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Add more information about GPU-accelerated tasks #1482

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17 changes: 8 additions & 9 deletions introduction/faq.md
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Expand Up @@ -344,18 +344,17 @@ For the same general reasons as listed in [FAQ: Why do you use GitHub?](/faq/#wh

Absolutely.

### Can I run applications, like games, which require hardware acceleration?
### Can I run applications, like games and video editors, which require hardware acceleration?

Those won’t fly.
We do not provide GPU virtualization for Qubes.
This is mostly a security decision, as implementing such a feature would most likely introduce a great deal of complexity into the GUI virtualization infrastructure.
However, Qubes does allow for the use of accelerated graphics (e.g. OpenGL) in dom0’s Window Manager, so all the fancy desktop effects should still work.
App qubes use a software-only (CPU-based) implementation of OpenGL, which may be good enough for basic games and applications.
This is possible, but not recommended. It's usually a better idea to have a separate device for GPU-intensive tasks, but if that's not possible for financial or other reasons, this can be done with significant effort and security trade-offs.

For further discussion about the potential for GPU passthrough on Xen/Qubes, please see the following threads:
Qubes does not implement GPU virtualization, so any GPU-based tasks will require giving a Qube full access to your GPU, so any security vulnerabilities in your GPU will be exploitable if the Qube is compromised. Furthermore, your system will need two GPUs - one to render the Qubes desktop, and one for your GPU-accelerated Qube. If you have an integrated graphics chip on your CPU, you can use the CPU graphics to render Qubes and the dedicated graphics for your GPU-accelerated Qube.

- [GPU passing to HVM](https://groups.google.com/group/qubes-devel/browse_frm/thread/31f1f2da39978573?scoring=d&q=GPU&)
- [Clarifications on GPU security](https://groups.google.com/group/qubes-devel/browse_frm/thread/31e2d8a47c8b4474?scoring=d&q=GPU&)
Also note that you will likely experience noticeably worse performance in video games unless you have a good CPU due to the hardening and virtualization features of Qubes.

For instructions, see [Create a Gaming HVM](https://forum.qubes-os.org/t/create-a-gaming-hvm/19000) on the Qubes forums.

There are plans to implement GPU virtualization in Qubes, but it will take a while before this is available. See [the GPU acceleration project on GitHub](https://github.com/orgs/QubesOS/projects/17/views/1) for more information.

### Is Qubes a multi-user system?

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