DNS and DHCP servers do need to respond quickly, but they have low resource requirements, and I've seen many people virtualize these easily.

Going to a VM doesn't mean your server is off in some cloud. It's often on a box in your same data center, same connectivity. It's just not occupying the whole box.

File and print servers are good places to start learning, they can tolerate some delays, and you'll get an idea of complaints or comments from users.