VMware hardware version 7 and 8 – high level changes

With VMware Workstation 8, vSphere 5 and Fusion 4, VMware has introduced a new version of their virtual machine format – version 8. In addition to enabling a number of new maximums, version 8 also brings with it 3D graphics capability to allow support for Windows Aero and support for high speed USB 3.0 devices. These new hardware capabilities will extend the potential use cases for vSphere, particularly with regard to desktop scenarios. The table below gives you a look at some of the more significant differences between version 7 and version 8 virtual machines. Although version 8 VMs are much more scalable than their version 7 counterparts, version 8 hardware is not supported across all of VMware’s and third party products yet, so choose carefully and only after checking with your vendors.

Some capabilities are dependent on the VMware edition as well. For example, 32-way SMP is available with Enterprise Plus. The table below outlines the high level differences between version 7 and 8 virtual machines without taking into regard edition.