However, this brings us to the biggest drawback of all for Parallels Desktop 16.5 for Mac. Many popular Windows-based games aren’t available for the Mac, and while you can use the Intel-based version of Parallels to run many of them, it’s usually not the best experience. That last bullet point may get gamers’ hearts beating faster.

DirectX 11 is 60% better on Windows 10 for ARM64 on an M1-based Mac, compared to an Intel-based MacBook Pro that has a Radeon Pro 555X graphics processor.

Virtual machine performance is improved, up to 30 percent faster when a Windows 10 for ARM64 virtual machine is running on an M1-based Mac compared to Windows 10 running on a MacBook Air with an Intel Core i9 chip.

This is great news for users of portable Macs, as running Windows historically has been a significant drain on battery life.

The greater efficiency of the M1 chip means Parallels Desktop for Mac users 2.5 times less energy than on a 2020 Intel MacBook Air.

The muscle and energy-stingy features of Apple’s M1 processor gives a boost to Parallels, according to the company: Sign up for my Release Notes newsletter, bringing you consumer tech insights, help and practical tips.

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