Your Proxmox VM is probably emulating hardware that hasn't existed for decades
Proxmox's default chipset for VMs is something from the 90s, but that's not necessarily a problem
When you create a new virtual machine in Proxmox, the wizard automatically sets the machine type to i440FX, unless you manually change it. This defaults to an Intel chipset from the 1990s, which might seem concerning, but it's actually the safe and compatible choice. The machine type represents the virtual motherboard, dictating the chipset, buses, and built-in controllers for the guest operating system.
While it may seem like a significant setting, it doesn't really impact performance, as the CPU type and storage/networking configurations have a more substantial effect. Proxmox suggests using VirtIO for optimal performance, which is a modern, direct method of interacting with the hypervisor. The alternative machine type, Q35, offers a virtual PCI Express bus, which is useful for hardware passthrough and Intel's IOMMU.
However, it's not necessary for most use cases and can cause compatibility issues with networking in Linux VMs. In summary, while the i440FX default may look outdated, it's generally the best option for most virtual machines, with Q35 being a more specialized choice for specific needs.
Written by urgent.news from XDA Developers's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
