How realistic is it to use Unraid as desktop\gaming system assuming it has proper hardware

[JackSafari]

 

• Q: How realistic would it be to use Unraid as  the underlining OS and then configure Unraid to automatically spin up a Windows 10\11 VM using hardware passthrough for GPU, sound, mouse, keyboard, etc? 

 

Background Info: I recently I bought all new hardware with the intent to build a stand alone Windows desktop\gaming system. Before the hardware arrived I came upon Unraid (positive reviews on YouTube) and it has many of the features I wanted to integrate into my new system (run VMs, docker, backup, raid, etc). Which has led me to want to try Unraid with the new hardware.

 

I have laptop that would be used to make Unraid admin changes to Unraid that can't be done from a running VM.

 

I have already bought a Pro license to Unraid, it is just a matter of how I implement it. The fallback plan is to use the new hardware as originally planned (Windows gaming desktop), and convert older hardware into an Unraid system for VMs that don't require hardware passthrough and docker, backup, etc.

 

Edited December 21, 2021 by JackSafari
corrections

[MichaelBernasconi]

I've been running unraid for almost 2 years now. I have a windows 10 gaming vm and a linux vm for work. There is a bit of a learning curve in the beginning but I'm very happy with my setup now. I was even able to swap you my CPU and mainboard without any issues. 

So from my personal experience I can recommend using unraid with a windows 10 vm for gaming. Just be aware that you will not be able to play certain games because their anti cheat does not allow you to play in a vm! Valorant and Faceit (CSGO) don't work because of that.

If you have any questions about my setup let me know.

 

Best,

Michael

[JackSafari]

14 hours ago, MichaelBernasconi said:

There is a bit of a learning curve in the beginning but I'm very happy with my setup now.

 

Thanks for info and advice. I agree Unraid requires skill and experience to get things setup, but that is OK, the target demographic is for PC enthusiasts.  I have already encountered a few config errors and resolved some of them. ATM, I working on configuring my GTX 1060 to passthrough to Win10. I finally got it to passthrough after tracking down the config info for turning off the GPU from Unraid. Most everything is working OK except, as you noted, some games won't play. I mostly use Steam, and tested Borderlands and Crysis; they did not work, but some other did like Portal

 

Sound through the VM works, but when I move the mouse it interrupts sound sometimes.

 

 

Edited December 22, 2021 by JackSafari

[MichaelBernasconi]

Quote

I mostly use Steam, and tested Borderlands and Crysis; they did not work, but some other did like Portal

How do these games not work? I've never encountered a game that does not work on my vm except for the anti cheat reasons I mentioned. 

 

Quote

Sound through the VM works, but when I move the mouse it interrupts sound sometimes.

I did encounter some sound problems a while back. If I remember correctly I was able to fix the problem after taking a look at this thread.

[JackSafari]

10 hours ago, MichaelBernasconi said:

How do these games not work? I've never encountered a game that does not work on my vm except for the anti cheat reasons I mentioned. 

 

Borderland launches, just hang during startup before any menu appears. Both games are single person FPS games that don't employ any ant-cheat code; they 10+ years old. However, Crysis does not start because it asks for a cd key, which is odd because it is through Steam where keys are not required, but Crysis does have additional DRM beyond   Steam's anti-copy protection, and I suspect that their 3rd party DRM is not compatible with VMs. Info I have read on the internet is that new technology is triggering DRM copy protection in a few valid games, so it does not surprise me that some complex games don't run in VMs. 

 

The current problem I trying to fix is the GPU audio passthrough in the Windows 10vm. The audio comes through and sounds OK, but it drops out or has static when there is mouse activity. I have successfully cloned the vbios, but that did not fix it. I shall read the topic you provided the link to. 

 

Thanks

Edited December 23, 2021 by JackSafari
update

[JackSafari]

• Solved the audio problem using the utility from the link to the thread above.
   
• Solved gaming issues. I was storing Steam games on a share, which causes security permission issues with some games. Created a symbolic link to the Steam library rather use a share. Works for now. May move Steam library to its own vdisk or some other better solution

[MichaelBernasconi]

Great to hear that things are starting to work for you! I'd suggest moving the steam library to a separate vdisk. I've also encountered some problems in the past where games did not like being installed on a network share. Since you won't be able to use the same steam library from 2 VMs at the same time I don't see any reason to use a share instead of a vdisk. I've also had the best IO performance with vdisks.