How to install an additional (draft) OS on a laptop?

Question

Windows

There is a laptop on Windows 10.
You need to install an additional Windows 10 system on it, which will not affect the primary OS in any way.
One system will be used for the main work, the other - for additional work (it is possible to use pirated software, which is unacceptable on the first OS).
Both are planned for a long time.
I see 2 options:
1. Install the system on an external SSD (connected via USB 3.0) and boot from it when needed.
2. Use a virtual machine (VirtualBox).
The first option looks more attractive (completely separate OS, better performance), but switching between systems is much longer.
The second one is simpler and faster, but the performance of the guest OS will suffer + perhaps some other limitations.
Tell me, what are the pitfalls? Are there other ways to achieve the same goal?
Thank you.

Answer 1

Use virtualbox - the most versatile solution. It is easy to transfer between machines, make backups, starts quickly, no heaps of drivers are needed. And with Windows, without backups, nowhere - sometimes updates of some software, system or installation breaks something and it's easier to just close the virtual machine and start it from the backup, which takes minutes. Performance drops are practically not noticeable in everyday work. Cons - difficulties when working with 3D, external devices (TV tuners, sound cards, etc.), increased memory requirements and the number of processor cores (optimally - from 8 gigs and from 4 cores). I have been using it for a very long time - it is much more convenient than a dual block and / or several machines. I work with external devices in the host, everything else is in virtual machines.

Answer 2

The second axis in a virtual machine - you can have a built-in hyperwire, you can virtualbox.

Answer 3

Windows Sandbox

Answer 4

As an option, buy a VDS or VPS server :)