Virtual PC for Mac performance

[Antony]

There are quite a number of people like me who need to run Windows applications all the time, and don't won't to get a PC. Some even bought a Mac to run Win apps. Yes, that's true. Currently, the best solution for those people is a copy of Virtual PC.

Virtual PC for Mac 6 seems like a perfect solution. It allows Mac users to run most x86 (PC) operating systems under its emulating environment.

The main draw back about that is the speed of Virtual PC.

In Windows, under My Computers (or System Properties). There's no indication about the CPU speed, a shown in picture below.


We all know that we need faster computer to get more satisfactory performance. One of the main thing we want to see is how fast the CPU does Virtual PC emulate? And how do they perform?

With 3 machines of different specifications all running Virtual PC 6.1.1 under Mac OS X 10.3.3 I run the FutureMark's PCMark 2002 Free to show you the result.

My testing environment:

1. PowerMac G4, 400GHz (PCI), 512MB RAM
   L2 cache: 1MB
   This is the first model of G4.
   
2. PowerBook 12", 1.33GHz, 768MB RAM,
   L2 cache: 512KB
   Quartz Extreme
   This is the newly released PowerBook 12" (rev C)
   
3. PowerMac G4, Dual 1.42GHz (MDD FW800), 2GB RAM,
   L2 cache: 256KB per CPU
   L3 cache: 2MB per CPU
   Quartz Extreme
   this is the most powerful of PowerMac G4 available

With a free version of PCMark2002 Free, I can managed to get the emulated CPU speed and some scores.

Benchmark of Windows 98SE, assigned 256MB RAM, 16MB VRAM:

Windows 98Se has Microsoft Windows Security Update CD (Feb 2004) installed, and upgraded to DirectX 9.x (Benchmark requires DirectX 8.x or above)


1. G4 400GHz
   CPU speed: unknown @ 399MHz (reported by System Info under PCMark2002)
   CPU score: 646
   Memory score: (failed, can't produce reliable benchmarking due to benchmarking window lost focus)
   HDD score: (failed, can't produce reliable benchmarking due to benchmarking window lost focus)
   
2. PB12 G4, 1.33GHz
   CPU speed: unknown @ 304MHz (reported by System Info under PCMark2002)
   CPU score: 1901
   Memory score: (failed, can't produce reliable benchmarking due to benchmarking window lost focus)
   HDD score: (failed, can't produce reliable benchmarking due to benchmarking window lost focus)
   
3. G4, Dual 1.42GHz
   CPU speed: @ 666MHz (reported by System Info under PCMark2002)
   CPU score: 2263
   Memory score: 2485
   HDD score: 676

Benchmark of Windows 2000 SP4, assigned 512MB RAM, 16MB VRAM:


• G4, Dual 1.42GHz
  CPU speed: @ 666MHz (reported System Info under PCMark2002)
  CPU score: 2433
  Memory score: 2169
  HDD score: 1287

Above are just numbers, and benchmarks can't tell everything. There are also a number of other factors, such as the mouse movement, and integration with Mac OS X (e.g. VPC add-on application.)

It is very easy to note that Windows 2000 SP4 runs smoother than Windows 98SE in the same Dual 1.42GHz machine. However there are some small issues noticed with the ?Shared folder.?

How do you speed up Virtual PC 6 (for Mac)?
Remove all those eye candy, and you need a fast Mac. Dual processors recommended.

Dual processors and L3 cache do help speed up the Virtual PC for Mac.

As the documentation of Virtual PC, the system requirement of Virtual PC for Mac version 6:

• Any native G3 or G4 Macintosh with a CD-ROM drive.
• Mac OS 9.2.2, Mac OS X version 10.1.5, Mac OS X version 10.2.1 (or above)
• To run Virtual PC in Mac OS X, a 500MHz or faster processor.

For optimal performance, Connectix recommends:

• An L3 cache.
  
• If you are running in Mac OS X, upgrade to version 10.2.3.
• If you are running in Mac OS X 10.2.3 (or later), use only video cards that support Quartz Extreme.

Testing environment spec:

1. PowerMac G4, 400GHz (PCI), 512MB RAM
   L2 cache: 1MB
   
   
2. PowerBook 12", 1.33GHz, 768MB RAM,
   L2 cache: 512KB
   Quartz Extreme
   
   
3. PowerMac G4, dual 1.42GHz (MDD FW800), 2GB RAM,
   L2 cache: 256KB per CPU
   L3 cache: 2MB per CPU
   Quartz Extreme
   

UserAgent: Mozilla/5.0 (Macintosh; U; PPC Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/124 (KHTML, like Gecko) Safari/125.1

[Mandrake]

Virtual PC under Macintosh emulates a Pentium 2 processor.

Although VMware is *much* faster than Virtual PC, since it does not emulate every piece of hardware, unlike Virtual PC.

UserAgent: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.1; en-US; rv:1.8a) Gecko/20040429

[Antony]

Benchmark of Windows 2000 SP4, assigned 512MB RAM, 16MB VRAM:

• G4, Dual 1.42GHz
  CPU speed: @ 666MHz (reported System Info under PCMark2002)
  CPU score: 2433
  Memory score: 2169
  HDD score: 1287

More results of Windows 2000 running under Virtual PC for Mac.

Benchmark of Windows 2000, assigned 512MB RAM, 16MB VRAM:

• Windows 2000 SP4 in G4, Dual 1.42GHz (as previously reported.)
  CPU speed: @ 666MHz
  CPU score: 2433
  Memory score: 2169
  HDD score: 1287
  
• Windows 2000 SP2 in PB12 G4, 1.33GHz
  CPU speed: @ 295MHz (?)
  CPU score: 1986
  Memory score: 1210
  HDD score: 1065
  
• Windows 2000 SP4 in PB12 G4, 1.33GHz
  CPU speed: @ 295MHz (?)
  CPU score: 2085
  Memory score: 1295
  HDD score: 1243

The emulated CPU speed is a bit weird. I have no idea what happened.
It seems to me that CPU score have better meaning...
In PowerBook 12" (1.33GHz), the performance of Windows 2000 SP2 is reasonably fast, after installing the Service Pack 4 (from MS Security Update CD), the feeling seems a bit better.

The PowerBook has one 1.33GHz G4 processor with 768MB RAM, no L3 cache. The PowerMac G4 has two 1.42GHz G4 processors with 2GB RAM, and 4MB L3 cache in total. The speed improvement of Virtual PC running in PowerMac dual G4 is of course better than PowerBook 12", but is not that of big difference. Windows 2000 runs in PowerBook pretty smooth.

UserAgent: Mozilla/5.0 (Macintosh; U; PPC Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/124 (KHTML, like Gecko) Safari/125.1

[Antony]

Virtual PC under Macintosh emulates a Pentium 2 processor.

Although VMware is *much* faster than Virtual PC, since it does not emulate every piece of hardware, unlike Virtual PC.

Well, if there's VMWare for Mac, and with a affordable price tag. I would get a copy.

However, with Virtual PC for Mac, you can make your Mac to run most x86 operating systems (and apps) as well as Mac OS X and OS 9.
I just wonder how you would be able to run Mac OS X or OS 9 in x86.

UserAgent: Mozilla/5.0 (Macintosh; U; PPC Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/124 (KHTML, like Gecko) Safari/125.1

[Mandrake]

You can't, there is no PPC emulator around to run a PPC based OS on an x86 machine.

UserAgent: Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 6.0; Windows NT 5.1)

[Antony]

More Virtual PC for Mac performance result for slower Macs

Benchmark of Windows 98SE, assigned 256MB RAM, 16MB VRAM:
Windows 98Se has Microsoft Windows Security Update CD (Feb 2004) installed, and upgraded to DirectX 9.x (Benchmark requires DirectX 8.x or above)

1. G4 400GHz running Mac OS X 10.3.3 (as previously reported)
   CPU speed: unknown @ 399MHz (reported by System Info under PCMark2002)
   CPU score: 646
   Memory score: (failed, can't produce reliable benchmarking due to benchmarking window lost focus)
   HDD score: (failed, can't produce reliable benchmarking due to benchmarking window lost focus)
   
2. G4 400GHz running Mac OS 9.2.2
   CPU speed: unknown @ 439MHz (*faster than the speed of Mac , reported by System Info under PCMark2002)
   CPU score: 543
   Memory score: (failed, can't produce reliable benchmarking due to benchmarking window lost focus)
   HDD score: (failed, can't produce reliable benchmarking due to benchmarking window lost focus)
   
3. G4 400GHz running Mac OS 9.2.2 (re-test again, restarted Windows 98SE)
   CPU speed: unknown @ 473MHz ( faster than the speed of Mac , reported by System Info under PCMark2002)
   CPU score: 523
   Memory score: (failed, can't produce reliable benchmarking due to benchmarking window lost focus)
   HDD score: (failed, can't produce reliable benchmarking due to benchmarking window lost focus)

Well, the speed seen by the software can not be true.
And benchmarks may not indicate everything. There's always something that benchmark did not measure. We need to actual experience to tell.

With the same old computer, G4 400 MHz, running in OS 9 and OS X. Although the CPU score is higher under OS X. I feel a bit smoother in OS 9 then OS X. It is hard to judge the winner. If I am insist to pick one based on their performance under this case, I'd go for OS 9. However, in real life we need to use other applications as well in the same time, most likely OS X apps.

Connectix stated Virtual PC under OS 9 might out perform running it under OS X, specially for slower machines. I'd agree but the difference is not much. Note: this disagrees with the CPU scores done by PCMark 2002.

UserAgent: Mozilla/5.0 (Macintosh; U; PPC Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/124 (KHTML, like Gecko) Safari/125.1

[Antony]

Let me add some update to this thread, on the Virtual PC performance on my PowerBook G4 12" 1.33GHz.

Over the year, I upgraded my PowerBook G4 12" from 768MB RAM to 1.25GB of RAM (max. PowerBook 12" can take) and Mac OS X 10.3.3 "Panther" to Mac OS X 10.4.1 "Tiger"
Also, Virtual PC 6.1.1 for Mac to now Virtual PC 7 for Mac (version 7.0.2)

Same benchmarking software is used, FutureMark's PCMark 2002 Free.

So,
Previously,
PowerBook 12", 1.33GHz, 768MB RAM, L2 cache: 512KB, Quartz Extreme, Mac OS X 10.3.3 "Panther", Virtual PC 6.1.1 for Mac

I got following result for Benchmark of Windows 98SE, assigned 256MB RAM, 16MB VRAM:
Windows 98Se has Microsoft Windows Security Update CD (Feb 2004) installed, and upgraded to DirectX 9.x (Benchmark requires DirectX 8.x or above)

CPU speed: unknown @ 304MHz (reported by System Info under PCMark2002)
CPU score: 1901
Memory score: (failed, can't produce reliable benchmarking due to benchmarking window lost focus)
HDD score: (failed, can't produce reliable benchmarking due to benchmarking window lost focus)

Now, the new result:
PowerBook 12", 1.33GHz, 1.25GB RAM, L2 cache: 512KB, Quartz Extreme, Mac OS X 10.4.1 "Tiger", Virtual PC 7.0.2 for Mac

CPU speed: Pentium III @ 295MHz (reported by System Info under PCMark2002)
CPU score: 1947
Memory score: 1590
HDD score: 1262

UserAgent: Mozilla/5.0 (Macintosh; U; PPC Mac OS X; en) AppleWebKit/412 (KHTML, like Gecko) Safari/412

[Jugin]

After I did a Microsoft update, I got a 651 Error on my Dell Microsoft 7 PC using a wireless router. And I tried everything. But this is what worked. (I did the ‘command prompt’ thing that was suggested by another person and then turned it back to normal — just thought I’d mention that in case it had any effect.) But I fixed the problem by 1st holding the F2 and FN (at the bottom of the keyboard) several times. Then going to the Control Panel, view network status and tasks (click), change adaptor settings (click), somehow my Broadband Connection was the default (there was a green check mark), disabled that, went to Wireless Network Connection that had a black X and enabled that. Nothing happened for awhile. And then as I was sitting there looking at it, the connection came up on it’s own with my router name.

UserAgent: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows NT 6.1; rv:5.0.1) Gecko/20100101 Firefox/5.0.1