[qubes-users] AMD Ryzen 7 PRO compatibility

Because of the security issues with Intel Processors, AMD processors seem to be a very interesting alternative for a new system running Qubes.

The AMD Ryzen 7 Pro 4750G with integrated graphics would be ideal price/performance wise and it ticks all the boxes: no Intel, no **** Nvidia, 8 cores, and integrated graphics which are just fine for most Qubes users, certainly for me. But right now apparently Qubes has problems with the AMD PRO features SME and SEV. (I read in an older thread)

Would it be too much of a gamble to still get the AMD Pro for a new system and hope it will be possible to run Qubes in some (4 -8) months? Or maybe it is (will be) possible to get these PRO processors running Qubes with all the Qubes security features intact but with SME and SEV switched off?

I'm not sure what thread you're referring to (re SEV). A few of us are running Qubes 4.1 alpha on new Thinkpad Ryzen 7 PRO 4750U systems because the older version of Xen used in Qubes 4.0 is incompatible.

The newer Xen in R4.1 alpha still has a bug that affects CPU scheduling, so there is a trick to configuring it for a smooth running system.

Qubes reports that safety features (IOMMU etc) are working. What does not currently work is S3 sleep.

Stability is already quite good if you avoid badly-behaved wifi drivers (unfortunately the Thinkpad's Intel AX200 is in this category, so I use a USB wifi device instead).

I'd say its not too much of a gamble if you're willing to run a new alpha or beta of Qubes. But keep in mind your 4750G motherboard may have significant differences vs Thinkpad laptops; IMO you need to go with a high-quality brand, preferably a pre-built business system from the traditional top-3 (Lenovo, Dell, HP).

Here is a relevant thread:

I'm not sure what thread you're referring to (re SEV).

Actually it was a discussion on GitHub qubes-issues:

A few of us are
running Qubes 4.1 alpha on new Thinkpad Ryzen 7 PRO 4750U systems
because the older version of Xen used in Qubes 4.0 is incompatible.

The newer Xen in R4.1 alpha still has a bug that affects CPU scheduling,
so there is a trick to configuring it for a smooth running system.

Qubes reports that safety features (IOMMU etc) are working. What does
not currently work is S3 sleep.

Stability is already quite good if you avoid badly-behaved wifi drivers
(unfortunately the Thinkpad's Intel AX200 is in this category, so I use
a USB wifi device instead).

I'd say its not too much of a gamble if you're willing to run a new
alpha or beta of Qubes. But keep in mind your 4750G motherboard may have
significant differences vs Thinkpad laptops; IMO you need to go with a
high-quality brand, preferably a pre-built business system from the
traditional top-3 (Lenovo, Dell, HP).

Here is a relevant thread:
Qubes Support on AMD 4000 Series (Lenovo X13/T14)

That's encouraging, thank you very much for all the information. It indeed doesn't look like too much of a gamble then, besides I really don't mind waiting a bit. The current Qubes machine is just fine and will be for some time, the new machine is intended to become its successor. Thanks Chris.