diff --git a/nixos/lib/qemu-flags.nix b/nixos/lib/qemu-flags.nix
index 0cf6977af4bb..0f0662458935 100644
--- a/nixos/lib/qemu-flags.nix
+++ b/nixos/lib/qemu-flags.nix
@@ -22,9 +22,9 @@ rec {
         else throw "Unknown QEMU serial device for system '${pkgs.stdenv.hostPlatform.system}'";
 
   qemuBinary = qemuPkg: {
-    x86_64-linux = "${qemuPkg}/bin/qemu-kvm -cpu host";
+    x86_64-linux = "${qemuPkg}/bin/qemu-kvm -cpu max";
     armv7l-linux = "${qemuPkg}/bin/qemu-system-arm -enable-kvm -machine virt -cpu host";
     aarch64-linux = "${qemuPkg}/bin/qemu-system-aarch64 -enable-kvm -machine virt,gic-version=host -cpu host";
-    x86_64-darwin = "${qemuPkg}/bin/qemu-kvm -cpu host";
+    x86_64-darwin = "${qemuPkg}/bin/qemu-kvm -cpu max";
   }.${pkgs.stdenv.hostPlatform.system} or "${qemuPkg}/bin/qemu-kvm";
 }
diff --git a/nixos/tests/installer.nix b/nixos/tests/installer.nix
index 02b839fee3f5..420951eb715c 100644
--- a/nixos/tests/installer.nix
+++ b/nixos/tests/installer.nix
@@ -74,7 +74,7 @@ let
       throw "Non-EFI boot methods are only supported on i686 / x86_64"
     else ''
       def assemble_qemu_flags():
-          flags = "-cpu host"
+          flags = "-cpu max"
           ${if system == "x86_64-linux"
             then ''flags += " -m 768"''
             else ''flags += " -m 512 -enable-kvm -machine virt,gic-version=host"''