macOS VM performance benchmarks on Apple silicon: speed and minimum specs tested
By
@howardnoakley
29d ago· 4 min readenInsight
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Summary
This article examines macOS virtual machine performance on Apple silicon, specifically testing macOS Tahoe (26.4.1) on a Mac mini M4 Pro. It provides updated Geekbench 6.7.1 benchmark scores comparing host and guest performance (with 5 virtual cores and 16 GB RAM), and explores minimum specifications needed for a usable macOS VM. The article also considers whether a macOS VM could run usefully on a lower-end machine like a MacBook Neo.
Key quotes
· 2 pulledUsing the same host, a Mac mini M4 Pro, this time running macOS 26.4.1 on its 14 cores (10 P + 4 E) with 48 GB RAM and a 2 TB internal SSD, Geekbench 6.7.1 scores are slightly faster, on both the host and a guest given 5 virtual cores and 16 GB of virtual RAM
Given current interest in running a VM on a MacBook Neo, I thought it would be worth examining these afresh, from macOS Tahoe
Latest Geekbench performance figures for macOS VMs, and testing of how few cores and how little memory is really needed: could you run a macOS VM usefully on a MacBook Neo?
