Are there any pros/cons to enabling virtualization on my computer?

Question

If I am not using any virtualization software on my computer, do I gain or lose anything by enabling (or disabling) x86 virtualization?

Answer 1

No. Intel VT technology is only useful when running programs that are compatible with it, and actually use it. AFAIK, the only useful tools that can do this are sandboxes and virtual machines. Even then, enabling this technology can be a security risk in some cases. Often, virtualization technology is not required to emulate x86 or x86-64 instructions, albeit at the expense of speed.

As a best practice, I would leave it explicitly disabled unless required.

Answer 2

while it is true you should not enable VT unless you really use it, there is no more risk if the feature is on or not. you need to protect your system the best you can, whether it is for virtualization or not.

VT makes nothing possible that was not possible before!

http://x86vmm.blogspot.com/2006/08/blue-pill-is-quasi-illiterate.html