Which Is Better VirtualBox Or VMware Workstation 9

Narayan

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Hello Guys, Hope you all are fine.

I want to install some of the programs and OS that I want to test before installing them on my actual computer. But, here I am confused between the two Virtualization Products:-

1) Oracle VM VirtualBox 4.2.16

2) VMware Workstation 9.0.2

Both of these are popular and will work flawlessly but my question is that which would be more better to work. I know that VBox is free and is GNU whereas VMware is expensive but I am ready to pay for it if its better.

Please help me and tell which I should use.

I need the following qualities:-

1) Easy to use User Interface
2) Reliable
3) Work Flawlessly
4) Should not decrease my Host Performance
5) Should have a good Graphics Acceleration

Thanks..................:D
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows® 8.1 Pro 64-Bit
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Dell® XPS® 15-9530
    CPU
    Intel® Core™ i7 4702HQ @3.20GHz
    Motherboard
    Intel® HM86 Express Chipset
    Memory
    Dell® 16GB DDR3 1600MHz
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA® GeForce® GT 750M 2GB GDDR5
    Sound Card
    Intel® High-Definition Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Dell® LED™ 15.6-Inch QHD+
    Screen Resolution
    3200 x 1800
    Hard Drives
    Samsung® SSD™ 840 Pro 512GB
    PSU
    Dell® 91 WHR 6-Cell Battery
    Case
    Dell® Machined Aluminium Chassis
    Cooling
    Dell® Cooling
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    Dell® Integrated Keyboard
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    Dell® TouchPad
    Internet Speed
    Download Speed- 50.0 MBPS Upload Speed- 20.0 MBPS
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    Mozilla® Firefox® 29.0
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    Kaspersky® PURE® 3.0 Total Security
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    Network Adapter- Intel® Dual Band Wireless-AC 7260 + Bluetooth 4.0
There are tons of articles on this one. Google it: Workstation vs VirtualBox
Here's a recent one:
Review: VMware Workstation 9 vs. VirtualBox 4.2 | Virtualization - InfoWorld

Each time, Workstation wins overall due to the stability, reputation and features it has + you get better performance at cpu and gpu in a VM.

VirtualBox would win the host performance section because it doesn't slow the host (or the least slowdown you can get): no services are installed at all and of course also the best price tag which is free. For the rest, go to Workstation's features. All VirtualBox VM's are usually fast.

Workstation has just a minor impact on performance (due to a lot of features + services) and with modern hardware this isn't a problem at all. Workstation VM's are usually more advanced if you consider the different hardware versions (to choose from) and so many system resources propped in a VM when needed.

On Workstation you also have the best graphic acceleration of the two and drag and drop exists (VBox still works at dnd and is experimental for Linux only at the moment).

If by the way you also need real stretched full screen the you'll need Workstation for its "exclusive mode".
VirtualBox has something called "scale mode" but the graphics still have issues in this mode.

In the end Workstation Unity Mode integrates best between host and guest.

Something I didn't found much about online yet:
Workstation's UEFI mode supports also Windows so you can have UEFI in a VM even if the host is legacy MBR.
VirtualBox UEFI doesn't support Windows yet. You can still install OS X and Linux though.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10 x64
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    HP Envy DV6 7250
    CPU
    Intel i7-3630QM
    Motherboard
    HP, Intel HM77 Express Chipset
    Memory
    16GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel HD4000 + Nvidia Geforce 630M
    Sound Card
    IDT HD Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    15.6' built-in + Samsung S22D300 + 17.3' LG Phillips
    Screen Resolution
    multiple resolutions
    Hard Drives
    Samsung SSD 250GB + Hitachi HDD 750GB
    PSU
    120W adapter
    Case
    small
    Cooling
    laptop cooling pad
    Keyboard
    Backlit built-in + big one in USB
    Mouse
    SteelSeries Sensei
    Internet Speed
    slow and steady
    Browser
    Chromium, Pale Moon, Firefox Developer Edition
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
    Other Info
    That's basically it.
Number 4 on your list is impossible, any virtual environment you run will have an impact on the Host performance. You may want to modify that point to "Have the least impact on my host performance".

Define good graphics acceleration. No VM will have graphics performance anywhere near the graphics performance of the host.

I have never done A-B comparisons between VB and VMWare Workstation so I can't answer your question directly. I have used both VB and VMWare Player quite a bit and find them both very good.

Here is an article that compares the 2 products and gives the nod to VMWare: Review: VMware Workstation 9 vs. VirtualBox 4.2 | Virtualization - InfoWorld
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    W10 Pro (desktop), W10 (laptop), W10 Pro (tablet)
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Home built i7-8700K, Hp Envy x360 EVO Laptop, MS Surface Pro 7
    CPU
    3.7Ghz Core i7-8700K, 11th Gen Core i7-1165G7 4.7Ghz, 10th Gen Core™ i5-1035G4 1.1Ghz
    Motherboard
    ASUS TUF Z370-Pro Gaming, HP, MS
    Memory
    16G, 8G, 8G
    Graphics Card(s)
    AMD Radeon RX580, Intel Iris X Graphics, Intel Iris Plus Graphics G4
    Sound Card
    ATI High Definition Audio (Built-in to mobo)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Dual Samsung U32J59 32 inch monitors, 13.3" display, 12.3" display
    Screen Resolution
    3840x2160 (Desktop), 1920x1080 (laptop), 2736x1824 Pro 7
    Hard Drives
    500GB ssd boot drive with 2 & 10TB Data (Desktop), 512GB ssd (laptop), 128GB SSD (tablet)
    PSU
    Corsair CX 750M
    Case
    Antec 100
    Cooling
    Coolermaster CM 212+
    Keyboard
    IBM Model M - used continuously since 1986
    Mouse
    Microsoft IntelliMouse
    Internet Speed
    665Mbps/15Mbps down/up
    Browser
    FireFox, MS Edge
    Antivirus
    Defender on all
    Other Info
    Retired in 2015 after working in the tech industry for 41 years. First 10 years as a Technician, the rest as a programmer/software engineer. After 1 year of retirement, I was bored so went back to work as a Robotic Process Automation Consultant. Retired for 3rd (and final) time in 2019.
Number 4 on your list is impossible, any virtual environment you run will have an impact on the Host performance. You may want to modify that point to "Have the least impact on my host performance".

Define good graphics acceleration. No VM will have graphics performance anywhere near the graphics performance of the host.

I have never done A-B comparisons between VB and VMWare Workstation so I can't answer your question directly. I have used both VB and VMWare Player quite a bit and find them both very good.

Here is an article that compares the 2 products and gives the nod to VMWare: Review: VMware Workstation 9 vs. VirtualBox 4.2 | Virtualization - InfoWorld

That's right but one of the two will be better than the other at some points.

Of course VM's will NEVER match the pure host performance (especially graphics) so that's why we exclude the host: fight is between VM's and virtualization programs alone.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10 x64
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    HP Envy DV6 7250
    CPU
    Intel i7-3630QM
    Motherboard
    HP, Intel HM77 Express Chipset
    Memory
    16GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel HD4000 + Nvidia Geforce 630M
    Sound Card
    IDT HD Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    15.6' built-in + Samsung S22D300 + 17.3' LG Phillips
    Screen Resolution
    multiple resolutions
    Hard Drives
    Samsung SSD 250GB + Hitachi HDD 750GB
    PSU
    120W adapter
    Case
    small
    Cooling
    laptop cooling pad
    Keyboard
    Backlit built-in + big one in USB
    Mouse
    SteelSeries Sensei
    Internet Speed
    slow and steady
    Browser
    Chromium, Pale Moon, Firefox Developer Edition
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
    Other Info
    That's basically it.
After you've tested the two programs yourself you'll decide better. Only listening at others' advice and choices will not help you completely.

I used both and at some points I don't fully agree with online comparisons because it depends on what features you use and mark as more important.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10 x64
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    HP Envy DV6 7250
    CPU
    Intel i7-3630QM
    Motherboard
    HP, Intel HM77 Express Chipset
    Memory
    16GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel HD4000 + Nvidia Geforce 630M
    Sound Card
    IDT HD Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    15.6' built-in + Samsung S22D300 + 17.3' LG Phillips
    Screen Resolution
    multiple resolutions
    Hard Drives
    Samsung SSD 250GB + Hitachi HDD 750GB
    PSU
    120W adapter
    Case
    small
    Cooling
    laptop cooling pad
    Keyboard
    Backlit built-in + big one in USB
    Mouse
    SteelSeries Sensei
    Internet Speed
    slow and steady
    Browser
    Chromium, Pale Moon, Firefox Developer Edition
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
    Other Info
    That's basically it.
My VM program of choice is VMWare. . .

It just works. . .:thumbsup:
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win 8, (VM win7, XP, Vista)
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    HP Pavilion p1423w
    CPU
    Intel Core i5 3330 Ivy Bridge
    Motherboard
    Foxconn - 2ADA Ivy Brige
    Memory
    16 GB 1066MHz DDR3
    Graphics Card(s)
    ATI Radeon HD 5450
    Sound Card
    HD Realteck (Onboard)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Mitsubishi LED TV/Montior HD, Dell 23 HD, Hanspree 25" HD
    Screen Resolution
    Mit. 1980-1080, Dell 2048-115, Hanspree 1920-10802
    Hard Drives
    1 SanDisk 240Gig SSD, 2 Samsung 512Gig SSDs
    Case
    Tower
    Cooling
    Original (Fans)
    Keyboard
    Microsoft Keyboard 2000
    Mouse
    Microsoft Optical Mouse 5000
    Internet Speed
    1.3 (350 to 1024 if lucky)
    Browser
    Firefox 19.1
    Antivirus
    MSE-Defender
But, here I am confused between the two Virtualization Products:-
1) Oracle VM VirtualBox 4.2.16
2) VMware Workstation 9.0.2
VMware is expensive
Why not compare with:
3) VMware Player 5.0.2
It's also free. Supports drag and drop from host to client and vice versa, UEFI boot and GPT drives and hardware of host computer (e.g. webcam, fingerprint reader, WLAN and bluetooth)
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8
But, here I am confused between the two Virtualization Products:-
1) Oracle VM VirtualBox 4.2.16
2) VMware Workstation 9.0.2
VMware is expensive
Why not compare with:
3) VMware Player 5.0.2
It's also free. Supports drag and drop from host to client and vice versa, UEFI boot and GPT drives and hardware of host computer (e.g. webcam, fingerprint reader, WLAN and bluetooth)

I don't recommend workstation for enthusiasts as it is expensive and most people are just fine with features of vmware player or virtual box.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 7
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Self-Built in July 2009
    CPU
    Intel Q9550 2.83Ghz OC'd to 3.40Ghz
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte GA-EP45-UD3R rev. 1.1, F12 BIOS
    Memory
    8GB G.Skill PI DDR2-800, 4-4-4-12 timings
    Graphics Card(s)
    EVGA 1280MB Nvidia GeForce GTX570
    Sound Card
    Realtek ALC899A 8 channel onboard audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    23" Acer x233H
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    Intel X25-M 80GB Gen 2 SSD
    Western Digital 1TB Caviar Black, 32MB cache. WD1001FALS
    PSU
    Corsair 620HX modular
    Case
    Antec P182
    Cooling
    stock
    Keyboard
    ABS M1 Mechanical
    Mouse
    Logitech G9 Laser Mouse
    Internet Speed
    15/2 cable modem
    Other Info
    Windows and Linux enthusiast. Logitech G35 Headset.
Hi there
depending on what's running on the VM and above all you have enough RAM (VM's eat RAM for breakfast) then on modern hardware neither VBOX or the VMware products (workstation or player) will cause any degradation on the HOST - certainly none that is noticeable --especially if you have the VM's on one or more SSD's.

If you want to use VIDEO on your VM then the VMware products IMO are far superior to the ORACLE (VBOX) product and it does seem that legacy hardware works better with VMWARE -- for instance some FIREWIRE appliances still work with VMware workstation and an XP Virtual machine.

However for the FREE products it's easy to try both -- just don't ACTIVATE the VM until you have decided on your configuration -- XP allows 30 days before needing activation -- W7 also allows some time too -- only W8 seems to require some type of activation to install it which is a bit of a bugbear if you want to do a lot of configuration testing.

Cheers
jimbo
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Linux Centos 7, W8.1, W7, W2K3 Server W10
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Monitor(s) Displays
    1 X LG 40 inch TV
    Hard Drives
    SSD's * 3 (Samsung 840 series) 250 GB
    2 X 3 TB sata
    5 X 1 TB sata
    Internet Speed
    0.12 GB/s (120Mb/s)
OK, Thank you all for helping and I am ready to use Oracle VM VirtualBox.
But does anyone know how to enable EFI support on VBox?

Thank You............:)
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows® 8.1 Pro 64-Bit
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Dell® XPS® 15-9530
    CPU
    Intel® Core™ i7 4702HQ @3.20GHz
    Motherboard
    Intel® HM86 Express Chipset
    Memory
    Dell® 16GB DDR3 1600MHz
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA® GeForce® GT 750M 2GB GDDR5
    Sound Card
    Intel® High-Definition Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Dell® LED™ 15.6-Inch QHD+
    Screen Resolution
    3200 x 1800
    Hard Drives
    Samsung® SSD™ 840 Pro 512GB
    PSU
    Dell® 91 WHR 6-Cell Battery
    Case
    Dell® Machined Aluminium Chassis
    Cooling
    Dell® Cooling
    Keyboard
    Dell® Integrated Keyboard
    Mouse
    Dell® TouchPad
    Internet Speed
    Download Speed- 50.0 MBPS Upload Speed- 20.0 MBPS
    Browser
    Mozilla® Firefox® 29.0
    Antivirus
    Kaspersky® PURE® 3.0 Total Security
    Other Info
    Network Adapter- Intel® Dual Band Wireless-AC 7260 + Bluetooth 4.0
OK, Thank you all for helping and I am ready to use Oracle VM VirtualBox.
But does anyone know how to enable EFI support on VBox?

Thank You............:)

You didn't read my post well:
For now, EFI on VBox is experimental and works for Linux and Macs guests only.

There is nothing more to enable, you have a efi checkbox in the system setting of the vm.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10 x64
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    HP Envy DV6 7250
    CPU
    Intel i7-3630QM
    Motherboard
    HP, Intel HM77 Express Chipset
    Memory
    16GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel HD4000 + Nvidia Geforce 630M
    Sound Card
    IDT HD Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    15.6' built-in + Samsung S22D300 + 17.3' LG Phillips
    Screen Resolution
    multiple resolutions
    Hard Drives
    Samsung SSD 250GB + Hitachi HDD 750GB
    PSU
    120W adapter
    Case
    small
    Cooling
    laptop cooling pad
    Keyboard
    Backlit built-in + big one in USB
    Mouse
    SteelSeries Sensei
    Internet Speed
    slow and steady
    Browser
    Chromium, Pale Moon, Firefox Developer Edition
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
    Other Info
    That's basically it.
I've covered UEFI VM's a while ago.
To notice:
VBox suports EFI Linux and Mac guests, Workstation support them too + Windows ones.
What Worstation does can the free Player as well, since the same VMX 'engine' is at work. You basically have less features in Player but with more VM editing you can enable EFI as well.

If you want to test a Windows EFI VM with the free VMware Player see this:
http://www.eightforums.com/virtualization/18753-vmware-player-uefi.html

Regards
Hopachi
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10 x64
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    HP Envy DV6 7250
    CPU
    Intel i7-3630QM
    Motherboard
    HP, Intel HM77 Express Chipset
    Memory
    16GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel HD4000 + Nvidia Geforce 630M
    Sound Card
    IDT HD Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    15.6' built-in + Samsung S22D300 + 17.3' LG Phillips
    Screen Resolution
    multiple resolutions
    Hard Drives
    Samsung SSD 250GB + Hitachi HDD 750GB
    PSU
    120W adapter
    Case
    small
    Cooling
    laptop cooling pad
    Keyboard
    Backlit built-in + big one in USB
    Mouse
    SteelSeries Sensei
    Internet Speed
    slow and steady
    Browser
    Chromium, Pale Moon, Firefox Developer Edition
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
    Other Info
    That's basically it.
Hi there
These sort of questions are exceptionally difficult to answer as there might actually be no correct answer. People have their preferences too -- so why not TRY both (VMware's vplayer is FREE as well as VBOX). To create a bootable VM using either program on decent hardware won't take you more than around 15 mins anyway and trying both systems out for real will give you enough experience to learn the intricacies of both systems.

Suffice to say VMWARE's offerings can create a UEFI boot VM even on a non UEFI HOST. You can also create a 64 BIT VM on a 32 bit HOST (assuming the VT technology is enabled --it usually is in modern hardware). Note though HOST and GUEST can only use a max of 4GB RAM if the Host is running a32 BIT OS. - I've tested W8.1 64 bit as a VM on an XP HOST machine !!.

Cheers
jimbo
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Linux Centos 7, W8.1, W7, W2K3 Server W10
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Monitor(s) Displays
    1 X LG 40 inch TV
    Hard Drives
    SSD's * 3 (Samsung 840 series) 250 GB
    2 X 3 TB sata
    5 X 1 TB sata
    Internet Speed
    0.12 GB/s (120Mb/s)
I prefer VMware Player, in my experience it's way faster than Virtualbox, uses less memory and has better graphics support.

I have used Virtualbox until VMware Player implemented creation of new Virtual Machines
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 64 Bit
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Self built
    CPU
    Intel Celeron G530
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte GA-H61M-S2-B3
    Memory
    6GB DDR3
    Graphics Card(s)
    ATI Radeon HD 5450
    Sound Card
    Onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Samsung SyncMaster S19B150
    Screen Resolution
    1366x768
    Hard Drives
    Laptop Toshiba 320GB
    PSU
    450W
    Case
    Old one
    Cooling
    Stock
    Keyboard
    Logitech
    Mouse
    Generic
    Internet Speed
    30mbps
    Browser
    Google Chrome
    Antivirus
    None
    Other Info
    Netbook Samsung N145 Plus, with Windows 8.1 64 bit and Windows XP SP3, 2GB RAM
I prefer VMware Player, in my experience it's way faster than Virtualbox, uses less memory and has better graphics support.

I have used Virtualbox until VMware Player implemented creation of new Virtual Machines

A good choice because it's also easy to use.

However the less memory thing is not entirely true:
The Player's GUI (32bit) uses indeed less memory than VBox's GUI (64bit) but despite this few gained megabytes, a 2GB VM is a 2GB VM on both programs.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10 x64
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    HP Envy DV6 7250
    CPU
    Intel i7-3630QM
    Motherboard
    HP, Intel HM77 Express Chipset
    Memory
    16GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel HD4000 + Nvidia Geforce 630M
    Sound Card
    IDT HD Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    15.6' built-in + Samsung S22D300 + 17.3' LG Phillips
    Screen Resolution
    multiple resolutions
    Hard Drives
    Samsung SSD 250GB + Hitachi HDD 750GB
    PSU
    120W adapter
    Case
    small
    Cooling
    laptop cooling pad
    Keyboard
    Backlit built-in + big one in USB
    Mouse
    SteelSeries Sensei
    Internet Speed
    slow and steady
    Browser
    Chromium, Pale Moon, Firefox Developer Edition
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
    Other Info
    That's basically it.
About EFI: Hyper-V latest version which is included in Windows 8.1 Pro Preview supports Second Generation virtual machines which in its turn supports UEFI, Secure Boot, SCSI boot and PXE boot for guest machines running Windows 8 Pro x64 or Server 2012.

2013-07-24_123119.PNG


Kari
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro with Media Center
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    HP ENVY 17-1150eg
    CPU
    1.6 GHz Intel Core i7-720QM Processor
    Memory
    6 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5850 Graphics
    Sound Card
    Beats sound system with integrated subwoofer
    Monitor(s) Displays
    17" laptop display, 22" LED and 32" Full HD TV through HDMI
    Screen Resolution
    1600*900 (1), 1920*1080 (2&3)
    Hard Drives
    Internal: 2 x 500 GB SATA Hard Disk Drive 7200 rpm
    External: 2TB for backups, 3TB USB3 network drive for media
    Cooling
    As Envy runs a bit warm, I have it on a Cooler Master pad
    Keyboard
    Logitech diNovo Media Desktop Laser (bluetooth)
    Mouse
    Logitech MX1000 Laser (Bluetooth)
    Internet Speed
    50 MB VDSL
    Browser
    Maxthon 3.5.2., IE11
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender 4.3.9431.0
    Other Info
    Windows in English, additional user accounts in Finnish, German and Swedish.
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