How many CPUs are you using and more?

Dear All,

I use Parallels 8 to run Windows 7 (32 bit) and MS Office 2010. The integration and performance has been solid. Every once in a while, when I open an email, the screen spazzes and get pixelated. Closing the email has "solved" the issue, perhaps there is a way to configure the VM to mitigate the issue altogether.

My 2012 MBA has 8gigs of RAM and a 256SSD. I've configured the VM to use 2.5 gigs of RAM and one CPU. I understand I can dedicate or allocate more than one CPU to the VM. What does this actually mean and is one the proper amount to use?

Any thoughts would be most helpful.

thanks-

AlanF1966