The past two weeks have been exciting with the release of new and updated Apple products, Windows 7 and now Parallels Desktop 5 for Mac. The web has been buzzing with VM talk, so we are bringing you a collection of reviews of Parallels Desktop 5.
Positive review of PD5 and features (MacWorld)
Parallels announced Wednesday that Parallels Desktop 5 for Mac is now available. The latest release of the virtualization solution allows users to run Windows, Linux, and other operating systems on their Intel-based Macs. Parallels Desktop 5 works in both Leopard and Snow Leopard [...]
In the “faster” category, Parallels Desktop 5 now includes full Aero support in Windows Vista and Windows 7, and an improved Parallels Transporter promises to speed up and ease the task of converting a standalone PC into a Parallels virtual machine. USB transfer speeds in Windows are faster than before, and Parallels Compressor runs in the background to optimize the size of the virtual machine for better performance.
Parallels says new Mac virtualization app keeps edge over VMware (ComputerWorld)
Parallels Inc. released the latest version of its Windows virtualization software for Mac computers on Wednesday, which it claims remains faster and more powerful than VMware Inc.'s rival app.
Parallels Desktop 5 for Mac boasts 70 new features, including compatibility with the latest, highest-end versions of Windows 7 and Mac OS X, full support for Windows' enhanced graphics user interface, Aero, and deeper integration between Windows and Mac such that users won't notice when switching back and forth between the environments.
Parallels 5 boasts huge speed improvement (CNET)
Speaking with CNET, Parallels CEO Serguei Beloussov said company had three main goals when making Parallels 5 for Mac: make it faster; make it smarter and easier; and make it more powerful.
Beloussov said the company achieved those goals by adding support for gestures, supporting a broader range of 3D features, and optimizing Parallels to handle virtual hardware and drivers more efficiently.
Parallels 5 also adds a new viewing mode called Crystal, which is similar to Coherence, where Windows completely disappears from your desktop. However, Crystal adds the Windows taskbar items on the top of the Mac OS X menu, allowing easy access.
Parallels Desktop 5 claims performance edge in Win-on-Mac (ArsTechnica)
In the performance area, Desktop 5 claims a 300 percent performance increase in VM operations over Desktop 4. Parallels also says that Desktop 5 has a 22 percent speed advantage advantage over VMware Fusion in "productivity application performance." It offers support for 8 virtualized CPUs, and fully supports 64-bit Snow Leopard and Windows variants. Parallels Compressor will automatically compress VMs to an optimium size for the best performance, and VMs will also automatically pause when the applications running on it aren't currently active.
Graphics is an area where Desktop 5 seems to have the biggest performance gains. It supports OpenGL 2.1 for Windows WDDM and DirectX 9Ex with Shader Model 3 for full Aero support in Windows Vista and Windows 7. It also supports OpenGL 2.1 for Linux VMs. The beefed-up graphics support in version 5 resulted in a 700 percent improvement in 3DMark 2006 Pro benchmarks over Desktop 4. This updated support is especially important if your use of Windows is primarily for gaming.
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