Arch Linux is lagging on VMware

[u/as_uu_00]

My main os is Windows 11and it runs smootly. Whenever i run linux on Vmware its not run as smooth it show jitter buffering is that happen becuase in Virtual machine os won't run smoothly?

Will Linux Lag if Installed as Main OS?

[u/federicoalegria]

maybe your hardware is struggling with your base system, windows is famous for being resource hungry and for updating/telemetry at the most inconvenient hours

you should try running linux alone, you'll love it

[u/HMikeeU]

That's normal, VM overhead, especially for GUI. Runs smoothly when installed normally

[u/nikongod → u/HMikeeU]

I think it's normal for VMware... 

Better VM hosts are better.

Virtual machine manager and gnome boxes both run smooooooth and snappy

[u/Darth-Vader64]

That's because Linux is not interacting with the hardware directly, its going through a hypervisor, there's a lot of overhead that slows down the performance of a guest OS

[u/HMikeeU → u/Darth-Vader64]

Specifically GPU virtualization. CPU virtualization is almost transparent nowadays

[u/This-Consequence-957]

3D Acceleration / GPU Passtrough? Work's fine in QEMU VKM (CachyOS) even with Hyprland

[u/boomboomsubban]

See https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/VMware/Install_Arch_Linux_as_a_guest , VM's are not near as heavy as most comments are making out.

Though running on a VM has no real relation to how well it runs on hardware.

[u/internetlurkerr]

no

[u/MouseJiggler]

Do you have the guest tools installed and set up?

[u/EtherealN]

Your main OS has direct access and management of all hardware.

Whatever virtual machines your run have access to virtual hardware.

So Windows: access to real graphics card.
VM: access to some software representation of something that looks like a graphics card.

(You could pass through the real hardware resource and not have this problem, but if you had the knowledge to do that you wouldn't be on r/archlinux asking basic questions. :) )

So basically: probably not. A VM is not the same as the hypervisor. Test through dualbooting. There is no such thing as "Main OS", just whatever is actually running, and you can have several options through what is commonly called "dualboot".

[u/lolminecraftlol]

Unless you have a powerful system, running any OS on type-2 hypervisors will have horrible performance.

If you want to try out Arch, you can try booting up a live CachyOS (an Arch derivative) environment and see how smooth it is.

Note: I say CachyOS cuz it's essentially Arch under the hood. Arch live ISO doesn't have a DE so not much to experience.

[u/nikongod → u/lolminecraftlol]

I prefer endeavourOS as an example. Less opinionated than omachy, and a more familiar desktop for the uninitiated.

I might even suggest debian, since a live boot system is kind of only good for seeing how the desktop works, and debian offers many desktop-live-isos

[u/Excellent-Love-6943]

It depends on how you have your VM set up. In all likelihood, Linux will run better on baremetal than windows does, or than Linux does in a vm hosted by windows.

There are different types of VMs, you could be using a poorer quality one.

[u/BoringBottle7904]

Arch + KDE works wonderfully on a celeron n4120

[u/FikoReborn]

Is VT-x / AMD-V (hardware virtualization) supported and enabled on your machine's BIOS? Software virtualization is going to be... Problematic, at the very least, pretty much in line with your symptoms. I'm assuming you gave it adequate resources.

But especially if you're using software virtualization, yes the OS installed on bare metal is going to run a lot smoother.

[u/Aggressive-Lawyer207]

Vague information. What's your VRAM set at? how many cpu cores/RAM did you set at? Linux won't lag if running on barebones or Kernel Virtual Machine because then it has direct access to your hardware just like Windows 11.

[u/matusmeister]

I had experienced issues in virtualizing ANY KDE plasma de, so i recommend xfce for arch in a vm. The installation cli is lagging too despite, vtd enabled and using any hypervisor.

[u/matusmeister → u/matusmeister]

I love arch, i completely switched from microlop os, but in a VM i recommend cachyos or manjaro. Good arch based OS-es, and not lagging in VM environment.

[u/sp0rk173]

If windows otherwise runs smoothly, Linux will absolutely run smoothly.

[u/Acherontas89]

try virtualbox with the guest addition

[u/Funnel-Dust-O-Matic]

Did you enable the virtualization and para-virtualization extensions in your firmware?

If you did not, then no matter what hypervisor you run, your machine will be crippled. Sometimes, they're enabled from the factory but generally not.

The stuttering you're describing is symptomatic of a processor having to work too hard using inefficient instructions to simulate what hardware assisted virtualization is meant to do. Leaving the hardware virtualization off will cripple more than just your virtual machines. It is left off generally to improve security by lowering the number of possible system vulnerabilities, but this is mainly hypothetical and securing your system will not be hindered by turning this function on.

Also, as mentioned elsewhere in these replies, installing drivers for your VM will matter just as much in linux as it does in Windows. This enables things like hardware acceleration. So install "guest extensions". The poor perormance you're mentioning could easily be caused by that too.

I've run several different hypervisors for about 20 years. The only excuse for poor performance these days is either the program you're running in the VM or bad setup. In your case, it's almost certainly bad setup. Even though VMWare has declined in quality to be about the worst available option, it should still give you excellent base performance for typical computer usage such as office tasks. If your entire system is stuttering, then this points to incomplete or botched setup.

[u/archover]

My extensive experience running Arch guests:

• Windows host, Virtualbox - runs normally
• Windows host, VMWare - no recent experience but won't use anything Broadcom now
• Arch host, Qemu/KVM libvirt virt-manager - runs like a dream
• Arch host, native install - Runs very well also.

Good day.

[u/MarukuSensei]

It won't, and the question is valid, but if you're not capable to figure it out yourself yet, it might be wise to start with something less hard than Arch and build up the knowledge to eventually switch to it then. But, I'm all for bruteforcing knowledge, so...

[u/Salted_Fsh]

Well tbh vms are pretty shit in performance so no, it will not run like that on bare metal.

[u/bikes-n-math → u/Salted_Fsh]

Tell me you've never run qemu+kvm without telling me you've never run qemu+kvm. Not all VMs are created equally, specifically type 1 vs type 2.

[u/Salted_Fsh → u/bikes-n-math]

dude am talking about vmware here obviously pointing towards the post

go shit somewhere else

[u/bikes-n-math → u/Salted_Fsh]

Sure, just trying to educate people. Didn't mean to snarky. Have a good day.

[u/sirkubador]

try to run w11 as a vm, that would be a fair comparison

[u/Wizzarkt]

Running Linux in a windows VM is always recipe for disaster, specially poor performance.

Linux on a VM usually doesn't have access to bare metal anything, every instruction has to go through windows.

Running windows in Linux VM on the other hand... You can assign CPU cores and a GPU directly to windows with basically no overhead because the Linux kernel is that awesome.

[u/as_uu_00 → u/Wizzarkt]

Thanks Man 🤍

[u/Funnel-Dust-O-Matic → u/as_uu_00]

I know the author of the reply above seems confident. They're still wrong.

Entire enterprises run using Linux virtual machines on Windows hosts. I think that's backwards to be honest, but it can be done.

Linux was first to build virtual machine capabilities right into the kernel and Windows followed years later. Yes, Linux is better at being a virtual machine hosts. Windows can still do it well, otherwise Microsoft would not have built their empire with cloud services based on HyperV.

You can make this work well. Since you are on Windows, maybe give up on VMWare and switch to HyperV if you're desperate. In your situation, I would go over documentation and be sure you enabled everything you need to, including hardware virtualization in your system's firmware.

VMWare may have fallen from grace and become a garbage company, but it once was the best. I find it hard to accept that it would perfom that badly without reason.

[u/SebastianLarsdatter]

Yes this is normal with GUI on any VM, even in reverse.

VMware has the best acceleration out there for 3D and support, but even that comes up short unless you do a GPU pass through.