How to Run OrCAD on Your MacBook Computer (non-native, but feels like it)

Hi, sometimes people wonder how I can use OrCAD on Mac OS. In this post, I’ll explain how I set up OrCAD (and other Windows software) on Mac OS (it’s not natively installed).

Hardware

  • MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Mid 2015) with Dual Graphics (16 GB RAM, 1 TB SSD) – more details found here
  • Dual Monitors connected to the MacBook Pro using an HDMI cable and a Thunderbolt 2 to HDMI cable
  • Thunderbolt 2 to Ethernet Adapter

Software

My software setup is really simple, but consumes more RAM than I hoped. I use Mac OS Mojave, then installed Parallels Desktop on my computer. After that I installed Windows 10 via Parallels. Finally, I installed OrCAD on my Windows 10 virtual environment.

Performance

When I’m even using multiple Chrome browser tabs (like 6-12), and running OrCAD via Parallels, I don’t notice any slow-down on my machine.

I’m also able to switch windows easily from Mac OS to Windows. It’s a pretty sweet setup.

I get the best of both worlds (Mac OS and Windows 10) at my fingertips, as I’ve been using both systems since 2002 (Windows) and 2008 (Mac) and I like them both.

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