Proxmox - Ryzen 7000 series - AMD Radeon 680M/780M/RDNA2/RDNA3 GPU passthrough

This is a guide to get the Ryzen 7000 series processors with AMD Radeon 680M/780M integrated graphics or RDNA2/RDNA3 GPU running with Proxmox, GPU passthrough and UEFI included.

Confirmed list of Proxmox versions that work:

• Proxmox 7.4
• Proxmox 8.0 (recommended, has a newer kernel)

Confirmed list of hardware that works:

• Ryzen 7 7735HS (RDNA2 680M Rembrandt iGPU)
• Ryzen 7 7840HS (RDNA3 780M Phoenix iGPU)
• Ryzen 9 7940HS (RDNA3 780M Phoenix iGPU) - thanks @mmaiero for confirming
• Ryzen 9 7950X3D (RDNA2 Raphael iGPU) - thanks @romner-set for confirming
• 6900XT (RDNA2 Navi 21 dGPU) - thanks @mpaulo for confirming

Installing Proxmox VE

1. Download Proxmox and create a installation usb (with rufus for example)
2. Boot your PC from the USB and run the proxmox installation (in my case it's a Minis Forum UM773 Lite)
3. If installing Proxmox 7.4, you need to fix the graphical installer when it crashes (known issue in proxmox 7.4)
   • Wait until it says Starting the installer GUI, then press CTRL + ALT + F3
   • Run the following commands:

     Xorg -configure
     cp /root/xorg.conf.new /etc/X11/xorg.conf
     sed -i 's/amdgpu/fbdev/g' /etc/X11/xorg.conf
     

   • Press CTRL + ALT + F1 and run startx
4. Complete the installation:
   • For an IPv4 static IP, type 192.168.1.XXX/24
   • After the installation finishes, type exit in the terminal
5. Make sure that the web interface is working: https://<THE_IP_YOU_CONFIGURED>:8006/
6. Connect to the machine via SSH:

   ssh root@<THE_IP_YOU_CONFIGURED>
   

7. Proxmox VE comes with Enterprise repositories configured by default, we need to switch to the non-subscription ones to get proxmox updates:

   bash -c "$(wget -qLO - https://github.com/tteck/Proxmox/raw/main/misc/post-pve-install.sh)"
   

8. Install the CPU Microcode packages:

   bash -c "$(wget -qLO - https://github.com/tteck/Proxmox/raw/main/misc/microcode.sh)"
   

Configuring the GPU for passthrough

The process of doing a GPU passthrough isn't complicated, it's about making sure the host doesn't load the GPU drivers and that the GPU PCI connection can be sent to the VM completely.

1. First, we need to discover the GPU PCI ID:

   lspci -nn | grep -e 'AMD/ATI'
   

   in my case, it looks like this:

   34:00.0 VGA compatible controller [0300]: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD/ATI] Device [1002:1681] (rev 0a)
   34:00.1 Audio device [0403]: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD/ATI] Device [1002:1640]
   

   From this information, we can extract some PCI IDs and device numbers. From now on, when you see these numbers in some commands, replace them with your own numbers:

   • GPU: 1002:1681 + 0000:34:00.0
   • Audio Device: 1002:1640 + 0000:34:00.1

2. Now, we need to enable iommu which allows the CPU to have full control of direct memory access devices (like the GPU)

   sed -i 's/GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT="quiet"/GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT="quiet iommu=pt"/g' /etc/default/grub
   update-grub
   

3. Add the kernel modules to enable vfio (virtual function io) that allows to virtualize these devices

   echo "vfio" >> /etc/modules
   echo "vfio_iommu_type1" >> /etc/modules
   echo "vfio_pci" >> /etc/modules
   echo "vfio_virqfd" >> /etc/modules
   

4. Then, we need to tell vfio which devices to virtualize (the GPU 1002:1681 + Audio 1002:1640)

   echo "options vfio-pci ids=1002:1681,1002:1640" >> /etc/modprobe.d/vfio.conf
   

5. Load the vfio-pci driver before the original one. This prevents the host from using the GPU and allows for virtualization. These are the default AMD + Sound drivers, but you can find the ones your system is using by running lspci -nnk and checking the "Kernel driver in Use" section.

   echo "softdep radeon pre: vfio-pci" >> /etc/modprobe.d/vfio.conf
   echo "softdep amdgpu pre: vfio-pci" >> /etc/modprobe.d/vfio.conf
   echo "softdep snd_hda_intel pre: vfio-pci" >> /etc/modprobe.d/vfio.conf
   

6. Refresh the kernel modules and restart:

   update-initramfs -u -k all
   shutdown -r now
   

7. After the restart, validate that the Kernel driver in Use for these PCI devices is vfio-pci now, with

   lspci -nnk
   

Creating the Windows VM

1. Via the web UI, upload a Windows 10 installation ISO image to the local storage.
   • Click on local in the left menu, then ISO Images, then Upload
2. Create the VM with the following parameters:
   • ISO Image: the one you uploaded
   • Type: Microsoft Windows
   • Version: 10/2016/2019
   • Machine: q35
   • Bios: SeaBIOS
   • Qemu Agent: ON
   • Disk: at least 64gb, Discard ON, SSD emulation ON
   • CPU Type: host
   • RAM: at least 12gb
3. Run the machine and install Windows (type of installation: custom)
4. After finishing the Windows installation, stop the VM

Configuring the GPU in the Windows VM

In order to pass the GPU device properly, we need to tell the VM which GPU BIOS to use. Luckily for us, we can extract this from the host machine via SSH or download it directly from the repo:

1. Create a vbios.c file in the host (proxmox) with the following contents:

   Expand `vbios.c`

   #include <stdint.h>
   #include <stdio.h>
   #include <stdlib.h>
   
   typedef uint32_t ULONG;
   typedef uint8_t UCHAR;
   typedef uint16_t USHORT;
   
   typedef struct {
       ULONG Signature;
       ULONG TableLength; // Length
       UCHAR Revision;
       UCHAR Checksum;
       UCHAR OemId[6];
       UCHAR OemTableId[8]; // UINT64  OemTableId;
       ULONG OemRevision;
       ULONG CreatorId;
       ULONG CreatorRevision;
   } AMD_ACPI_DESCRIPTION_HEADER;
   
   typedef struct {
       AMD_ACPI_DESCRIPTION_HEADER SHeader;
       UCHAR TableUUID[16]; // 0x24
       ULONG VBIOSImageOffset; // 0x34. Offset to the first GOP_VBIOS_CONTENT block from the beginning of the stucture.
       ULONG Lib1ImageOffset; // 0x38. Offset to the first GOP_LIB1_CONTENT block from the beginning of the stucture.
       ULONG Reserved[4]; // 0x3C
   } UEFI_ACPI_VFCT;
   
   typedef struct {
       ULONG PCIBus; // 0x4C
       ULONG PCIDevice; // 0x50
       ULONG PCIFunction; // 0x54
       USHORT VendorID; // 0x58
       USHORT DeviceID; // 0x5A
       USHORT SSVID; // 0x5C
       USHORT SSID; // 0x5E
       ULONG Revision; // 0x60
       ULONG ImageLength; // 0x64
   } VFCT_IMAGE_HEADER;
   
   typedef struct {
       VFCT_IMAGE_HEADER VbiosHeader;
       UCHAR VbiosContent[1];
   } GOP_VBIOS_CONTENT;
   
   int main(int argc, char** argv)
   {
       FILE* fp_vfct;
       FILE* fp_vbios;
       UEFI_ACPI_VFCT* pvfct;
       char vbios_name[0x400];
   
       if (!(fp_vfct = fopen("/sys/firmware/acpi/tables/VFCT", "r"))) {
           perror(argv[0]);
           return -1;
       }
   
       if (!(pvfct = malloc(sizeof(UEFI_ACPI_VFCT)))) {
           perror(argv[0]);
           return -1;
       }
   
       if (sizeof(UEFI_ACPI_VFCT) != fread(pvfct, 1, sizeof(UEFI_ACPI_VFCT), fp_vfct)) {
           fprintf(stderr, "%s: failed to read VFCT header!\n", argv[0]);
           return -1;
       }
   
       ULONG offset = pvfct->VBIOSImageOffset;
       ULONG tbl_size = pvfct->SHeader.TableLength;
   
       if (!(pvfct = realloc(pvfct, tbl_size))) {
           perror(argv[0]);
           return -1;
       }
   
       if (tbl_size - sizeof(UEFI_ACPI_VFCT) != fread(pvfct + 1, 1, tbl_size - sizeof(UEFI_ACPI_VFCT), fp_vfct)) {
           fprintf(stderr, "%s: failed to read VFCT body!\n", argv[0]);
           return -1;
       }
   
       fclose(fp_vfct);
   
       while (offset < tbl_size) {
           GOP_VBIOS_CONTENT* vbios = (GOP_VBIOS_CONTENT*)((char*)pvfct + offset);
           VFCT_IMAGE_HEADER* vhdr = &vbios->VbiosHeader;
   
           if (!vhdr->ImageLength)
               break;
   
           snprintf(vbios_name, sizeof(vbios_name), "vbios_%x_%x.bin", vhdr->VendorID, vhdr->DeviceID);
   
           if (!(fp_vbios = fopen(vbios_name, "wb"))) {
               perror(argv[0]);
               return -1;
           }
   
           if (vhdr->ImageLength != fwrite(&vbios->VbiosContent, 1, vhdr->ImageLength, fp_vbios)) {
               fprintf(stderr, "%s: failed to dump vbios %x:%x\n", argv[0], vhdr->VendorID, vhdr->DeviceID);
               return -1;
           }
   
           fclose(fp_vbios);
   
           printf("dump vbios %x:%x to %s\n", vhdr->VendorID, vhdr->DeviceID, vbios_name);
   
           offset += sizeof(VFCT_IMAGE_HEADER);
           offset += vhdr->ImageLength;
       }
   
       return 0;
   }

2. Get the vbios binary by compiling and running vbios.c:

   gcc vbios.c -o vbios
   ./vbios
   

3. Move the vbios_*.bin vbios file to /usr/share/kvm/vbios_7xxx:

   mv vbios_*.bin /usr/share/kvm/vbios_7xxx.bin
   

4. In the proxmox web UI, click on the windows VM, Hardware, Add, PCI Device:

   • Raw device: pick the PCI ID that we identified on the first steps, in my case its 0000:34:00.0
   • All Functions: OFF
   • Primary GPU: OFF
   • PCI-Express: ON

5. Do the same for the Audio device, in my case its 0000:34:00.1

6. Set the correct BIOS for the GPU:

   • Edit /etc/pve/qemu-server/<VM_ID>.conf
   • Modify args to hide virtualization from the guest
   • Modify the hostpci line for the GPU

   +args: -cpu 'host,-hypervisor,kvm=off'
   agent: 1
   balloon: 2048
   bios: seabios
   boot: order=ide0;ide2;net0
   cores: 8
   cpu: host
   -hostpci0: 0000:34:00.0,pcie=1
   +hostpci0: 0000:34:00.0,pcie=1,romfile=vbios_7xxx.bin
   hostpci1: 0000:34:00.1,pcie=1
   ide0: local-lvm:vm-100-disk-0,discard=on,size=64G,ssd=1
   ide2: local:iso/Windows10.iso,media=cdrom,size=4697792K
   machine: pc-q35-8.0
   memory: 12048
   meta: creation-qemu=8.0.2,ctime=1696067822
   name: win10
   net0: e1000=E2:4A:E7:86:8D:13,bridge=vmbr0,firewall=1
   numa: 0
   ostype: win10
   scsihw: virtio-scsi-single
   sockets: 1

7. Run the VM and install the most recent VirtIO drivers (virtio-win-guest-tools.exe).

8. Also install the official AMD GPU drivers. Use the OFFLINE installer, the online installer will complain that the computer is not an official AMD computer.

9. Install RadeonResetBugFix service to make sure the GPU can be transferred properly to the host after stopping the VM. If this is not done, you will suffer from the famous "AMD Reset Bug".

Using the GPU as the Primary GPU

Now that we have all the drivers ready, we can enable the GPU as the Primary GPU:

1. Enable Remote desktop in the VM (In Windows: Remote Desktop Settings -> Enable Remote Desktop)
2. Change the PC name to the same name as in proxmox to use it for the remote connection
3. Shut down the windows VM
4. Edit the VM Hardware again:
   • Change display to none
   • Make the GPU PCI device the Primary GPU
5. Start the VM again and login in to it via Remote Desktop. Alternatively, you can also plug a monitor and you should see the VM there, passthrough the USB devices for keyboard and mouse and you have a fully working virtualized PC.

(optional) Getting OVMF (UEFI) BIOS working: Error 43

If you tried to follow the guide but instead of SeaBIOS you selected UEFI, you have probably encountered the famous "ERROR 43". Luckily the solution for this is quite simple: configuring the UEFI ROM for the audio device.

1. Download AMDGopDriver.rom from this repository.
2. Copy the file inside the proxmox machine, in /usr/share/kvm/AMDGopDriver.rom
3. Edit /etc/pve/qemu-server/<VM_ID>.conf
   • Modify the hostpci line for the Audio Device and append ,romfile=AMDGopDriver.rom

   args: -cpu 'host,-hypervisor,kvm=off'
   agent: 1
   balloon: 2048
   bios: ovmf
   boot: order=ide0;ide2;net0
   cores: 8
   cpu: host
   hostpci0: 0000:34:00.0,pcie=1,romfile=vbios_7xxx.bin
   -hostpci1: 0000:34:00.1,pcie=1
   +hostpci1: 0000:34:00.1,pcie=1,romfile=AMDGopDriver.rom
   ide0: local-lvm:vm-100-disk-0,discard=on,size=64G,ssd=1
   ide2: local:iso/Windows10.iso,media=cdrom,size=4697792K
   machine: pc-q35-8.0
   memory: 12048
   meta: creation-qemu=8.0.2,ctime=1696067822
   name: win10
   net0: e1000=E2:4A:E7:86:8D:13,bridge=vmbr0,firewall=1
   numa: 0
   ostype: win10
   scsihw: virtio-scsi-single
   sockets: 1

4. Start the VM again and login via Remote Desktop. Opening "Device Manager" should show the GPU working properly. If you still see error 43, try rebooting the host :)

Results

• Win 10:

• Win 11:

Known issues

• When entering via Remote Desktop, the GPU is disabled

  I'm unsure why this happens, but it seems like Device Manager -> right-click -> Enable Device makes it work again

• In random situations, I still get "error 43" when trying to initialize the GPU in the VM

  Probably related to the "amd reset issue", that prevents the GPU from binding to a VM after it was used once. The only "real" solution for this is to restart the proxmox host after stopping a VM that used the GPU. :sad: