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Linux host, Windows VM with full GPU passthrough for laptop?

cn flag

Good day to everyone,

I have acquired a laptop for mainly studying purposes and the occasional OTG gaming session. The laptop in questions is an MSI Pulse GL66 with an RTX 3070 (80Watt). To get on with my problem, I've been studying online on how I could run Ubuntu on the laptop as the main (Host) OS and then have a Windows 10 VM so I can run, some specific applications (i.e MATLAB with Simulink, AutoCAD, etc. and random games such as LoL, Rocket League and the such), but to no avail.

What I've found is that, mainly passthrough works with a descrete GPU or even multiple GPUs. Has anyone got any helpful insights on how would I be able to pull something like that off? I am thinking that if it gets to the point that, no VM can run with full GPU passthrough on Ubuntu, I could go ahead and populate the second M.2 slot on the laptop and then dual boot it?

Any ideas?

Thanks!

in flag
"Full GPU Passthrough" is a lot to ask from any OS, as they generally try to control PCI devices for the duration of the system's operation. VirtualBox does allow it – [with caveats](https://docs.oracle.com/en/virtualization/virtualbox/6.0/admin/pcipassthrough.html) – and other VMs have similar restrictions. The bulk of the responsibility comes down to the motherboard and the video card, though, **not** the OS.
Jad avatar
br flag
Jad
which version of Ubuntu are you using? which virtualisation technology are you currently using? You might be best off with dual-booting or (this might be unpopular on this forum) run Ubuntu in Windows WSL2 environment, and an X server (https://medium.com/@dhanar.santika/installing-wsl-with-gui-using-vcxsrv-6f307e96fac0) unless you have Windows 11
PidgeonsAreA_Scam avatar
cn flag
@matigo Thanks for the info, I'll make sure to study further into this matter.
PidgeonsAreA_Scam avatar
cn flag
@Jad Due to me using the laptop at the moment for active studies, I need to find a solution that will work with the least time consuming manner. As such, I have not installed Ubuntu on this laptop, let alone experiment further. I have been using Ubuntu for sometime now on my main computer. Thanks for your suggestions, but I was looking to have Ubuntu as the main OS, as I am utterly dissapointed by Windows 10 update shenanigans.
ChanganAuto avatar
us flag
Laptops cannot do "GPU passtrough". Unlike desktops with multiple GPUs, laptops use at most hybrid switchable graphics. For passtrough you'd need at least two GPUs permanently running as one must be assigned to the host OS. So, yes, install a dual-boot if you need a powerful GPU for both OSes.
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