For years I’ve had a dream of building a rack mounted PC capable of splitting its resources to host multiple GPU intensive VMs:

  • a few gaming VMs
  • a VM for work that can run Davinci Resolve and Blender renders
  • an LLM server
  • a Stable Diffusion server
  • media server

Just to name a few possibilities…

Everytime I’ve looked into it, it seemed like the technology just wasn’t there yet. I remember a few years ago Linus TT took a shot at it, but in the end suggested the technology (for non-commercial entities) just wasn’t in a comfortable spot yet.

So how far off are we? Obviously AI focused companies seem to make it work, but what possibilities exist for us self-hosters who might also want to run multiple displays in addition to the web gui LLM servers? And without forking out crazy money for GPU virtualization software licenses?

  • just_another_person@lemmy.worldEnglish
    1·
    5 months ago

    You’re not really describing your use-case here. Are you just trying to run a server that does all your rendering for you so you can play games elsewhere? Yes, that’s totally possible.

    If you’re trying to describe a business…no, it’s not possible, scalable, or profitable.

    I’m curious as to what your intentions are here though.

    • brownmustardminion@lemmy.mlOPEnglish
      1·
      5 months ago

      I have a workstation I use for video editing/vfx as well as gaming. Because of my work, I’m fortunate to have the latest high end GPUs and a 160" projector screen. I also have a few TVs in various rooms around the house.

      Traditionally, if I want to watch something or play a video game, I have to go to the room with the jellyfin/plex/roku box to watch something and am limited to the work/gaming rig to play games. I can’t run renders and game at the same time. Buying an entire new pc so I can do both is a massive waste of money. If I want to do a test screening of a video I’m working on to see how it displays on various devices, I have to transfer the file around to these devices. This is limiting and inefficient to me.

      I want to be able to go to any screen in my house: my living room TV, my large projector in my studio room, my tablet, or even my phone and switch between:

      • my workstation display running on a Window 10 VM
      • my linux VM with youtube or jellyfin player I use as a daily driver
      • a fedora or Windows VM dedicated to gaming, maybe SteamOS
      • maybe a friend comes over for a LAN party and we both can game without having to set up a 2nd rig
      • I want to host an LLM or stablediffusion server without having to buy a new GPU with enough VRAM to run SDXL