Is unraid what i need?

[dennisWasAlreadyBeenTaken]

Hi guys,

 

I am working as a software developer and like to game in my spare time, sometimes i even game and code my hobby project while waiting for the game.

That being said, i was hoping if this tool could help me by booting Linux or Macos and Windows at the same time and using it with 1 keyboard/mouse.

 

there are 3 scenarios that can happen:

 

- Working, 2 screens with linux.

- Gaming, 2 screens with windows.

- Gaming and working, ideal would be to have on my main screen windows and second screen linux. (there must be also a keyboard/mousse switch to the other os)

 

Afterall, is it only posible to change the settings from a remote device?

 

I hope someone could answer the questions i got.

 

PC SPECS:

Intel® Core™ i7-7700K Processor

32 GB Ram (3200hz)

Gforce rtx2080 (super)

ROG STRIX Z270G GAMING (motherboard)

usb cabled mouse/keyboard

 

thanks!

 

Sincerely Dennis

[testdasi]

With a single GPU, no you can't do your 3rd scenario.

In fact with a single GPU, there is no point in using Unraid for your Linux + Windows use case since you need to shutdown 1 VM to run another, which is parallel to rebooting to another OS bare-metal.

 

With 2 GPU's, it is possible but no guarantee.

• Your chance of success will improve tremendously if you can boot Unraid with the 7700K iGPU.
  • It's an option in the BIOS but I'm not sure whether Asus BIOS allows that. I know Gigabyte and ASRock do allow to boot with the iGPU while ignoring other dedicated GPU.
  • This is not a requirement (i.e. with the right config, you might still be able to do it with 2 dedicated GPU's, 1 of which Unraid boots with) but it would certainly help a lot (e.g. one user I recently helped had success by simply switching Unraid to boot with the iGPU).
• Keyboard/mouse switch may need additional software / hardware help. I have a USB 3.0 switch so my input devices switch between 2 machines just at a press of a button.
• Display switch is a monitor functionality.

 

In terms of MacOS VM, there is a Catch-22 situation.

• Catalina works better with AMD GPU but AMD GPU has reset issues that make them difficult to pass through to a VM.
• Nvidia GPU is (relatively!) more cooperative with VM pass-through but you have to go through hoops to make it work with Catalina.

So you will have a hard time getting a MacOS VM to work properly with a GPU. Possible but tough.

Hence, unless you are well-versed in Hackintosh, I would recommend to just not waste your time trying.

[tjb_altf4]

To be able to use iGPU and discrete GPU together, in your bios do the following:

Advanced > Graphics Configuration > iGPU Multi-Monitor (ENABLE)

 

[dennisWasAlreadyBeenTaken]

Thanks both for the replies, i will try it out this weekend