Matrix Games Forums

MAC users, which do you prefer to run Command in, Parallels or BootCamp? Win 7 or 8? Anyone try both, if so, what's better?

I've only run in Parallels, with Windows 7, so I can't give a comparison, but with that setup, so far no complaints.
I have a 2011 MacBook Pro with 4GB RAM and 1GB graphics processor. I have yet to run any large scenarios, but I also have more memory on order...upgrading to 16GB.(not for Command - for other reasons but I'm sure it won't hurt)

I don't have a Bootcamp partition so I can't compare the two.

I've read one user saying that it was running faster in Bootcamp than in Parallels.

This would make sense as Bootcamp allows Windows to run on the hardware rather than using a hypervisor such as Parallels.

I haven't done it myself yet but if I had to choose, I'd go with Bootcamp for gaming.

I am running it off an iMac with an i5 processor using Windows 7. I have tried it in under Parallels and Bootcamp. In my experience the game runs faster under Bootcamp for the reasons cited above. Not to say you can't run it in Parallels, I just noticed a longer bootup time and I had a sense that engagements were lagging compared to Bootcamp. On the other hand, the 27" monitor makes it all worthwhile and I have had no problems installing or running the simulation...

Thanks for the insights!

In general, we recommend Boot Camp. Most of our games will work under Parallels, but if you have the option, Bootcamp gives you 100% compatibility and better performance.