Certainly! Here’s the explanation in Markdown format:

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Running Sage 50 on Proxmox vs Parallels on a Mac

Running Sage 50 in a Windows VM on Proxmox is very much like running it in Parallels Desktop on a non-ARM Intel Mac — both isolate the Windows environment and allow Sage 50 to run properly. Here’s a direct comparison and explanation.

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Comparison Table

Feature	Parallels on Intel Mac	Windows VM on Proxmox (Linux host)
Underlying System	macOS (host) with Parallels virtualisation	Linux (Proxmox VE) with KVM virtualisation
VM OS	Windows 10/11	Windows 10/11/Server
Use Case	Personal or office desktop use	Dedicated server environment
Performance Tuning	Limited (macOS shares resources)	Full resource control per VM
Snapshots & Rollback	Parallels Pro supports snapshots	Proxmox has native snapshots
Backup Tools	Time Machine or Parallels backup	Proxmox VM backups or ZFS snapshots
Resource Separation	Shared with macOS	Host dedicates CPU/RAM directly to VM
Remote Access	Requires 3rd-party tools or VPN	Easy via RDP + Cloudflare Tunnel
Headless Operation	No – Mac must be on and active	Yes – fully headless and remote-managed
Expandability	Limited – typically 1 VM	Run many VMs or containers
Cost	£80+/year for Parallels Pro + Windows licence	Proxmox is free; only Windows licence needed

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In Summary

•	Yes, running Sage in Parallels on a non-ARM Mac is functionally very similar to running it on a Windows VM in Proxmox.
•	But Proxmox is more robust and server-oriented:
•	No need for a screen or user session.
•	It runs in the background 24/7.
•	Ideal for multi-user access and remote management.
•	On a Mac, if it sleeps, crashes, or is in use for something else, the VM (and Sage) is affected.
•	On Proxmox, your whole system is dedicated to Sage — stable, snapshot-ready, backup-friendly.

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If You’re Familiar with Parallels…

You’re already comfortable with:

•	Creating a VM
•	Installing Windows
•	Running Sage inside that VM

In Proxmox, you’ll do the same — just through a web interface, with more control and better safety.

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Would you like a visual walkthrough of how to do this in Proxmox — like a side-by-side with Parallels?