Optimizing processors for MAC OS VM

NOIDSR

Member
Mar 1, 2021
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Hello, being a newbie in Linux and proxmox I am looking for a help on optimizing CPU setting for VMs.

My CPU is i7-12700

For my project I run simultaneously 3 VMs:

-Ubuntu server (light use) I allocate 1 socket 2 cores, 2 vCPUs Host
-Windows 10 (light use) I allocate 1 socket 2 cores, 2 vCPUs Host
-MAC OS (video editing) (?)

What would be the best setting/allocation for my MAC OS VM (socket/core/vCPUs) to utilize the remaining power that is left from Ubuntu and Windows VMs? I use MAC OS for video editing. Thanks!
 
Video Editing? Hopefully, you have working GPU passthrough for that. What is your current CPU setup for the MacOS VM? AFAIK there is no official support for Alder Lake CPUs in MacOS, so you may have to set it not to host.
 
Yes, I have GPU passthrough working fine with Catalina. I was doing video editing so far without problems on the set up below with i7-10700:
- 1 socket, 10 cores, 10vCPU that was set automatically, set on PENRYN. The remaining resources left for other 2 VMs runing windows and Ubuntu same time (see their CPU setup in my previous message).

But now I upgraded my motherboard and installed i7-12700 and upgraded Catalina to Monterey. I have now more resources and was seeking help on what would be the best optimized CPU setup for this VM because I now have more cores and threads available on i7-12700.
 
what would be the best optimized CPU setup for this VM
that depends on the load of your 3 VMs. Add CPUs until your PVE Host reaches 100% usage (or simpler, but mostly right - a load-value that matches your thread count). Or add CPUs until you do not gain any more power in your MacOS VM. Do you need to much CPU power with GPU passthrough?
Have you measured the utilization in MacOS?

Utilization is very hard to measure since alder lake and I'm very curious if that affects virtualization in general. Not very core is as fast as others, so that may yield strange behaviour.
 
that depends on the load of your 3 VMs. Add CPUs until your PVE Host reaches 100% usage (or simpler, but mostly right - a load-value that matches your thread count). Or add CPUs until you do not gain any more power in your MacOS VM. Do you need to much CPU power with GPU passthrough?
Have you measured the utilization in MacOS?

Utilization is very hard to measure since alder lake and I'm very curious if that affects virtualization in general. Not very core is as fast as others, so that may yield strange behaviour.
OK thanks, but most of the things you mentioned for me is hard to understand not being a linux guru. That is why I am seeking help here :)
My other 2 VM running at the same time with a very very light load. Especially Ubuntu VM used as a server. Windows VM is ussed to monitor cameras or watch videos and have a passtrough also with small Nvidia GPU card. For MAC passthrough I have a separate GPU AMD RX5500xt. Have not measured any utilization but rather thinking theoretically what I should set for sockets and cores for i7-12700 and then go from there.

Again, my earlier setup with i7-10700 was 1 socket and 10 cores and it seems worked well (did some benchmarking with Geekbench4). Thanks
 

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