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[hlesser]

I'm thinking of implementing a MacMini as a dedicated music/video server in a system that includes a DSD-capable DAC (Chord QuteHD).  Mostly for Redbook, Hi-Res audio.  No need to run apps other than JRiver.  Eventually, a Thunderbolt drive for local storage of music.  Since MC for Mac is not as fully developed I'm leaning towards doing this under Win 7.

What are pros/cons of Bootcamp vs Parallels?

Are both able to support MC playing hi-res material?

Are both able to support Thunderbolt drives?

[JimH]

If your need is for audio only, it would be better to use the Mac version.

[hlesser]

The PC version of MC is so refined (and video-capable for my basic needs) that I'm reluctant to start with the Mac version.  Once that product achieves rough parity with the Windows version I'd be tempted to switch.

Comments on Bootcamp vs Parallels in the meantime?

[glynor]

I use the Windows MC in Parallels regularly on my Macbook Pro.

It does not perform quite as well as it does on "bare metal" of course, but it is certainly adequate for most "regular" usage.  Video and audio playback and whatnot.

There are some audio mode limitations.  And, I strongly recommend upgrading to Parallel's Desktop 9 (the current version) as they now have some very nice Fullscreen options that impact using MC in Display View for video.  If you'll be connecting to a remote Library Server, you also have to ensure your network settings in Parallels are configured properly for the VM to be a "full network peer" (basically, you'll typically want to make the VM's network connection Bridged instead of Shared).

Also, my Macbook Pro is a Sandy Bridge 15" with 16GB of RAM, and 512GB SSD boot drive.  I allocate 4GB of RAM to the VM and the VM's image is on my SSD.  If you're running on a machine with lower specs, you'll see worse performance.  In particular, the SSD is important for performance.

Other than those little details, though, it works VERY well.

[glynor]

You'll need to check with Parallels on Thunderbolt.

The older version could NOT use them (v8).  It could share USB devices easily, but FireWire and Thunderbolt were not supported.  I think this changed with v9 of Parallels, but I'm not 100% sure.

But, I regularly play 1080p sources to my laptop via the network in Parallels without issue.  Higher res than that, I don't know.  I have some 4k stuff, but I've never tested it this way.

[hlesser]

My sense of things is that Bootcamp is the preferable solution here -- Parallels might work but might not support some external hardware that I'd like access to.  Am I misreading?