KVM without GPU Passthrough

[Slo2025]

How good is KVM without GPU Passthrough or is it Oracle VirtualBox better?

[Levent]

Did you mean Kernel-based Virtual Machine without a GPU passthrough? (> Useable for basic functions.) or Keyboard Video Mouse without a GPU passthrough? 

[Slo2025]

2 hours ago, Levent said:

Did you mean Kernel-based Virtual Machine without a GPU passthrough?

 

Yes.

[Electronics Wizardy]

27 minutes ago, Slo2025 said:

 

Yes.

What is your use case? Desktop GUI performance isn't the best, but you get basically the full CPU performance minus a few percent.

[AtomicGlargh]

What is the use case? 

If you're looking for a GUI with a QEMU backend, virt-manager is nice.

[Slo2025]

I tried KVM without GPU Passthrough and it's very bad. Even 1080p movie doesn't work normally in PotPlayer and also no Hardware Acceleration in PotPlayer in Windows 11 VM. Windows VirtIO Drivers DO NOTHING.

 

It's so much worse then Oracle VirtualBox.

 

I will just do GPU Passthrough.

[AtomicGlargh]

You can try virgl with QEMU. It does the guest's graphics processing on the host. No pass through needed. I don't know how well it works with Windows, however.

 

The best bet with it would be pass through.

[JohnnySuper]

For basic tasks it's great. I mean for setting up mouse and using Office, things like that.

[Mina G]

On 2/17/2026 at 3:04 AM, Slo2025 said:

How good is KVM without GPU Passthrough or is it Oracle VirtualBox better?

not very good

[PDifolco]

Tried both, really didn't see much difference in performance, and VirtualBox is easier to use

[Slo2025]

8 hours ago, PDifolco said:

and VirtualBox is easier to use

 

I can use the same VM in Windows 11 or Linux (Host).

[PDifolco]

6 hours ago, Slo2025 said:

 

I can use the same VM in Windows 11 or Linux (Host).

Sure, which is another advantage of Virtualbox

KVM/QEMU gives more control and has more options,  but if you don't need them Virtualbox is easier to set up and works with anything 

[Slo2025]

Is it possible to get 3D-Acceleration in KVM without GPU Passthrough?

 

I don't need GPU Passthrough because i have Native Windows 11 for games.

[xAcid9]

3 hours ago, Slo2025 said:

Is it possible to get 3D-Acceleration in KVM without GPU Passthrough?

Window guest? No
Linux guest? Yes

[Mina G]

7 hours ago, Slo2025 said:

Is it possible to get 3D-Acceleration in KVM without GPU Passthrough?

 

I don't need GPU Passthrough because i have Native Windows 11 for games.

on linux that's true but you wll need special configuration and drivers on KVM and on virthualBox only on display driver that work and not on all distro i found problem to get it working on cachyos as a guest on and opensuse slowroll as a host  i am not sure what the problem where i didn't care because i didn't need it

 

 

[Slo2025]

Is it worth it to have GPU Passthrough if i have Native Windows 11 and Native Linux?