Changing from Windows to Windows via KVM setup
Changing from Windows to Windows via KVM setup
Hi, I have a desktop with an 8700k and a 1080Ti. My girlfriend is interested in a gaming PC, so instead of buying another machine, I'm considering adding a graphics card for both of us. We could share the CPU cores and RAM. I'm exploring KVM options like unRAID. I want to share my setup with her but not lose too much performance. Here are my questions: - Can I move my Windows installation to a VM without reinstalling it? - If I connect a USB drive or joystick, do I need to switch to the unRAID interface and assign it to each VM every time? - If her VM goes offline, can I still get my CPU cores and RAM back? Or do you have a better idea than KVM? Also, please share your thoughts on this plan. Thanks. P.S. I looked into Hyper-V but RemoteFX doesn’t seem suitable for gaming.
You should likely reinstall Windows if transferring the system to a VM. Plugging in a USB drive or joystick won’t automatically sync everything—you may need to switch to the unRAID interface and assign the device each time. If the USB host controller is already linked to PC1, check the recent unRAID stream for details. You can only reclaim CPU cores and RAM when the VM is offline, but you’ll need to log into the WebUI and reassign them afterward.
You can manage it, though it's not without challenges. It's possible if you handle it well. You can distribute cores so both VMs have complete access to all cores. Basically, just invest in a budget desktop or laptop—it'll save you a lot of trouble and make setup much simpler. A decent OptiPlex and GPU should cost around 200 USD and be easier to get up and running.
Thanks for the feedback. I'm abandoning the KVM concept due to the challenges and limited PCIe capacity available.