Is Intel GPU SR-IOV GPU Passthrough with KVM/QEMU for Windows 11VM possible? Anybody tried?

Framework Laptop 13
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1

Hey, I already placed my Order for a Lovely Pro 13 but got some questions. (Batch 18)

At the moment im Using Parallels on MacOS and want to switch to Fedora, but I need Windows for some specific applications - I DONT want to Dual-Boot because its most of the Time its low Power stuff like ETS Programming for Smart Home or some Security System stuff that only runs under Windows and I just need them maybe 5 to 20 Minutes a Day. I can’t Live without these applications and there is no way around windows at the moment.

I tried to get my question as precise as Possible and English isn’t my first language so I Hope you can understand that I used some AI to Formulate and Translate my Questions.

Hi everyone,

I’m considering using the new Framework Laptop 13 Pro with Intel Core Ultra X7 358H / Intel Arc B390 as my main Linux laptop, and I’d like to know whether anyone has already tested Intel GPU SR-IOV on this specific Framework model.

My intended setup is:

  • Fedora 44 as the host OS

  • KVM/QEMU + libvirt

  • Windows 11 x86-64 as a VM

  • Intel Arc B390 used by Fedora through the Physical Function (PF)

  • One Intel GPU Virtual Function (VF) passed through to the Windows VM via VFIO/SR-IOV

The goal is to let Fedora and Windows use the integrated GPU at the same time, rather than doing full GPU passthrough.

Intel officially supports SR-IOV graphics virtualization on Core Ultra Series 3 / Panther Lake, including Linux host + Windows guest scenarios. What I’m mainly trying to confirm is whether the Framework BIOS/UEFI exposes everything required for this to work.

Has anyone tested this on the Framework Laptop 13 Pro yet?

I would especially be interested in the following:

  • Is GPU SR-IOV available with the Intel xe driver?

  • Does /sys/bus/pci/devices/0000:00:02.0/sriov_totalvfs report available Virtual Functions?

  • Can sriov_numvfs be used to create a VF?

  • Is there an SR-IOV or Intel Graphics SR-IOV option in the Framework BIOS?

  • Is Intel VT-d / IOMMU fully available?

  • Is Above 4G Decoding enabled or configurable?

  • Are there any BIOS/firmware restrictions that prevent assigning the Intel GPU VF to a Windows 11 KVM guest?

  • Has anyone successfully used the Intel Panther Lake Windows virtualization driver inside the VM?

  • Any experience with Looking Glass or another low-latency display solution?

The architecture I’m aiming for is basically:

Fedora 44
→ Intel Arc B390 PF

Windows 11 KVM/QEMU VM
→ Intel Arc B390 VF
→ VFIO / SR-IOV

I’m especially interested in real-world experience with the Framework Laptop 13 Pro, not just Panther Lake in general.

If anyone has already tested this, I’d really appreciate details about the BIOS settings, kernel version, xe driver configuration, libvirt/QEMU setup, and whether Windows recognized the virtual GPU correctly.

Thanks!

2

I’m planing something similar for my 3D scanning software, I did ask over on lvl1techs forum but never got a reply. I’m batch 8 so a few weeks? out on delivery though.

I know pantherlake works as there is a writeup on github for a PVE box with a windows guest.

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3

I tried back then when I just got the mainboard but not all the way to the end:

I forgot what exactly did I use or what sriov_totalvfs said - it’s deep in some random AI chatlog on another machine. In short, what works:

  • Passing the VF to VM - it’s just a pcie device
  • Installing graphics drivers in VM
  • Running games in VM using virtual GPU

What I didn’t manage to get working:

  • Handling VM shutdown gracefully - for me it causes host graphics to freeze.
  • Had some problems choosing how to view VM’s desktop properly with hardware accelerated graphics - there were issues with it being headless

What I didn’t try:

  • Resource scheduling priority with both host & VM competing for GPU

I have since reverted to Ubuntu defaults. Now it’s up to you to get this 100% working so I can just copy the setup :grinning_face:

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4

Hey, I got an answer from the framework support, but unfortunately not a really helpful one. Seems Like its a edge use case :smiley:

"
Framework Support

Hi there,

Thank you for showing interest in Framework Laptops. We understand that you would like to see a Framework Laptop 13 Pro with Intel Core Ultra Series configured for SR‑IOV GPU virtualization.

At this time, these options and information are not available. While we cannot promise or speculate on the possibility of including them in future iterations, we truly appreciate your suggestion and will share your feedback with the appropriate team.

We recommend checking the Framework Community, as another user has recently posted a discussion about using the Framework Laptop 13 Pro in a similar configuration. Is Intel GPU SR-IOV GPU Passthrough with KVM/QEMU for Windows 11VM possible? Anybody tried?

For more about our plans & products, please sign up for our newsletter: https://frame.work/blog/category/news

If anything else, please don’t hesitate to contact us.
Thanks for contacting Framework Support. Have a great day.
Regards,
Framework Support"

@Zack1 please keep us updated ! Very Interested in what you can achieve:)

I Will test what I can get running, but unfortunately I will get my device in November/December

Best Regards

5

I should hopefully get mine in a few weeks (batch 7) and I’d be happy to report how it works. I’m also interested in a setup like this. FYI: I run gentoo, so things might end up being a little different.

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6

Alright, we will keep us all updated about the Progress !

Have a nice rest of the Week :slight_smile:

Best Regards

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7

This might be worth a review, seems the user validated on Pantherlake w/B390 cachyos with a win11 guest an sunlight/moonlight streaming GitHub - YellowWhiteBlackCat/headless-win11-sriov-streaming: Headless Windows 11 VM with Intel Arc SR-IOV GPU passthrough + VDD + Sunshine/Moonlight streaming: unattended Autounattend bootstrap, SSH/QGA/VNC control channels, reproducible asset download · GitHub

8

I just got my payment confirmation, so I should be able to look into this pretty soon. I’m very excited!

1 Like