VMware Fusion 3.0 Beta with Windows 7 x64 Ultimate

VMware has been hard at work to release the new VMware Fusion version 3 for OS X (Snow Leopard).  The beta is available to people registered in the beta program and thus I have been testing it.  The first goal was to install Windows 7 x64 Ultimate Edition and gauge the new performance that VMware has been promising.  The installation was a breeze, with VMware’s easy install assistant, and took all of 9.5 minutes (yes it was timed) from beginning to end.

• Hardware Details: Macbook Pro – 17” – 2.93ghz – 4gb Ram – 128gb SSD.
• VMware Settings: Single Processor, 1gb Ram, and a 40gb hard drive.
• Installation time: 9.5 minutes via ISO image.

The result was a smooth installation of Windows 7 followed by a quick installation of VMware tools to allow for smooth integration between the host operating system and the virtual machine.  The VM is performing smoothly and does not feel sluggish at all.  Microsoft Office 2007 also installed and operated without any degradation in speed and or performance.

The result: