Mac Pro as an IT professionnal

[displaced]

I do what the OP's asking about on my Mid-2010 MacBook Pro (2.8GHz i7, 8GB RAM).

I very much like running Windows in a VM. I stick Windows in its own space and just three-finger-swipe between OS X's screens and Windows. I tend to have Visual Studio running in Windows, with that VM also connected up to my work VPN, leaving the Mac side with regular network access.

With 4 GB assigned to both machines, everything runs smoothly. When Visual Studio's doing one of its 15 minute builds, I can hop back to OS X and not notice any slowdown.

The only improvements I'd make to my setup are more RAM (if only 16GB was possible on the MBP!) and moving the VM to a different hard disk (perhaps down the line when I get around to swapping the MBP's optical drive for an SSD).

The Mac Pro will eat this sort of task alive if my 2-year old MBP's plenty capable!

 

[theSeb]

(if only 16GB was possible on the MBP!)

It is... if you upgrade to the 2011 model and it will definitely be possible on the 2012 model, unless they turn it into iToaster.

About £80

http://www.scan.co.uk/products/16gb-kit-(2x8gb)-ddr3-1333mhz-unbuffered-c9-sodimm

 

[derbothaus]

Now that software companies are releasing games on both platforms there is no need to run Windows... Of course you can run Windows on Apple hardware if you choose.... Sorry PC's you can't run a great stable OS like OSX.

Newb of the highest order.

 

[gabicava83]

I do what the OP's asking about on my Mid-2010 MacBook Pro (2.8GHz i7, 8GB RAM).

I very much like running Windows in a VM. I stick Windows in its own space and just three-finger-swipe between OS X's screens and Windows. I tend to have Visual Studio running in Windows, with that VM also connected up to my work VPN, leaving the Mac side with regular network access.

With 4 GB assigned to both machines, everything runs smoothly. When Visual Studio's doing one of its 15 minute builds, I can hop back to OS X and not notice any slowdown.

The only improvements I'd make to my setup are more RAM (if only 16GB was possible on the MBP!) and moving the VM to a different hard disk (perhaps down the line when I get around to swapping the MBP's optical drive for an SSD).

The Mac Pro will eat this sort of task alive if my 2-year old MBP's plenty capable!

I don't know if you have an SSD, but that will make a HUGE improvement. Specially on the VM side of things, I can run a few of 2008 R2 servers, without issues.

 

[Vesperal]

Mmmmkey, forget IT, I'm going for a retina macbook pro...

 

[foodog]

Newb of the highest order.

Don't put yourself out you will be ok

 

[derbothaus]

Don't put yourself out you will be ok

I'm OK, You're OK.