Parallels Desktop 16 for Mac runs Windows 10.
Credit: Parallels
Tests running Windows 10 with Parallels Desktop on an M1 MacBook Pro show the Apple laptop can be faster than high performing Windows laptops.
YouTuber Max Tech ran the Geekbench 5 CPU benchmark pitting the M1 MacBook Pro running Parallels Desktop against the Dell XPS 13 9310 (the latest XPS 13).
M1 MacBook Pro: single-core score of 1,541 and a multicore score of 5,682.
Dell XPS 13 9310: single-core score of 1,503 and a multicore score of 5,562.
And that score for the Dell goes lower on battery power, according to Max Tech.
The benchmarking — see video at bottom at the 4:40 mark — was run on an M1 MacBook Pro with only 8GB of RAM, not the recommended 16GB for running Parallels.
Max Tech found, however, that certain popular games wouldn’t launch, according to the video (6:15 mark).
Some games on Steam did work, however, including Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy X, and grand theft auto V.
Why do you need Parallels Desktop for the M1 MacBook?
If you want to run Windows on an M1 Mac you no longer have the option of Boot Camp, which can only be done on an Intel Mac.
Enter Parallels Desktop. Parallels Desktop 16.5 for Mac was is now available to the public with a 14-day free trial. “Parallels Desktop 16 reinvented itself for macOS Big Sur,” Parallels said in a press release.
You will need to download Parallels 16.5 and the Windows 10 on ARM Insider Preview. This is the only version of Windows that runs on the M1 Apple processor.
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