I'm thinking about ditching dual booting and instead run Windows through KVM since I still need access to some Windows-only applications. While I'm aware that performance won't match running on actual hardware, I'm curious about any potential downsides. Are there compatibility issues or anything I should be cautious about when running these Windows-exclusive apps in a virtualized environment?
4 Answers
The main downside is the lack of hardware-accelerated graphics unless you use GPU passthrough, which can make things feel a bit laggy. If you don't mind tinkering, GPU passthrough can significantly boost performance, but it can be a complex setup. Just be ready for a bit of a learning curve!
In general, running Windows in a Linux VM isn't the smoothest experience, especially if you don't have a powerful machine for it. Linux VMs tend to run better, so just keep that in mind if you consider switching it up!
True, but remember you still need a legitimate Windows license to run it in a VM, which can be annoying!
Just a heads up, if you dual boot, you get full hardware access for both OSs, but you'll need to reboot to switch. Sometimes, Windows can mess with your boot settings for Linux, which is a hassle.
If you're looking for alternatives, have you tried using something like Winapps? It runs Windows apps in a Docker container and integrates them into your Linux system. Once it’s set up, it can be really smooth and feels native!
Yeah, and some games with strict anti-cheat systems, like Vanguard, might give you trouble when running this way. But for most other apps, you should be good!