desktop 5 for Mac also offers full support for Aero in Windows Vista and 7 through Windows WDDM driver, including Aero Flip 3D. Virtual machine size is automatically optimized for best performance with Parallels Compressor. Not enough? There's also improved performance for a Linux guest OS from KVM paravirtualization.
With Parallels Desktop 5, there's enhanced copy and paste fidelity for formatted text and complete layouts, including images, even between Windows and Linux guest OSs. Previously, copying and pasting between Mac OS X and Windows was previously limited to unformatted text, but both styled text and images can now be copied and pasted. You can also now run Windows and Mac applications across multiple monitors.
The new version of the virtualization solution offers Direct X 9Ex with Shader Model 3 and OpenGL 2.1 support. Full hardware resources can be utilized with support for eight virtual CPUs, 64 bit Windows and Snow Leopard Server 64 bit. You can move PCs (including Windows 7) and third party virtual machines to the Mac with the enhanced Parallels Transporter.
However, I did notice some problems with Aero. For example, random parts of the screen would intermittently disappear, then reappear. Plus, there are reported issues with the latest 3D design apps.
Parallels Desktop 5 for Mac is available in English, German, French, Italian and Spanish. Additional localized versions will soon be available in Chinese, Czech, Hungarian, Japanese, Polish and Russian are in the works.
The standard retail price of Parallels Desktop 5 for Mac is US$79.99, including $175 worth of additional software for free: Parallels Internet Security 2009 by Kaspersky (1 year subscription); Acronis Disk Director Suite 10.0 (Disk Management); Acronis True Image Home 2010 (Backup and Recovery Solutions).
Current Parallels Desktop users can upgrade their existing software for $49.99. Users that purchased version 4.0 on or after Oct. 1, 2009, qualify with a proof of purchase for a free upgrade to version 5. Customers who purchased from the Parallels Online Store will be notified directly with their upgrade key. Customers who purchased Parallels Desktop 4.0 for Mac with Channel/ Retail/ e-tail Partners have to proactively claim their free of charge upgrade at http://www.parallels.com/keyfor5/ .
Volume pricing and site-license opportunities are also available for new customers. A free trial of Parallels Desktop 5 for Mac is available along with in-depth information, videos and screenshots of the new features by going here. By the way, note that all existing users will need to update their virtual machines and reinstall Parallels Desktop tools to get access to the new features in 5.
Admittedly, I'm not a heavy Windows user, so you may want to investigate this product further, as well as Fusion from VMWare. But I've been impressed with what I've experienced, and my son Matt is very happy with the gaming results of Parallels Desktop 5.
Macsimum rating; 8 out of 10
