Despite hardware limits, Parallels supports running Windows on MacBook Neo

Apple’s MacBook Neo is impressive for its $600 price, but its A18 Pro processor is one of its biggest compromises compared to a modern MacBook Air. In our review, we found it to be more than up to the task of basic computing tasks, but for demanding workloads that benefit from more CPU cores, GPU cores, and RAM, the Air is a better choice.

But these limited computing resources are still enough to run Windows on your Mac using Parallels Desktop virtualization software, as Parallels itself says, which, after some testing and benchmarking, declared the Neo suitable for “light computing and everyday productivity, document editing and web applications” under Windows 11.

Parallels claims that the respectable performance of the MacBook Neo’s single-core processor allows the Neo to feel “fast and responsive” when running several Windows-only software packages, including QuickBooks Desktop and other accounting applications, Microsoft Office, “lightweight engineering and data tools” including AutoCAD LT and MATLAB, and “Windows-only tutorials and educational software” with “no Mac equivalent.” In Parallels’ testing, the Neo’s single-core CPU performance under Windows was still about 20 percent faster compared to a Core Ultra 5 235U chip in a Dell Pro 14 laptop.