VMWare server vs. VMWare player Speed Difference

Question

I was under the impression that VMWare server was better/faster than VMWare Player. I finally got it installed and found that it's slower than VMWare player on my system. I tried connecting to the VM with the remote console and with RDP.

Answer 1

You might well find that VMWare Player is faster in terms of graphical performance (OpenGL and DirectX but also redrawing windows and the desktop). I remember reading that the VMWare Server graphical client isn't as accelerated as the Player's host GUI.

Answer 2

Phenom,

The VMWare Player vs VMWare Server comparison is also a matter of need for the guest being hosted.

If you are playing around with different operating systems, Player is suitable. Also if you have multiple virtual machines for different functions, jobs, or tasks to complete with only one operating system open at a time, Player is the way to go. Virtual machines with heavy video requirements need Player.

If you need two or more guest virtual machines to run at the same time, then Server is the choice. Also, Server runs best with virtual machines that require little or no video. Linux virtual machines that just have a text console love running lean as a virtual machine.

This goes without saying but any implementation of VMWare Server works best on dedicated hardware and software. Also, VMWare Player performs best when it is the only program running and only one virtual machine is running at any given time.

Answer 3

I found out what the problem was. I didn't install VMWare tools. After installing VMWare tools, VMWare Server is faster than VMWare Player.

Edit: I went back to VMWare Player and it now it seems that Player is a little faster.