Max allocation for ram and cpu to Windows OS

[derek68]

Hi, I am using a new Macbook Pro 16" i7 2.6 GHz w/ 16GB of ram and presently find the system is just not snappy enough when running Windows as a VM. I am running most recent updates on everything. Right now I have resources portioned as follows: 8GB Mac OS & 8GB Windows and 2 cores to MacOS and 2 cores to Windows. Right now I am spending 90% of my work day in Windows (yes I could just buy a windows laptop or install Windows via Bootcamp) but I love having the option to have both running
My question is twofold, a) is there a way to get better (usable performance) with this setup, and, b) since I am spending so much time in Windows, should I be allocating more resources to it?

Thanks,
Derek

 

[derek68]

...I had meant to add, I am running the same setup on an older iMac (i7 with 32GB of ram) and have the resources at 16GB per OS. For whatever reason it runs REALLY well. Is it simply of function of needing more Ram or possibly that my Macbook is running and external monitor whereas the iMac is an all in one?

Thx
D

 

[Ajith1]

...I had meant to add, I am running the same setup on an older iMac (i7 with 32GB of ram) and have the resources at 16GB per OS. For whatever reason it runs REALLY well. Is it simply of function of needing more Ram or possibly that my Macbook is running and external monitor whereas the iMac is an all in one?

Thx
D

If you are using a standard version, you can only allocate up to 8GB RAM for the virtual machine. If you like to allocate more RAM, you will have to upgrade the license to Pro.

 

[derek68]

If you are using a standard version, you can only allocate up to 8GB RAM for the virtual machine. If you like to allocate more RAM, you will have to upgrade the license to Pro.

Thanks for your reply. I am using the pro version and aware that it allows me to allocate more RAM. My question really is since I spend almost all my time in Windows can/should I allocate more towards the windows VM like 12 out of the 16GB to Windows and 4 to MacOS or is that only going to make MacOs run poorly and in turn cause the VM to run poorly. Ultimately just looking for best configuration for a 4-core i7 with 16GB of ram which will allow the best performance in Windows and put MacOs 2nd?

Thx
Derek

 

[Sathiya@Parallels]

Thanks for your reply. I am using the pro version and aware that it allows me to allocate more RAM. My question really is since I spend almost all my time in Windows can/should I allocate more towards the windows VM like 12 out of the 16GB to Windows and 4 to MacOS or is that only going to make MacOs run poorly and in turn cause the VM to run poorly. Ultimately just looking for best configuration for a 4-core i7 with 16GB of ram which will allow the best performance in Windows and put MacOs 2nd?

Thx
Derek

At the max, you can allocate 50% of Mac's hardware resources to the virtual machine for a smooth performance. If you try to allocate more resources to the VM, then it will affect the performance of your Mac which in turn affects the VM also. Hence, you need to increase the physical RAM on the Mac so that you can allocate more to the VM side.