“Overall, Parallels Desktop 5 for Mac is the top virtualizer for Mac OS X. VMware Fusion 3 is a close second, with Sun’s VirtualBox 3.1 running a distant third. VirtualBox has a few unique features and is free, but doesn’t support many Mac OS X features. Parallels Desktop 5 and VMware Fusion 3 also automate the installation of guest operating systems and support multiple monitors,” Rizzo reports. “Furthermore, these new versions add support for Windows 7 Aero features, such as Aero Peek and Aero Glass. VirtualBox doesn’t do any of these.”
Rizzo reports, “Parallels Desktop 5 provides the best overall performance. Not that VMware Fusion 3 is slow, but it can stumble with graphics-heavy tasks and uses more of the Mac’s processor, leaving less CPU bandwidth for Mac applications… Parallels is also more Mac-like in enabling you to launch Windows applications from Mac OS X, even when Parallels isn’t running. It puts a Windows application folder in the Dock, just as Snow Leopard has a folder for Mac apps. Add a second Windows virtual machine, and a second folder is tacked on. Fusion appends a Start menu to the right side of the Mac’s top-screen menu bar. It works, but I prefer the more standard Dock approach.”
There’s much more in the full review here.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader "Edward W." for the heads up.]
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