# Processor or Motherboard that enable/disables Virtualization



## multi-tasker-X (Aug 27, 2017)

Is it the processor or the motherboard that depends on Virtualization?

I tried to install virtualbox on an older computer but it doesn't work, 

There is no option in the bios, while all my other older computers do, 

I read online, my computer doesn't support it, 

What but i am wondering is it the motherboard or processor that enables this option

The computer in question:

Acer M5800

It has a:
Intel® Pentium® Processor N3520


So it is the motherboard or processor?
if it is the processor that won't allow visualization that it is useless to me for now,
but if its the motherboard, then i can still transfer the processor to a new computer which has LGA 775 as well

its a quad core, so i can still make use of it, since my other computer is only a 2 core, and has 
Virtualization 

i really hope its the motherboard and not the processor,  

any idea?


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## strollin (Aug 27, 2017)

Download this little utility from Gibson Research: https://www.grc.com/securable.htm.  It will tell you if your processor supports virtualization or not.


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## multi-tasker-X (Aug 27, 2017)

I don't have any os installed on the desktop in question, 

so i can't install that

i looked online:
http://ark.intel.com/products/79049/Intel-Pentium-Processor-N3520-2M-Cache-up-to-2_42-GHz

It says it supports this:
Intel® Virtualization Technology (VT-x) ‡

so it does support it?, so it must be the motherboard?


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## multi-tasker-X (Aug 27, 2017)

ok i made a mistake, the m5800 does not have the the :  Intel Pentium CPU N3520


It has a:
Intel Core 2 Quad Q8200 @ 2.33Ghz 

and in the specs it says:
Intel® Turbo Boost Technology ‡ No
Intel® Hyper-Threading Technology ‡ No
Intel® Virtualization Technology (VT-x) ‡ No

http://ark.intel.com/products/36547/Intel-Core2-Quad-Processor-Q8200-4M-Cache-2_33-GHz-1333-MHz-FSB


so its the processor that does not support vt-x, although the motherboard may not too, but it doesn't matter now, 
so sad! waste of a good computer, 

problem solved!


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## beers (Aug 27, 2017)

You can still use virtualization on cpus that don't have those extensions, it will just perform to a lesser degree.

You might have to find older versions of the software that don't force you to have virtualization extensions.  VM products like VMware and QEMU were definitely around before those CPU instruction sets were implemented.


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## Jiniix (Aug 31, 2017)

I've run VirtualBox on a Q6600 + G31M-S2L (low end motherboard) before. As beers say, it will just perform a bit worse.


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## multi-tasker-X (Aug 31, 2017)

but the difference is, your Q6600 supports vt-x and mine processor doesn't


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## beers (Sep 1, 2017)

I've run VMware on a T5500 Merom that doesn't have those extensions.


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## Jiniix (Sep 1, 2017)

Fair point, should've mentioned it was stuck on a modded BIOS for E5450 Xeon support and VT-x isn't enabled, ironically


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## multi-tasker-X (Sep 1, 2017)

I haven't tried vmware,  its not free, 

i am using virtualbox


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## beers (Sep 2, 2017)

VMware player is free, although just allows you one concurrent vm.


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## multi-tasker-X (Sep 2, 2017)

that's great, 

i will give it a shot, i only need 1 vm(a centos server vm)


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## strollin (Sep 2, 2017)

VMWare Workstation Player is free for non-commercial use and allows multiple concurrent VMs.  The limitation is the cpu and RAM of the host system that determines how many concurrent VMs can be run.


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