Hi,

I am a long-term Windows user, who switched to Mac, and now would like to switch completely to Linux, so I need some guidance on where to start.
I mostly used laptops previously, but now I want to build a solid Linux desktop (64GB RAM), so I can run Windows VM occasionally either for gaming or CAD work.
My knowledge about desktop CPUs / GPUs is also a bit outdated.

The questions I have:

1. Taking into account the recent announcement from AMD, does it make sense to make a build around AMD Ryzen 9 5950X + RX 6900 (once both will be available)?
2. Or Nvidia 3090 + Ryzen will be still superior even on Linux?
3. What is the general situation with drivers for GPU, meaning is there a reason why AMD can be a preferable option over Nvidia?
4. The same question goes for CPU: is Intel generally better than AMD for Linux?
5. What is the recommended approach for configuring software in the situation, where Linux should be responsible for managing almost all daily tasks and development, where Windows or other VMs will launch CAD with dedicated graphics enabled and 1 external Ultrawide monitor, 1 keyboard and mouse?

I found quite a simple yet interesting setup via KVM / VFIO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UYeoPBh2hOI

I also look towards Logitech Flow software, but not sure if it as available for Linux (I plan to start with Pop_OS)

I will appreciate if you can give me the direction on where to look. Thank you in advance.

I'd either run Windows and linux VM or run dual boot.

Cross-posted: https://www.linux.org/threads/hardware-desktop-config-linux-windows-vms.31792

People were silent there, so I decided to put question here. I didn't know which of the forums is more active

That's fine - but you should say that and include the link in your first post. (Both here and on the other forum too.)

It allows potential respondees to check the other forum and tailor their replies to focus on new information (rather than wasting time repeating what has already been said).

I've never had much luck with Win as a guest. So I gave up - I dual-boot all my machines.
For gaming (racing sims) I boot Win10 and play there -I'm not doing anything else when I'm immersed, so what's the drawback - and you get true native support. I'd imagine similar would apply to CAD.

As for hardware, latest-and-greatest support for AMD has been problematic in the past. Gets fixed, but may not be immediately available.

I'd agree with dual-booting - GPU passthru will require two GPUs and iirc nVidia 'blocks' it on non-Quadro/Tesla cards. It's a lot of headache IME vs just setting up a dual-boot if you need Windows for something that won't run in Linux. I would add: the belief that Windows is a requirement for any kind of gaming is 'old thinking' - LOTS of games will either run natively on linux, or run in Wine/Proton in linux, so you should consider that approach first (because its the 'easiest' - check WineHQ or ProtonDB for specific titles). I'd also refer you to this thread (https://www.linuxquestions.org/quest...em-4175685275/) which has a lot of discussion of 'new hardware' with linux and probably addresses some/most of your questions - the really short version is unless you have a bona fide system requirements or QVL telling you to buy some/all of the hardware you're looking at, you're basically looking to crater $5000-7500 USD (thanks to the power of scalpers) for 'nothing.' If you need to run CAD 'seriously' you probably want to consider a Quadro or FirePro/Radeon Pro (especially under Windows) to have the certified drivers and plug-ins available.

The only 'big' question I don't think that thread will address is Intel vs AMD, so a quick'n'dirty rundown:

- No, one is not vastly superior to the other. Chipset support for Intel and AMD PCHs is equally good, and has been for a long time (the bad old days of third-party chipsets are long gone).
- Modern Ryzen (3xxx and 5xxx) are superior to Intel in terms of price/performance/power, if only slightly. Conversely you may find some discounted pricing on Intel chips as a result, and a lot of (meaning most) Intel chips include IGPs which could be useful if you're going to go ahead with GPU passthru (since then you'd have 2 GPUs once you put an add-in card in).

Given that you're looking to build a workstation here, you may also want to dump the entire LGA 115x/12xx / AM4 platform idea, and look into Intel's HEDT or AMD's Threadripper platforms, as they'll offer more memory support/capabilities, and more I/O capabilities that can be helpful for adding things you may want in a workstation (like more expansion cards).

1 members found this post helpful.

What recent announcement?

Thank you @obobskivich, it gave me a better understanding of the situation and referencing AMD vs nVidia situation. I will dive into details.

@ondoho, I referred to AMD Infinity Cache (L3). I still explore this technology, but I thought it just might work even better when both CPU and GPU are from AMD, rather than having AMD CPU and nVidia GPU. But it may not be the case...

I believe that only works in Windows, at least currently.