#Parallels desktop 12 review .exe#
#Parallels desktop 12 review upgrade#
#Parallels desktop 12 review full#
#Parallels desktop 12 review windows 10#
#Parallels desktop 12 review pro#

To gauge performance we used GeekBenchвЂ™s 32-bit benchmark. You choose how much RAM and how many cores you want Windows to be able to use, which lets you adjust the experience based on your needs. This isnвЂ™t a top-of-the-line laptop by any means, and its best days are definitely behind it.

#Parallels desktop 12 review pro#

We reviewed Parallels 10 on a 2011 MacBook Pro with an Intel Core i5 2.3GHz processor supported by 8GB of RAM. The process feels completely natural, and will come in handy for long-time Mac users (though it will always feel weird to close and minimize programs from the right side of the screen on an Apple computer). You can also copy and paste across OS X and Windows. That means the touch pad gestures youвЂ™re accustomed to using will still be available while working in Windows or another OS. When youвЂ™re running Windows as the primary operating system, youвЂ™ll still get to enjoy all of the cool things you love about your Mac. Once you get used to It, itвЂ™s easy to forger that youвЂ™re even working in a different OS. It creates an incredibly seamless experience that makes Windows feel like part of your normal workflow. Swiping to the side with three fingers moves you over, or you can swipe up with three fingers and access all of your desktops.

#Parallels desktop 12 review full#

When running Windows in full screen, switching between it and your OS X environment is the same as switching between desktops on your Mac. Parallels 10 plays nice with the new iOS 8 and Yosemite handoff features, so youвЂ™ll feel right at home. It will even make the switch automatically if you click вЂњSend with MessagesвЂќ from the Windows Context menu. Messages is still a Mac app, so youвЂ™ll need to switch back to OS X to send text messages, but as weвЂ™ll get to soon, switching back and forth is so fast that you wonвЂ™t even notice itвЂ™s happening. This, along with some of the other features, make Windows not feel like a separate OS, but rather an integrated part of the OS X experience. This means that you can still click a phone number link and make a call from your Mac, as long as your iPhone is nearby. But all of the other virtualization programs can do that as well, so itвЂ™s the extra features of program that make it stand out. Obviously, the key feature of Parallels 10 is the ability to run Windows, Linux, or Chrome OS alongside your existing Mac installation. Advanced users can tweak every aspect of their installation, and new users can click a few buttons and be ready to go.

ItвЂ™s definitely nice that Parallels 10 offers different options for setup. It took some trial and error, but at least there was a solution, frustrating at is was. This meant I had to wade through the wide array of options, which is great to have for advanced users, but for someone new to virtualization, these options can be quite complicated. It defaulted to DirectX 10, and I had to turn it off completely for my older mid 2011 MacBook to handle it.

#Parallels desktop 12 review windows 10#

Using the automatic option caused almost all text to be missing from my Windows 10 installation. More experienced users can visit the setup options and adjust every aspect of your Windows installation, from the amount of RAM used to power Windows to how 3D graphics are handled. The set up process can be extremely easy, or incredibly confusing, depending on how you choose to go about it.

#Parallels desktop 12 review .exe#

exe file, and if you have one of those, youвЂ™ll have to begin the install process on a Windows PC and convert everything to an ISO file from there. Regardless of whether you choose to go the easy way or the hard way, youвЂ™re going to need an ISO of the OS you want to install. Parallels 10 is the most expensive of the bunch, but is it worth it? ThatвЂ™s what weвЂ™re here to figure out today.

When it comes to this, thereвЂ™s three big players Parallels 10, VMWare Fusion, and VirtualBox. ThatвЂ™s where virtualization comes into play, as it lets you create a virtual machine and run an alternate OS from within the main one.

If you need to switch back and forth frequently without restarting their computer, though, this is not a great option. One popular way to accomplish installing Windows on a Mac is AppleвЂ™s Boot Camp, which lets users install it on a separate partition. Whether itвЂ™s because their job requires the use of Windows-exclusive software, or they want to take advantage of the wider library of games available on MicrosoftвЂ™s operating system, the reasons to run both are numerous.

#Parallels desktop 12 review upgrade#

High annual upgrade costs hold it back, but itвЂ™s still a fantastic piece of software.ДЇor many Mac owners, the idea of running Windows (or other operating systems) is appealing. Parallels 10 is packed with virtualization features and full support for Windows 10.