SolidWorks System Requirements
For specific SolidWorks System Requirements, please visit the SolidWorks website. Here is an overview representing the opinion of Computer-Aided Products:
SolidWorks only runs on Windows. Generally SolidWorks adopts and retires Windows platform support in step with Microsoft’s “Mainstream Support” of the various flavors of Windows. SolidWorks was made available for 64-bit Windows shortly after Windows XP x64 was released. SolidWorks is also currently shipping a Windows Vista version.
SolidWorks uses OpenGL for its 3D graphics. As such, “workstation grade” video cards are better suited to SolidWorks than mainstream video cards which are optimized for the gaming industry which favors DirectX. SolidWorks runs on Intel and AMD processors. CAPINC is not aware of any differences.
CAPINC Hardware Suggestions
Step 1: Video card
First, budget for a workstation-grade video card, and only shop computer models which offer a workstation-grade video card as a configurable option (unless you are comfortable putting one in aftermarket, and the computer chassis can accommodate it).
So much of your perception of computer performance is actually due to graphics processing. The better your card, the faster your computer will respond to your input. Also, most crashes which occur in SolidWorks are due to video card and video driver issues; if you buy a better card, you will have a more reliable system.
Tested and certified graphics cards and drivers can be found on the SolidWorks website. It is best to choose a card that supports RealView, indicated by a golden sphere icon. RealView adds advanced textures onto SolidWorks models. It makes them look very cool and pretty. Is this important to your job? No, but it does help indicate which cards and manufacturers have the tightest relationship with SolidWorks.
Step 2: Processor
All other things being equal, start with the fastest available single-CPU system that fits your budget. Prior to SolidWorks 2006, dual processors had very limited benefits, helping only on a system where you run a lot of applications at the same time. With SolidWorks 2006 and later, many functions in the CAD system have been re-architected to take advantage of multiple processors and dual-core processors. So dual-CPU systems used to be a waste of money for parametric CAD, but that’s no longer the case.
In our experience hyper-threading is a waste of performance. It treats a single processor as two, effectively cutting your performance in half for those tasks which cannot be run in parallel. You should disable this feature on your system for better results with SolidWorks.
Step 3: RAM
Excess RAM does not help much. Insufficient RAM will seriously hurt performance, slowing you down dramatically or simply crashing the session. Consider 750 MB an absolute minumim in this day and age. Windows Vista uses twice as much RAM as Windows XP, so consider 1 Gbyte the absolute minimum for Vista. The OS uses a lot, especially once you get your virus protection, wireless networking, Outlook, Bluetooth, iTunes, and whatever else running in the background.
At a minimum, SolidWorks 2008 will grab about 340 MB of RAM when launched. The size of the files you open consumes additional RAM. Many tasks in the software will consume additional RAM.
1 GB of RAM is reasonable for a basic workstation. 2 GB is reasonable if you plan on working with larger assemblies (1000 parts), complex parts (300 features), or COSMOS analysis. 3 GB is the absolute maximum that 32-bit Windows can access, and in practice only about 2.7 GB is actually available. 4 GB or more RAM requires 64-bit Windows and is only neccessary for very large assemblies (approaching 10,000 parts or more).
Step 4: Other
Hard drive subsystems generally have relatively little impact on CAD system performance. Get a faster drive if it’s not too much more expensive. Don’t waste money on SCSI. However, if you want to see benefits from a multi-core or dual-processor CPU, recognize that many tasks in CAD and FEA are file I/O bound. No matter how many CPU’s you have, if there is only 1 hard drive with only 1 seek/write head, then many of your CAD save, open, journal, etc. processes will have to queue up in single-file. So a second physical drive is of value if you have 2 or more processors, and if you configure your swap space, scratch files, and CAD working folders to be evenly split across the available drives.
The mouse or trackball should be considered to minimize hand stress and improve productivity. SolidWorks takes advantage of three button mice and scroll wheels. Optical mice generally last longer and are more reliable than mechanical mice.
Disclaimer:
CAPINC will not make a specific recommendation about what hardware to purchase – ever. Our technical staff has been directed not to do so. Manufacturers change technology frequently; may or may not provide good drivers; often produce the same hardware under several different names; and produce hardware with similar sounding names but dramatically different performance. We test a subset of systems for our demo and training systems but it is impossible to keep up with all possible permutations. We largely rely on the SolidWorks website and other internet hardware forums.
Still Having Graphics Problems?
Some new visual effects added to Windows 2000 may be not fully supported by the driver for all video cards. If you are experiencing cases where the screen does not repaint correctly or SolidWorks crashes on you, try the following:
In Windows XP, it is very easy to turn off the excess graphics effects. From your Desktop, right click on My Computer and choose Properties. Click on the Advanced tab of the dialog that appears, then hit the button for Performance Settings. On the first tab that appears (Visual Effects), choose the option to Adjust for best performance. If you want, you can check the box to turn on Use visual styles on windows and buttons, since that option probably has little performance impact and will allow you to keep the look of Windows XP.
In Windows 2000, you will have to find and disable many of the graphics effects one at a time. Look in the Control Panel under Display, and Mouse. You want to find and disable any options for menu shadows, menu fade-in, showing window contents during drag, pointer shadows, and other useless “window dressing”.
Another tip to try to help your graphics respond better is to lighten the load on the card — reduce the number of pixels for your screen. To do this, right click on your Desktop and choose Properties. Click the tab for Settings. Pull the slider to the left until you get a Screen Resolution of 1024 by 768. This is the resolution we use for presentations and training. Note: Keep the Color Quality set to Highest (32 bit) since anything else actually makes your card work harder since 32-bit is the card’s native mode.
Got Vista?
Solidworks runs best on engineering graphics cards, which support 3D Open GL commands by calling what is called the Installable Client Driver, or ICD. This in essence allows a lot of the Solidworks<->Graphics card conversation to go on at high speed behind the back of the operating system. Vista does not support Installable Client Drivers, and this is why, when Vista first came out, it was so hard to find any graphics cards that supported it. Instead, Vista installs by default with a user interface called “AERO”, which is an application layered on the “Desktop Windows Manager”. The AERO interface performs what Microsoft calls the “Desktop Composition” – that is, it allows smooth blends and fades, scrolling and animation, of transparent and blended windows, and allows 3D application previews, so that it will be (hopefully) as cool as a Macintosh. The problem is that the Desktop Windows Manager is itself essentially a very heavy-hitting 3D application, and Solidworks is required to run perched on top of it, and to pass all graphics I/O through it. This is why Solidworks-on-XP benchmarks achieve across-the-board performance of 50% faster than Solidworks-on-Vista. If you are absolutely forced to run Solidworks on a Vista platform, and you use it to perform serious design tasks, consult the Microsoft Tech Brief pages and learn how to disable the Desktop Windows Manager.
How can I tune my graphics card for best performance with SolidWorks?
Many graphics cards that support OpenGL will have advanced driver settings tailored for SolidWorks performance. To find out, right click on your Windows Desktop and choose Properties. Click the tab for Settings, then the button labeled Advanced. Many cards will offer you a choice of application to optimize performance. The exact steps from here vary from manufacturer to manufacturer. Look for a tab with the name of your card or card manufacturer. Then, within those settings look for one that provides list of applications to choose from, and then find and select “SolidWorks” from that list.
Is it a requirement to have administrative privileges to install SolidWorks or upgrade to the latest Service Pack?
Yes, this is a requirement because the SolidWorks installation or upgrade needs to update system DLLs and drivers which requires administrative privileges. Note that you are only required to have administrative privileges on the machine on which you are installing or upgrading SolidWorks. Also note that any anti-virus software should be disabled for the duration of the install. Anti-virus software has been know to prevent the updating of the DLL’s and registry entries needed to allow SolidWorks to function properly, often without generating any error messages or warnings.
Also, it is better to login to the computer as the Administrator (local Adminitrator) instead of just as a user with administrator priviledges. We have seen cases where it makes a difference, and avoids problems, most likely due to other user settings acting on the system.