SolidWorks workstation – hardware checklist
| Component | Recommendation | Why |
|---|---|---|
| CPU | • AMD Ryzen 9 9950X (high clock + many cores) • Alternatives: Ryzen 9 9900X, Ryzen 7 9800X3D (good for ray‑tracing) • Intel option: Core Ultra 9 285K |
Best for general modeling; high frequency ≈ fastest rebuild/convert. |
| CPU – Simulation | • Intel Xeon W‑3565X 32‑core (or higher core‑count Xeon W) | Handles FEA/Flow, rendering, and PhotoView 360 better due to many cores & memory bandwidth. |
| GPU | • Professional workstation card (Quadro/NVIDIA RTX PRO) • For 1080p: T1000 or higher • 4K: RTX 2000 Ada or higher (medium assemblies), RTX 4000 Ada+ for large assemblies, RTX 4500‑5000 Ada for very large |
“Enhanced graphics performance” mode in SW 2019+ relies on professional GPUs; they out‑perform GeForce even at lower specs. |
| RAM | • 16 GB minimum (for small assemblies) • 32 GB if assemblies 0.5–1.25 GB • 64 GB for >1.25 GB assemblies |
Formula: 5 GB + 20× largest assembly size; extra RAM keeps other apps running smoothly. |
| Primary storage | • NVMe SSD (≥ 1 TB) for OS & SolidWorks/V‑Ray installation | Fast boot, launch, and file I/O; reduces load times significantly. |
| Secondary storage | • Additional NVMe or SATA SSD for active projects (optional but recommended) | Keeps project files fast to access without the spin‑up delay of HDDs. |
| Backup / archival | • Prefer all‑SSD system; avoid platter drives that spin up on
each launch • Use NAS for long‑term backup/archival |
Platter drives add ~10 s startup penalty per drive. |
