Better off on Mac Os or with Parallels?

[cloudfe]

Hello, I have a 15 Macbook Pro Retina (the October 2013 model), and I'm running Mavericks. My specs are:
- 2,3 GHz Intel Core i7;
- 16 GB 1600 MHz DDR3;
- Intel Iris Pro 5200 Graphics with DDR3L SDRAM
- GeForce GT 750M with 2 GB dedicated GDDR5

My question is: am I better off with the (dated) Pcsx2 mac version, or is it better to use Parallels and run the Windows version?
Watching this video gives me hope, but I wanted your opinion.

Thank you for the help

[willkuer]

I think for the windows version you will get more support from the community. Also speed and compatibility are increased a lot since version 0.96. If a parallel windows os is not a problem for you I would expect to get better results. However since I don't own a Mac I am not sure.

But keep in mind that your cpu is not the strongest and running an emulator on a notebook might not be the best idea.

[jesalvein]

why not simply install a dual boot windows using bootcamp instead of using parallels ?
you will get better performances ...

[willkuer]

I've just read that parallels will only use one core and emulate your graphics card. Bootcamp would then be much better since it directly uses your cpu and gpu.

[metalmallow]

Bootcamp is definitely the best option as it can take full advantage of your hardware without the extra virtualization layer of Windows.

[cloudfe]

I see. Thanks a lot for the help, I'll use BootCamp.
Since my cpu isn't too strong, should I consider overclocking? And among the tons of optimal configurations people propose for this game, can I have some suggestion based on my specs?

[Blyss Sarania]

I see. Thanks a lot for the help, I'll use BootCamp.
Since my cpu isn't too strong, should I consider overclocking? And among the tons of optimal configurations people propose for this game, can I have some suggestion based on my specs?

Start with native resolution.

Use speedhacks as needed

OC would depend on which i7 you are talking about, but given you are running a laptop, the extra heat will probably just make it throttle. Unless macbook pros have really good cooling.

[metalmallow]

I would not overclock a Macbook. Don't do it.

[cloudfe]

I won't then (I was a bit afraid of doing it anyway...).
By the way, I forgot to add that the Retina makes use of the Turbo Boost mode of the Intel processor, up until (in my case) 3,5 GHz. And since I've read that this mode is compatible with Pcsx2, and since version 1.0 is able to use more than 2 cpus, am I wrong in saying I can be confident I'll be able to run the more demanding games (like Final Fantasy XII) at decent speed?

[Nobbs66]

I won't then (I was a bit afraid of doing it anyway...).
By the way, I forgot to add that the Retina makes use of the Turbo Boost mode of the Intel processor, up until (in my case) 3,5 GHz. And since I've read that this mode is compatible with Pcsx2, and since version 1.0 is able to use more than 2 cpus, am I wrong in saying I can be confident I'll be able to run the more demanding games (like Final Fantasy XII) at decent speed?

FFXII isn't that demanding except for fmv's. The thing about turbo boost is that the turbo clock goes down for every additional core being used. 3.5GHz is only going to apply when using a single core but it will drop when using more than that.