Bootcamp vs. Parallels: which one is better for you?
Windows on Mac now runs smoothly by booting or installing virtual machine programs like Parallels. Parallels software boasts more skin in the game since 2006. It supports Microsoft OS with a virtual machine that allows you to quickly shift from macOS to Windows without rebooting.
Boot Camp, on the other hand, is a built-in option allowing you to run Windows to get the ultimate maximum speed out of a Mac. After testing the two products, we observed remarkable maturity and stability for both using a range of benchmarks including CPU, performance, workflow, and graphics.
We’ll walk you through how they vary in features’ range, complexity, and cost to help you decide which one answers the description of your circumstances.
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Part 1. Bootcamp vs. Parallels: Differentiating Features
Performance
Native hardware support keeps Boot Camp way ahead of its virtualized counterpart. Apple’s Boot Camp offers unparalleled bare-metal performance to give you the best of both worlds for resource-intensive activities. It never runs out of steam, even if you play 4K resolution twitch games at speeds of 60fps. Your Mac should transform into a supercomputer Window machine.
Parallels falls prey to processing overheads due to its virtualized environment. Parallels uses its newly-created DirectX 11 support for the Fallout 4 game. Our Apple testbeds experienced intermittent sluggishness and fan noise when we fired it up using low-quality video configurations on a 2015 game. With a decent MacBook and discrete graphics, you've got a fighting chance to set up a robust gaming rig.
Compatibility
Onto synchronization, the installed operating system and version of your Windows might be incompatible for older generations. The current variant of Boot Camp (6.1) shipped with macOS Sierra (10.12) will not pre-8.1 Windows versions while the latest Macs don’t support Windows 7. Macs released in 2014 or earlier work with previous variants of Boot Camp (version 4 and 5) to run Windows 7 while newer Macs only power Windows 8.1 or 10 via Boot Camp 6.
Conversely, Parallels provides the ultimate flexibility with unfettered compatibility. It works with macOS Server, OS X, Linux, Windows 10, 8.1, and 7, and Unix. You no longer have to switch between PC and Mac. It also supports single-click installs of 5 Linux distros, Android x86 and a variety of macOS versions.
Overall Integration
Parallels software offers a deep level of synchronization and isolates the guest operating systems from the macOS host. Best of all, Parallels allows you to support two operating systems concurrently. The program has smoothly incorporated bidirectional sharing.
Boot Camp pales in comparison to third-party virtual programs as it requires rebooting to shift gears from Windows to macOS. Compatibility issues arise when retrieving files from NTFS-formatted Windows drives from the Mac end. The new APFS drive format for High Sierra has raised similar compatibility puzzles.
Impact on System Resources
Boot Camp requires users to hive off space from the startup disk for the OS, which is also formatted to NTFS. In addition to a minimum of 40GB of hard disk, you can only read its partition components without writing to it. You have to overcome the communication barrier separating the operating systems for cross-platform file transfer.
Parallels Desktop packs all the bells and whistles of a virtual machine while it supports cross-platform guest operating systems. The tradeoff is your Mac takes a roughly 10% efficiency penalty. Its host has to subdivide the hardware resources for the extant guest OS.
Part 2. PROs & CONs of Boot Camp and Parallels
Boot Camp
PROs
- Free trial offer for 14 days
- Supports operating systems natively with access to system resources
- Ideal for resource-intensive applications like games and video rendering tool
- Boot Camp Assistant makes installation a breeze
- Detailed installation instructions
CONs
- Does not run two operating systems simultaneously
Parallels
PROs
- Virtual machine supports the two operating systems concurrently
- Deep integration for seamless file sharing across the operating systems
- Fast startup time
- Quick setup to create a virtual machine
- Expanding disk format allows you to save space
CONs
- You may experience sluggish Performance