Mac VS. Windows Laptop?

You should be aware that Parallels Workstation, VMWare Fusion, et cetera, are Type 2 Hypervisors. Guest operating systems run on a very thin software layer that leverages hardware virtualization support from Intel (VT-x) and AMD (AMD-V). There is no instruction translation, and as a result the virtual machines are very efficient. Typical working environments will incur only a 3-6% overhead penalty running on the hypervisor, with an over 80% native performance rate for intensive work. You can also get Direct X 8.1 support for 3D graphics acceleration, and multiple processor support with VMWare. You just need to remember that you'll need to have enough resources available for both the guest operating system and the host operating system. This includes lots of memory, and not trying to run CPU heavy tasks in both environments at once.

I have a friend that uses AutoCAD regularly under Parallels (he runs his own architecture and design firm), and its very fast for him. He's claimed that its more responsive that running on his old Dell Inspiron notebook.

Jam it back in, in the dark.