Proof-of-Concept and Sizing
Q: How should virtual workstation users be categorized for optimal vGPU profile selection?
Categorize users based on their workload intensity. For more guidance on example deployment configurations, refer to the virtual workstation sizing guide.
Q: How do NVIDIA vPC profiles improve the performance of Knowledge Workers compared to CPU-only VDI desktops?
NVIDIA vPC profiles offload graphics rendering from the CPU to the GPU, providing better performance, smoother video playback, and improved productivity for applications like Windows, RDSH, and video streaming.
Q: What are the recommended vGPU profiles for Knowledge Workers in a VDI environment?
For Knowledge Workers using virtual desktops, NVIDIA generally recommends starting with a 2GB frame buffer for a Proof of Concept (PoC). The choice of profile depends on the number of monitors, resolutions, and workload within the virtual machine (VM).
vPC-2B Profile: 2 GB frame buffer, 6 GB RAM, 4 vCPUs @ 2.4 GHz, dual Quad monitors (2560x1440) or single 4K monitor (4096x2160). Recommended as a baseline for Knowledge Workers and Task Workers.
For more demanding workloads, starting with 4GB or 8GB profiles is advisable, as is moving to a vWS license for enhanced performance and support. If the customer has a known model size or workload requirements, the frame buffer should be adjusted accordingly. During deployment, customers must capture performance metrics and optimize VM sizing to ensure the best user experience.
For more information and detailed guidance, we recommend referring to the vGPU Sizing and Selection Guides.
Q: How do I choose the right vGPU profile for creative and technical professionals?
Creative and technical professionals should select profiles tailored to the requirements of their primary applications, such as Autodesk Revit, Maya, or Solidworks. The NVIDIA RTX Virtual Workstation (vWS) software supports RTX Enterprise drivers, ensuring compatibility with professional design and visualization applications. Use the application vendor’s recommendations and vGPU sizing guidelines to match the workload with the appropriate Q-series vGPU profile. For more detailed guidance, refer to Recommended NVIDIA GPUs for NVIDIA RTX vWS and vGPU Profiles.
Q: Why is frame buffer utilization important when selecting a vGPU profile?
Frame buffer utilization determines how much memory a VM allocates for rendering graphics. Higher utilization ensures better performance for graphics-intensive applications. Insufficient frame buffers can lead to degraded performance and limited functionality.
Q: Why is running a proof of concept (POC) important for a vGPU deployment?
Running a POC allows you to evaluate your deployment’s performance under real-world conditions. Before full-scale implementation, it helps validate each deployment type’s sizing, scalability, and user experience.
Q: What tools or methods can I use to validate my NVIDIA vGPU deployment?
To validate an NVIDIA vGPU deployment, NVIDIA recommends using real-world workloads that reflect actual end-user applications and experiences. Unlike physical GPUs, vGPU solutions use a Frame Rate Limiter (FRL) as a built-in Quality of Service (QoS) feature to ensure consistent performance across multiple users. By default:
vPC profiles support up to 45 FPS
vWS profiles support up to 60 FPS
Benchmarking tools are not recommended for validation, which may lead to unrealistic performance expectations due to FRL limitations. If benchmarking is required for specific testing purposes, disabling the FRL is possible but not recommended in a production environment. Alternatively, GPU pass-through mode can remove FRL restrictions entirely, but this eliminates vGPU benefits such as resource sharing. For best results, validate performance by running the actual workloads your users will rely on, ensuring an optimal and realistic end-user experience.
Q: Why do I need to resize my environment when upgrading to newer GPUs?
When upgrading to a newer GPU architecture or changing the deployment environment, we recommend running new POCs and resizing to ensure optimal resource allocation and performance. Factors such as ECC memory and differences in GPU capabilities can impact sizing, so evaluating and adjusting the environment is essential for efficiency.
Q: How does ECC memory impact vGPU sizing?
ECC memory is designed to detect and correct single-bit errors and detect double-bit errors in memory. This improves data integrity and reliability, which is crucial for compute-intensive tasks. However, ECC requires extra bits for error correction, which reduces the overall usable vGPU memory capacity. This will result in a 1/15th overhead cost on the vGPU frame buffer.
Q: How do monitor configurations and screen resolutions impact vGPU profile selection?
Monitor configurations and screen resolutions significantly impact vGPU profile selection because they determine the amount of GPU frame buffer required. Higher resolutions, such as 4K (4096x2160), demand more frame buffer than standard HD resolutions (1920x1080). Adding more monitors increases the number of pixels rendered, leading to higher frame buffer utilization. For instance, dual HD monitors require more resources than a single HD monitor, and a dual Quad HD (2560x1440) setup requires even more.
Q: What are the best practices for PoC environments when testing multiple vGPU profiles on the same VM?
Ensure that all vGPU profiles assigned to a VM come from the same board type and series. The vGPU Sizing and Selection Guides provide more information on conducting a POC and best practices.