Using only GPU in Windows 10 VM

[andyvs]

have a pc with an i5 12400 processor with virtualization capacity but no video. Host system is Ubuntu Studio 24.10. I installed a Windows 10 virtual machine using Qemu with VMM. I have a 12gb 3060 Nvidia GPU in the system. Is it possible to allow the Windows VM to use the Nvidia GPU without crashing the system or will I need to upgrade my processor to one that has video? No PCI slot empty for another GPU...
That is alll because I wanna run some graphic apps that has no Linux editions... I'm fairly new to Linux, making my best to switch...

Thanks, Andy

 

[KGIII]

I believe it's possible with tools like VirtualBox which makes me think it'd be an option for what you're using as well. I've never done it and have no experience with it - but the term you'd be wanting to research is 'GPU passthrough'.

Obviously, add the Linux modifier and probably QEMU to the search query as well.

I know what it's called. I've just never had a reason to do so. I don't do anything that requires intensive graphics and survive just fine with built-in graphics. But, I have read about it in some detail and those are the terms you want to look up.

This assumes that nobody here has an immediate answer and that you wish to do some researching on your own.

 

[andyvs]

I believe it's possible with tools like VirtualBox which makes me think it'd be an option for what you're using as well. I've never done it and have no experience with it - but the term you'd be wanting to research is 'GPU passthrough'.

Obviously, add the Linux modifier and probably QEMU to the search query as well.

I know what it's called. I've just never had a reason to do so. I don't do anything that requires intensive graphics and survive just fine with built-in graphics. But, I have read about it in some detail and those are the terms you want to look up.

This assumes that nobody here has an immediate answer and that you wish to do some researching on your own.

Thanks. Yes, it’s the passthrough thing…I’ve been researching it, and my biggest doubt is if I’ll need the second graphics in the processor or I can pass the GPU back and forth…

 

[KGIII]

AFAIK, you can passthrough the GPU while the host OS uses it. Don't quote me on that, but I'm pretty sure that was one of the big talking points when they were first getting it to work back in the day.

It'd be shared resources, shared between the VM OS and the host OS.

That's my understanding. I could be wrong. It could require specific hardware but I don't recall that as being the case.

We do have some VM users here and they may shed some light on it, but this subject doesn't actually come up often and I'm not sure if any of our VM users are fluent in passthrough GPUs. So, someone smarter than I am may come along and help you more than my broad and sweeping suggestions.

 

[Tolkem]

Is it possible to allow the Windows VM to use the Nvidia GPU

You'll need a second GPU for this to work.