Virtualization System Requirements in 2024

By: Editorial Team

Virtualization is the act of creating a virtual representation of physical computer hardware, storage and network resources.

Hardware virtualization is one of the most common kind since it’s explained as the creation of a virtual machine to host a separate OS.

Most people use hardware virtualization to use and also test applications on their supported OS.

Virtualization has many uses. This article explains the kind of computer that is best for virtualization.

Do You Need A Good PC To Run A Virtual Machine?

A virtual machine is simply an emulation of a computer system, and is based on specific architectures and provide functions of the physical counterpart.

There are two types of virtual machines available. The first is full Virtualisation, and second is process virtualisation.

The above mentioned have different operational levels and might require different specifications, and therefore you need to know the kind of virtual machine you need.

Full virtualization is the use of virtual hardware emulated by the host’s computer, to host a copy of an operating system. Some Examples include Hyper-v, Oracle VM, and VirtualBox.

Process virtualisation is meant to emulate an execution, as if it was being run by the actual hardware, regardless of the host systems environment. Process virtualization is also termed an application virtual machine.

Hardware and Software requirements for virtualization rely on a number of constraints such as OS, Software, Processor, and Ram amongst others.

But generally speaking, you would need a more powerful host system to run a VM, since the application or operating system you need to run has a specifications list of supported hardware.

Is Virtualization Is Good For Laptop?

Virtualization can get demanding. Laptops are suitable for handling lightweight virtualization such as OS emulation, and software emulation.

If you are running an application that works on a specific OS, it could become heavy. Software emulation is much easier since you are only emulating an application and not an operating system.

Can I Run a VM on a Laptop?

Yes, once your laptop meets the system requirements of the VM software or installing another OS. You can successfully run a VM on a laptop.

Does AMD Processor Support Virtualization?

AMD has a virtualization technology called AMD-v. This technology uses tasks that virtual machine managers perform and simplifies those tasks through enhancements in the processor’s instruction set.

However, it is good to know that such a feature might not be enabled by default. You would have to enter your laptop/desktop bios and enable them before you can access it.

Can Ryzen Do Virtualization?

Although ryzen are designed specifically for gaming and multicore workloads, AMD still included virtualization functions.

By default, they have been disabled and you need to access the BIOS if you really want it enabled. In the BIOS, it may be termed as  VT-x, AMD-V or SVM.

What Specs Are Needed For Virtualization?

Virtualization is a broad subject, and therefore specifications are grouped into categories. There are Hyper-V, Operating System, and hardware requirements.

These three depend on each other to ensure efficient virtualization.

Hyper-v Requirements

  • 64 Bit Win 10 (Pro, Enterprise, Education)
  • Second Level Address Translation(SLAT)

Hardware Requirements

  • CPU support for VM Monitor Mode Extension (VT-x on Intel CPUs)
  • Minimum of 4 GB memory.
  • i7 or Ryzen 7 desktop/laptop CPU

Operating System Requirements

Hyper-v is software that helps create and run virtual machines. Hyper-v is a requirement if you wish to virtualize.

A 64 bit OS is needed to run hyper-v. However, win 10 home, mobile and mobile enterprise cannot be installed on these three versions.

How Many CPU Cores Do I Need For Virtualization?

Every virtual machine has a virtual core, and whenever a virtual machine process is underway, the host has to schedule the physical CPU to the virtual core.

For example, a quad-core CPU running 2 virtual machines, each with one virtual core. The host has to schedule the 2 virtual CPUs against the 4 physical Cores.

If the example above explained was an octa-core processor, there would be more physical cores remaining, leading to a smoother operation of the host.

This basically leaves the host OS a little stranded for power, and it becomes more apparent when you have heavy tasks running on the virtual machines.

So now we know that having more cores is better than having faster cores when dealing with virtualization. An octa-core processor running at 2.3 GHz is better than a quad-core running at 3.0 GHz.

How Much RAM Do I Need To Run A Virtual Machine?

The minimum required is 4GB. That is if you are going to run a single VM. But 2 or more you would require 8 gigabytes of memory. RAM also affects the number of tasks that can run at the same time.

Depending on the kind of work, virtualization might require more or less RAM.

Final Thoughts

A computer that has a quad-core CPU, 16GB RAM and a large amount of SSD storage has the recommended hardware for virtualization and virtual machines.