Originally Posted by vdbucks

Yeah, you definitely need a good system to run a desktop based virtual machine.

I'm currently running on an Asus Z8NA-D6C with 2x Intel Xeon e5620's and naturally vbox runs 100x more smoothly on this machine than on my amd gaming desktop ><

This isn't to say you can't or shouldn't run a vm on a 'standard' desktop pc.. because it's still a great way to get used to working strictly in a linux environment; as opposed to trying to learn the ropes from a live cd or live usb.