5.2

When you consider these requirements, note that virtual machine configuration of allocated RAM does not
change. That is, you do not need to allocate 1GB of RAM for applications and another 31MB for dual 1080p
monitors. Instead, consider the overhead RAM when calculating the total physical RAM required for each
ESX/ESXi host. Add the guest operating system RAM to the overhead RAM and multiply by the number of
virtual machines.
IMPORTANT To use the 3D rendering feature, you must allocate sufficient VRAM for each Windows 7 or later
View desktop.
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The software-accelerated graphics feature, available with View 5.0 or later, allows you to use 3D
applications such as Windows Aero themes or Google Earth. This features requires 64MB (the default) to
128MB of VRAM.
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The hardware-accelerated graphics feature (vSGA), available with Horizon View 5.2 or later and
vSphere 5.1 or later, allows you to use 3D applications for design, modeling, and multimedia. This feature
requires 64MB to 512MB of VRAM. The default is 96MB.
When 3D rendering is enabled, the maximum number of monitors is 2 and the maximum resolution is 1920 x
1200.
RAM Sizing for Specific Workloads and Operating Systems
Because the amount of RAM required can vary widely, depending on the type of worker, many companies
conduct a pilot phase to determine the correct setting for various pools of workers in their enterprise.
A good starting point is to allocate 1GB for Windows XP desktops and 32-bit Windows Vista and Windows 7
or later desktops and 2GB for 64-bit Windows 7 or later desktops. During a pilot, monitor the performance and
disk space used with various types of workers and make adjustments until you find the optimal setting for
each pool of workers.
Estimating CPU Requirements for Virtual Desktops
When estimating CPU, you must gather information about the average CPU utilization for various types of
workers in your enterprise.
NOTE This topic addresses issues regarding CPU requirements when accessing View desktops remotely. If
users run a View desktop in local mode on their client systems, the View desktop uses the available CPUs on
the client device, up to 2 CPUs.
CPU requirements vary by worker type. During your pilot phase, use a performance monitoring tool, such as
Perfmon in the virtual machine, esxtop in ESX/ESXi, or vCenter Server performance monitoring tools, to
understand both the average and peak CPU use levels for these groups of workers. Also use the following
guidelines:
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Software developers or other power uses with high-performance needs might have much higher CPU
requirements than knowledge workers and task workers. Dual virtual CPUs are recommended for
compute-intensive tasks, if you need to play 720p video using the PCoIP display protocol, and for
Windows 7 and later desktops.
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Single virtual CPUs are generally recommended for other cases.
Because many virtual machines run on one server, CPU can spike if agents such as antivirus agents all check
for updates at exactly the same time. Determine which agents and how many agents could cause performance
issues and adopt a strategy for addressing these issues. For example, the following strategies might be helpful
in your enterprise:
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Use View Composer to update images rather than having software management agents download
software updates to each individual virtual desktop.
Chapter 4 Architecture Design Elements and Planning Guidelines
VMware, Inc. 37