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* Divide system requirements into 3.x and 4.x sections * Specify new minimum and recommended requirements for 4.x * Add informational links for CPU features * Terminology: correct "AMD-v" to "AMD-V" * Terminology: prefer "AMD-Vi" to "AMD IOMMU" * Add link to Hardware Certification page * Change heading format to support additional level
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System Requirements
Qubes Release 3.x
Minimum
- 64-bit Intel or AMD processor (x86_64 aka x64 aka AMD64)
- 4 GB RAM
- 32 GB disk space
- Legacy boot mode (UEFI is not supported yet)
Recommended
- Fast SSD (strongly recommended)
- Intel IGP (strongly preferred)
- Nvidia GPUs may require significant troubleshooting.
- ATI GPUs have not been formally tested (but see the Hardware Compatibility List).
- Intel VT-x or AMD-V (required for running HVM domains, such as Windows-based AppVMs)
- Intel VT-d or AMD-Vi (aka AMD IOMMU) (required for effective isolation of network VMs)
- TPM with proper BIOS support (required for Anti Evil Maid)
Qubes Release 4.x
Minimum
- 64-bit Intel or AMD processor (x86_64 aka x64 aka AMD64)
- Intel VT-x with EPT or AMD-V with RVI
- Intel VT-d or AMD-Vi (aka AMD IOMMU)
- 4 GB RAM
- 32 GB disk space
Recommended
- Fast SSD (strongly recommended)
- Intel IGP (strongly preferred)
- Nvidia GPUs may require significant troubleshooting.
- ATI GPUs have not been formally tested (but see the Hardware Compatibility List).
- TPM with proper BIOS support (required for Anti Evil Maid)
- A non-USB keyboard or multiple USB controllers
- Also consider the hardware certification requirements for Qubes 4.x.
Choosing Hardware
- Please see the Hardware Compatibility List for a compilation of hardware reports generated and submitted by users across various Qubes versions. (For more information about the HCL itself, see here).
- For more certain hardware compatibility, you may wish to consider a Qubes-certified laptop. (For information about how a computer becomes Qubes-certified, see Hardware Certification.)
Important Notes
- Qubes can be installed on systems which do not meet the recommended requirements. Such systems will still offer significant security improvements over traditional operating systems, since things like GUI isolation and kernel protection do not require special hardware.
- Qubes can be installed on a USB flash drive or external disk, and testing has shown that this works very well. A fast USB 3.0 flash drive is recommended for this. (As a reminder, its capacity must be at least 32 GB.) Simply plug the flash drive into the computer before booting into the Qubes installer from a separate installation medium, choose the flash drive as the target installation disk, and proceed with the installation normally. After Qubes has been installed on the flash drive, it can then be plugged into other computers in order to boot into Qubes. In addition to the convenience of having a portable copy of Qubes, this allows users to test for hardware compatibility on multiple machines (e.g., at a brick-and-mortar computer store) before deciding on which computer to purchase. (See hcl-report for advice on hardware compatibility testing.) Keep in mind to also change assigned devices for your netvm and usbvm, if you move between different machines.
- There is also a live USB option available, which may be even easier for testing.
- Installing Qubes in a virtual machine is not recommended, as it uses its own bare-metal hypervisor (Xen).
- Macintosh PCs are not currently supported due to keyboard and mouse problems. (See #230 for details. Patches welcome!)
- Advice on finding a VT-d capable notebook.