Looking for hardware and configuration recommendations

[Chris N.]

Hi Proxmox Community,

I am a newbie and would appreciate some advice concerning what kind of hardware to buy and how to configure it. While a Macbook is my daily driver, I need to run certain Windows apps and want to experiment with various Linux and BSD variants. My intention is to build a relatively high performance box. I want decent video response, but don’t plan on any video-intense gaming. I also need to be able to copy/paste text between Windows and *nix terminals.

Here are my questions:

• If I have dual monitors hooked up to the Proxmox server hardware, can I dedicate one monitor to Windows and the other to whichever Linux desktop I want for daily use?
• How big of a performance hit will I see in Windows, especially in terms of video and mouse cursor latency?
• Is there a way for Windows to use both monitors and still display a Linux desktop on the 2nd monitor when I want to show it? If not, is it quick and easy to switch the 2nd monitor between Windows and Linux?
  
  The reason is, I want to simulate my work environment where I use Windows for Office apps and ETX to access my Linux desktop. Windows is displayed on my primary monitor and the Linux Desktop is fullscreen on my 2nd monitor.
  
  Since ETX is hosted as a client app on Windows, I can still drag any other Windows app (Word, Excel, etc.) from the main Windows monitor over the top of the Linux desktop on the 2nd monitor. I am looking for a way to get close to this same workflow at home.
  
  
• Is SPICE better for video performance, or is NoMachine? Is there something better?
• Given that I want a performant Windows VM, could you recommend good hardware options for purchase?

I could install Windows on bare metal and use Virtual Box for Linux VMs since none of them of them are resource intensive, but would prefer not to.

Thanks!

Chris