Operating Systems

I can help you set yours up like mine if you want!

But you'd need to make sure you have two graphics cards. I have the 3080 disabled from Linux until a VM starts, so it won't load the Linux desktop or anything. Even a CPU with integrated graphics works, but a physical GPU is obviously better.

I really like the Quadro series for this as its physically thinner, lower power, and has the performance around a 1060. They're on ebay for like $60

So the only problem is you'd have to update every VM over time to get security patches, this is mainly a problem if you're on limited internet(like me). Im capped at 100gb a month and my download speed is almost always less than 1mb/sec.

Windows has a feature that if one system on your network is updated, other systems on the network can download locally from that one and save your data, which is wonderful. But you still need to update Nvidia drivers for each VM, and update games, etc. You can connect a hard drive(virtual or physical) to multiple VMs, but only run VMs with a common hard drive one at a time.

And mind you this isn't to save compatibly, for me once it works it works. I just like to keep security patches updated because I download a lot of sketchy programs lol.

Latency is non-existent. I use a program called lookingglass, which allocates like 32mb of GPU memory to be dedicated to passing frames between the VM and the host. Or non-existent for my level of perception. If you're Spidey senses tingle more easily you can pass through a secondary keyboard and mouse and just literally have two screens two keyboards two mice one box. It would have the same latency as bare metal. And even have two people play multiplayer games together off of one box if you have the horsepower.

Depends on my needs, my desktop itself has a 8core @ 5GHz, around 50Gb ram, a Quadro and a 3080ti.

For gaming I'll usually pass through 6cores, 30Gb ram and the 3080ti to a windows VM, leaving 2cores 20Gb and the Quadro for my linux host.

sometimes I'll do more of a 50/50 split or if I'm just updating windows or downloading a game I'll only pass 2 cores like 10Gb ram and no gpu.

But if you mean how did I do the initial setup, any arch based disro will be the easiest (but you can do it on others if youre more technically inclined) by following this guide:

PCI PASSTHROUGH VIA OVMF

Ive done this process on so many systems I can do it off a fresh install in probably 30 minutes now.

Once the Linux host is finished, I install windows in the VM, strip as much bloat from it as I can, install my universal programs(Firefox, 7zip, VPN stuff remote desktop stuff, GPU drivers, etc)

For gaming, the best programs I've found are Looking glass to pass the VM GPU's video to a window on the client with no latency, and SCREAM audio for the same with sound.

Once that's all set up and windows is fully updated, I make a backup of that VM, and basically never open the original again. If I need a new VM, just clone that setup and everything's ready to go. I can rn clone the original setup, and use my private collection of interesting viruses on that windows VM without fear of it damaging anything.