I want to purchase Parallels Desktop 13 for Mac, and install Windows 7 Professional as the VM. Then I want to install a video editing program called Pinnacle Studio 21. I saw a chart in the Parallels site that says the "Virtual Ram for each VM" is 8GB. Will I have a problem editing video?
Hello JeffreyA2, May I know the system requirements for that Video editing software ( Pinnacle Studio 21 ) So that we can check with it and guide you with the correct edition.
Here are the system requirements.
- Internet connection required for installation, registration and updates. Registration required for product use.
- Windows 10 recommended, Windows 8.x, Windows 7, 64-bit OS highly recommended
- Intel Core i3 or AMD A4 3.0 GHz or higher
- Intel Core i5 or i7 1.06 GHz or higher required for AVCHD & Intel Quick Sync Video support
- Intel Core i7 or AMD Athlon A10 or higher for UHD, Multi-Camera or 360 video
- 4 GB of RAM or higher, 8+GB highly recommended for UHD, Multi-Camera, or 360 video
- DirectX graphics device recommended:
- NVIDIA GeForce 400 series / Quadro 600 (Fermi-based) or newer (CUDA-enabled required for CUDA support)
- ATI Radeon HD 5XXX series or higher
- Intel HD Graphics from Ivy Bridge or higher
- HEVC (H.265) support requires Windows 10 and supporting PC hardware or graphics card
- Minimum 256MB VGA VRAM, 512MB or higher recommended
- Display resolution: 1024 x 768 or higher
- Windows-compatible sound card (multi-channel output required for surround preview)
- 8 GB HDD space for full installation
Hemnath@Parallels
Parallels Support
Please let us know the total RAM available on the Mac (Apple Icon -> About This Mac -> Overview), so we can advise properly.
Hemnath@Parallels
Parallels Support
In this case, if you need > 8 GB of RAM for your program, then you will have to use the Pro edition (which allows for vRAM allocation more than the Standard edition does - as stated here). You may simply test it out for yourself by installing a trial Parallels Desktop version and a non-activated Windows virtual machine, as explained below:
1.) Download a new Windows disk image file from here and ensure that the download completes successfully.
2.) Begin installing Windows, using the disk image file downloaded earlier.
3.) In the screen titled "Name and Location", select 'Customize settings before installation' and click on 'Continue'.
4.) In the virtual machine configuration window that appears, navigate to Hardware -> CPU & Memory and allocate 2 processors (or just 1 if the total number of available processors is just 2) and 2 GB of memory for Windows [or just 1 GB if total Mac memory is only 2 GB (or) 4 GB if total Mac memory is 8 GB (or) half the available RAM value if total Mac memory is > 8 GB].
5.) Select 'Graphics' and allocate 1 GB of video memory and select 'Scaled' for 'Resolution'.
6.) Ensure that 'Vertical Synchronization' is enabled and 'DirectX 10' is selected for '3D Acceleration' under 'Advanced Settings'.
7.) Close the window and proceed with the installation.
8.) Download and install your software within Windows.
No, you should not face a problem editing video with that setup, assuming your Mac has enough physical RAM (ideally 16GB or more) to comfortably allocate 8GB to the Parallels VM without affecting macOS performance. Pinnacle Studio 21 should run fine within Windows 7 Professional on Parallels Desktop 13, provided the rest of your system meets the software's requirements. However, the overall performance will also depend on the specific video editing tasks and the complexity of your projects.