I just upgraded to a new Mac Pro (8 core, 2.8 GHz), and want to install Windows with Parallels. What version of Windows runs best on a fast new Mac? I have heard that Vista is frustratingly slow. Is XP still the best? I have XP Pro on a Windows machine, and get freezes requiring the CPU be unplugged fairly frequently, bringing back memories of OS9. Your experience with the different flavors of Vista and XP would be appreciated, as I make my buying decision.
XP Pro is still the desired choice of many people, although if you cut out a lot of features Vista supposedly runs fine. I would wait for Vista to hit at least SP1 before installing it on a machine, sorta like waiting for Leopard to .2 In our business environment I still see no convincing reason to 'upgrade' to Vista.
XP Pro under Parallels has been very smooth. No hiccups yet. Why give MS the satisfaction of another Vista sale.
I have both XP Pro and Vista Ultimate installed. Both runs fine under Parallels build 5584 on OS/X 10.4.11. I haven't move to Leopard yet. Unless you have some apps that only run on Vista, I would stick with XP Pro simply because most of the Vista's eye candy won't work in Parallels VM anyway. I also feel Vista interface very confusing and doesn't add much value over XP Pro. So why pay more for Vista?
