How fast is a macOS VM, and how small could it be?

 (eclecticlight.co)

34 points | by moosia 1 hour ago

3 comments

  • fouc 8 minutes ago
    [delayed]
  • nottorp 46 minutes ago
    > Starting with 4 virtual cores and 8 GB vRAM, where the VM ran perfectly briskly with around 5 GB of memory used

    But... if you start applications inside your VM it will want the full 8 Gb you've allocated not the 5 Gb it uses at startup?

    [-]
    • stingraycharles 23 minutes ago
      I don’t assume that macOS virtualization is advanced enough to support memory ballooning, or is that not what you’re referring to?
      [-]
      • sgt 0 minutes ago
        macOS is generally pretty amazing at efficient memory usage and VM handling. So even a 8GB machine can run pretty impressive workloads without having the user think the machine is underpowered.
      • pyth0 11 minutes ago
        I don't assume anything either, but a single Google search is enough to dispel that [1]

        [1] https://developer.apple.com/documentation/virtualization/vzv...

      • nottorp 13 minutes ago
        What will that help with if the host and guest combined need > physical ram?
  • dieulot 51 minutes ago
    I'm wondering if the Xcode simulator (without Xcode running) performs as well, my 2020 Intel MacBook Air has been incapable of running Safari in iOS smoothly for nearly all its life.