Videocard passthrough

[lwhome]

Another evening spent on trying to make my video card passthrough working. A few more nights and my wife gonna divorce me, so you guys gotta help me!

My home server configuration: Xeon 1230v3/24GB ECC/Supermicro X10SL7. CPU without graphics, onboard Aspeed video card for HPMI.

Latest ESXi 5.5 U2, free license.

I tried two PCI-e cards: nVidia Quattro FX1500 and Radeon HD 6570. Both show famous Windows device error Code 43.

What have I tried:

- changed VM’s RAM amount from 1 to 12 GB (with and without memory reservation)

- tried to shutdown other VMs that are using passthrough (SAS controller)

- tried different OS (x64 Windows 7 to 10)

- experimented with VM’s PCIhole and PCIPassThru#MSIEnabled settings

- Tried different drivers (including BETAs)

- Tried <4GB PCI-e addressing & VGA priority settings in BIOS (didn’t found any “memory hole” related setting)

- Connected physical monitor to card’s DVI-out

Nothing helps :smileycry:

[lwhome]

So I tried different types of boot type (BIOS/EFI) each one with different RAM size (1 to 6 GB).

Tried different drivers, also from non-official drivers sites.

The best I can get - it's now showing "device working normally" without vmware tools and with disabled virtual video card, but monitor still shows no-signal and windows shows "Default Monitor on" (nothing).

[lwhome]

Now Windows reporting my Radeon as normally functioning device either do I disable or enable second, virtual videocard, but it's not seen nowhere else but in Device management.

Checked my mobo BIOS version - it's newest.

In BIOS tried everything I found about PCIe:

• CPU SLOT6 PCI-E 3.0 X8 (IN X16) = Auto/Gen1/Gen2/Gen3
• Run-time C7 Allowed = Enabled/Disabled
• Detect non-compatible device = Disabled/Enabled
• Above 4G Decoding = Disabled/Enabled
• Launch PCI-device ROM Priority = Legacy/UEFI
• VGA Priority = Onboard/Offboard

Tried different combination but still no luck.

[lwhome]

So I’ll continue my talk with myself.

Got few another videocards from my friends, sadly but all by nVidia. Another night spent on testings.

Also added Win8.1 x64 (EFI) & Win8.1 x86 (BIOS) to my tests. Both are equipped by 1GB reserved memory, both were installed without passthrough device with vmware tools installed first.

Tried to change every single option in BIOS – and nothing..

[lwhome]

Got new videocard (ATI R7 260X) and this solves problem.

No need to make any changes to config, enable UEFI - anything!