The setup:

Dell Optiplex 980
BIOS options are set to enable virtualization
Intel I5 / 4 Gb RAM
Windows 7 x64 ( WSUS server used to keep updates, no antivirus installed at this moment, HDs scanned with Kaspersky updated rescue CD ensure everything is OK, users do not have any Administrative privileges )
Boinc 6.10.58 ( x86, from World Community Grid site, running as a Windows service, no boinctray.exe or other software is running or allowed to ordinary users as a way to keep them away from trying to manage it, nor see the message that they´re not allowed to do so )
Boinc running on 4 cores, 100% CPU usage allowed, run while computer is in use set to "on"

On these machines we run VmWare Player 3.13 for testing purposes and, when a vm ( 1 Gb RAM, 1 to 2 kernels ) and boinc ( physical hardware of course ) are up and running the vm overhall performance is terrible, taking 6 to 10 times more to complete a job than when the boinc service is stopped. If set to run on 2 or 3 kernels "only" the response is just fine / acceptable.
It seems to me that, somehow, boinc processes have greater priority than VmWare ones, although task manager shows the contrary. It also seems to me it has nothing to do with not running boinctray.exe as I do want to crunch full time and the detection of user inactivity boinctray does ( I´ve read about it and the Windows 7 security changes ) is unwanted / not needed.

Any help will be welcome.
Thanks everyone for the great job!

Which sub-project or projects do you run for WCG?
Which other projects do you have work from?

Have you tried running BOINC on 2 or 3 cores, leaving one core completely free for your Vmware to do its work? Or is your Vmware player a multi-threaded application, one that wants to run on all cores it detects?

Do you have a CUDA/CAL/OpenCL capable videocard in there and is that one being used?

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Hi Jord,

I run all projects available from WCG, including "The Clean Energy Project - Phase 2" and I do not contribute to any other project right now. WCG doesn´t support any GPU project at this moment and all machines running it have the "default" Intel video card that come with Dell Optiplex series.

If boinc is set to run on 2 or 3 kernels "only" the response is just fine / acceptable. Each vm runs on one separated core and, this way, with one or two "free" cores, no clash seems to take place.

Thanks in advance,
Paiva, Gilson de

"If boinc is set to run on 2 or 3 cores "only"... not kernels...