SOLIDWORKS 2024 Hardware and Software Requirements

SOLIDWORKS 2024 Hardware and Software Requirements

If you are looking for the specific Hardware and Software Requirements for SOLIDWORKS 2024, this is the right place for you, this article highlights the specific features that your computer must meet to achieve the best performance in SOLIDWORKS 2024.

The first thing that you should to know is that SOLIDWORKS performance depends largely, but not exclusively, on your computer's hardware, certain design practices can also contribute to maximizing SOLIDWORKS Performance, especially if you will be working with large assemblies, imported models or assembly simulation studies.  

A second thing that you should know is that there are essentially 3 devices that determines SOLIDWORK performance on your computer, these are the processor model, amount of RAM and the graphics card that you are or will be using.


HARDWARE REQUIREMENTS 


Processor Requirements [CPU]

The Processor is the brain of your computer and it is the most important thing when you are deciding which computer that you are going to use in the coming years, It is also the most difficult device to upgrade or replace and therfore you should pay special attention to the selection of the processor before buying any computer. Currently there are exist two main processors manufacturers, the first one is INTEL and second one is AMD. In our experience INTEL Processors are more stable and easier to configure, especially when they include integrated graphics. Normally their performace is determinated by the number of cores and threads quantity, the maximum clock speed and their internal memory space, better know as Cache. SOLIDWORKS will be as fast as its processador is. 
Processor specs are as follows:
  1. Product Families: 12th, 13th or 14th Gen Intel Core i7 or i9 Processors or Intel Xeon W Series Processors.
  2. Vertical Segment: Laptop, Desktop or Workstation.
  3. Performance-Cores: 6, 8 or higher.
  4. Threads: 12, 16 or higher.
  5. Clock speed: 3.3GHz or higher.
  6. Cache (L3): 16Mb or higher


Memory Requirements [RAM]

The Random Access Memory, Physical Memory or better known as RAM is also important because this is the workspace that you will use when you opening files and generatin new information to add to your models and drawings while you are working with SOLIDWORKS or any other application. Sometimes people can confuse the functioning of RAM believing that more ram means more speed, but this is only partially true because RAM is not the brain of computer, Ram is just the space to alocate any information or process that you are running in your system, so increasing RAM is more useful for example to open large assemblies or complex imported models without running out of memory but not specifically to speed your computer.

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RAM specs are as follows:
  1. 16GB to work with simple models or assemblies [0-2500 componentes]
  2. 32GB to work with complex and large assemblies or big imported models [+2500 components]
  3. 64GB to work with large and complex simulation studies


Graphic Cards Requirements [GPU]

Although the are not essentials to run SOLIDWORKS, it is highly recommended to have a dedicated graphic card in your computer, They are usefull to significantly speed up the graphics performace of SOLIDWORKS as they have between 5 and 20 times more processing power than integrated graphics cards. There are currently two main manufacturers, the first is Nvidia and the second is AMD. In our experience Nvidia Graphics cards are more stable and easier to configure than AMD Graphic cards. Just like the processor, its performace is determinated by the number of cores and its memory space, and normally the graphics performance of SOLIDWORKS will be as fast as your Graphic Card.  
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Graphics Card specs are as follows:
  1. Product Families: Nvidia Quadro RTX A or Quadro RTX Series,
  2. 4GB of Graphics Memory to work with simple models or assemblies  [0-2500 componentes]
  3. 6GB of Graphics Memory to work with complex and large assemblies or big imported models [+2500 components]
  4. 8GB of Graphics Memory to work with very large assemblies [+5000 components]
  5. Minimum Memory bandwidth: 192GB/s.
  6. Recommended Memory Bandwidth: 224GB/s or higher.


Drives

It is recommended: 
  1. To use SSD Drives for best performance.
  2. To have 20GB of free space in disk for a full installation.
  3. to Keep always 12GB of free space for Windows Paging File.

SOFTWARE REQUIREMENTS 


Operative System [SO]

SOLIDWORKS is a 64bits arquitecture-based software development specifically for Windows Operative Systems. Supported Operative Systems are:
  1. Microsoft Windows 10 Pro for Workstations, 64 bits version.
  2. Microsoft Windows 10 Pro, 64 bits version.
  3. Microsoft Windows 11 Pro for Workstations, 64 bits version.
  4. Microsoft Windows 11 Pro, 64 bits version.
If you purchase server products such as SOLIDWORKS PDM or SOLIDNetWork License Manager, the supported Operative Systems are:
  1. Microsoft Windows Server 2022.
  2. Microsoft Windows Server 2019.

Microsoft Office. 

SOLIDWORKS is a 64bits arquitecture-based software that can create Excel-based BOMs and Desing Tables, and Word-Based Simulation Reports, so it requieres a especific version of Microsoft Office.  Microsoft Office versions supporte by SOLIDWORKS 2024 are:
  1. Microsoft Windows Office 2021.


Microsoft SQL Server 

If you purchased SOLIDWORKS PDM Professional (server product), you will need one the following:
  1. SQL  Server Standard 2022
  2. SQL Server Standard 2019
  3. SQL Server Standard 2017
If you purchased SOLIDWORKS PDM Standard (server product) you will need one of following:
  1. SQL  Server Express 2022
  2. SQL Server Express 2019
  3. SQL Server Express 2017

We hope that you find this article helpful but if you have any additional questions please feel free to email us at [email protected]