Auxiliary video card for Parallels?

B

bgose

Member
This is a question for Parallels and/or anyone much smarter than me.

Is it possible to install an auxiliary video card and monitor that will only be accessable to Parallels directly?

I am currently running SolidWorks 2007 on my MacPro, but the graphics issues are killing me. BootCamp is much too unstable (I've had issues) and I can't afford to not use my Mac while working with SolidWorks.

I was thinking if I could install another graphics card that is slaved to XP through Parallels and would only display Windows on the second monitor, I could then have hardware openGL/DirectX/etc. graphics support and basically have a "normal" single processor 32bit windows box.

Or maybe I could use some kind of monitor selector switch allowing me to use a single monitor and just switch between OS's.

Somebody's got to know how to do this.
 
I just received an e-mail from Parallels concerning this topic:

From: Kate Williams via RT

>Parallels virtualizes VGA and SVGA with VESA 3.0 support video
>card, which allows
>8mb of video Memory for Windows. Unfortunately it is impossible to
>set VRAM manually.
>Direct3D support will be avaliable in future versions of Parallels

My response to her:

I don't like it when people say something's impossible. A few years
ago people said running Windows apps on a Mac was impossible too.

Could you get the developers there to examine the possibility of
disabling one of the PCI slots in the root MacOS and allow Windows/
Parallels to access only that PCI slot upon startup? If this is
possible, then Windows could have direct access to a video card
installed upon it.

Don't y'all already do something like this with the NIC card?

Does any UNIX master out there have any thoughts on this and a way to do it?
 
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It seems you want something that Parallels is currently unable to deliver. They have even given you that specific answer. They have even explained what development is possible for them, and when it will happen.
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What an amazing and insightful reply. Thank you for telling me what I already know.

However, if you actually read the post, I asked if there was someone out there who is a UNIX genius that MAY have some idea how it would be possible to do this.

I'm sure the girl at Parallels is quite bright, but I would be hard pressed to believe she's a software developer versed in UNIX OS's at the level required to effectively answer my query.

Go "help" someone else.
 
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Unless you can have this elusive genius come to some agreement to do work with Parallels, then your words are just rantings. You've already been told they can't do it.
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Mr. Constant,

I'm just trying to gather information about the possibility of something like this being done. I am sure there are many people interested in seeing direct support for video cards under Parallels and would like this type of functionality sooner rather than later. I am simply submitting an alternative idea on how to do it, however I do not posess the expertise necessary to accomplish that goal.

Wether Parallels chooses to submit a theory or another person unrelated to parallels chimes in is inconsequential to the spirit of the topic.

This is called a discussoin fourm for a reason. Naysayers such as yourself are not helping the free flow of ideas. I will not banter back and forth with you over the internet further. If you do not have any useful information to add to this topic, please ceace commenting.

Thank you. Now can we please get back on topic?
 
'Impossible', in this case, should be read as 'we don't possess the resources/technology to pull it off', not in the lines of 'it violates the laws of physics'. I do believe this path of 'alternate idea' regarding accelerated video has already been beaten quite some time ago. It's clear that this is 'impossible' for them to do it at the moment because all this time, no one has come forward to Parallels to help them do it.

Meanwhile, if you're going so far as use a monitor switch, might as well get a KVM switch and have one Mac and one Windows system like I do. ;)
 
Thank you Wesley, that's the kind of infromation I was looking for. I was unable to find any information on the topic after searching, so I started this one. I guess I just don't know the terminology so my search produced no results.
 
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