When it comes to your upcoming PC upgrade or purchase, we want to help you make the best selection possible. In this blog, we'll uncover the four main components - Storage, RAM, Graphic Cards, and CPU - that have the most effects on SOLIDWORKS' performance.
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Storage Device
An NVMe drive might be 10 times quicker than a typical SSD disc, depending on the model. Because SOLIDWORKS files are so tiny, when SSDs were launched, the storage device was no longer a speed bottleneck. We advise using an NVMe drive as your main drive if you are buying a new desktop. As a result of NVMe's incredible speed, Windows and other apps will load considerably more quickly. If you're updating an older computer, check the owner's handbook to determine if your motherboard has a place for an NVMe drive in the M.2 connector. If it doesn't, it's strongly advised to switch out an old HDD for an SSD.
Graphics Card
The performance of video cards is one of the most difficult things to quantify and comprehend. Frame per Second is the primary emphasis of the video game industry (FPS). FPS can be used as a metric since SOLIDWORKS is a commercial CAD, however, it often does not improve a designer's quality of life. Users become more productive when mouse instructions are responsive, adding components into assemblies is stable, and drawing views are created. This entails investing in a computer with an exclusive professional graphics card.
NVIDIA
For professional cards, we advise sticking with at least a 2000-level model of NVIDIA's Quadro model based on their current product line-up. Since their drivers are not designed for 3D CAD, SOLIDWORKS does not typically certify the GeForce family of graphics cards. We suggest: NVIDIA RTX A4000, NVIDIA RTX A4500, NVIDIA RTX A5000, NVIDIA RTX A6000
RAM
SOLIDWORKS is CAD software that runs on RAM. This implies that the Random Access Memory is loaded with each file you access. When a file is saved, it is edited while still in RAM and then written back to a storage device. To keep your system from consuming swap space, you need adequate RAM. When RAM is insufficient, the system will use the Windows virtual memory, commonly known as swap space, where it will keep data and perform computations before saving them to the local disc. The performance of SOLIDWORKS will rapidly deteriorate if the SOLIDWORKS file uses swap space.
The majority of SOLIDWORKS users find 32 GB of RAM to be more than plenty. Consider 64 GB of RAM if your designs typically contain more than 5000 distinct components.
CPU
When it comes to purchasing a computer, the central processing unit (CPU) is the most crucial factor to consider. The majority of SOLIDWORKS instructions that the CPU calculates are serial. Because of this, it is challenging to utilize CPUs with more processor cores. SOLIDWORKS will currently use four cores. Other operations, such as SOLIDWORKS Simulation, SOLIDWORKS Flow, and SOLIDWORKS Plastic, will utilize all of the CPU's cores.
There are typically two operating speeds for CPUs that you should be aware of. First, is the base clock speed, which represents the normal pace at which a process would operate with little load. The second option is boost speed, which is typically the fastest speed a CPU can operate at. More power is applied to the cores, increasing their potential speed, to speed up the CPU. The rules of physics dictate that when power or energy is given to a system, temperatures will rise. Due to a phenomenon known as thermal throttling, this temperature rise may make it difficult for laptop CPUs to continue operating at their full possible speed.
The majority of high-performance computers are desktop models because they have stronger cooling systems and can operate at faster speeds for longer periods. The two market leaders for desktop CPUs are AMD and Intel. Each provider has some advantages. AMD has been concentrating on a CPU unit with a higher core count, whereas Intel has been largely focused on faster clock speeds.
An overview of things to look for:
We advised the following parameters with the maximum boost speed you can afford if you are simply using SOLIDWORKS CAD.
Processor: 8 Cores, 16 Threads
Memory: 32 GB or More
Storage: 1TB of NVMe Gen3 SSD (For faster operations) or 1TB SATA SSD or more
Graphics Card: NVIDIA Quadro RTX 4000/A4000 or more
Network: High-Speed LAN or 6th Generation Wi-Fi (For Faster downloads/uploads)
If you have a large amount of work to do, we strongly advise the specs listed below.
Processor: 12 Cores, 24 Threads or more
Memory: 64 GB or More
Storage: 4TB of NVMe Gen3 SSD (For faster operations) or 4TB SATA SSD or more
Graphics Card: NVIDIA Quadro RTX 4000/A4000 or more
Network: High-Speed LAN or 6th Generation Wi-Fi (For Faster downloads/uploads)
We hope that this blog was useful for your upcoming hardware purchase. If you have any questions feel free to contact us here.
