When you're building a machine for your SOLIDWORKS Simulation testing, you want to make the best machine possible. We get asked all the time about CPU, GPU, RAM, and storage, and what the best setup is. Recently, Bill, Nick, and Enrique tackled the ultimate guide for SOLIDWORKS Simulation hardware in the most recent episode of the SOLIDWORKS SIMposium.

First, our team discusses what CPU is best for your use case and why it matters what kind of simulation you're doing. We break down the different solvers, FFE Plus and the Sparse Solver, and talk about how many cores you need. Next, we talk about RAM. How many GB do you need? Is there a limit on how much you should have? We'll talk about it.

Then, we get into storage, specifically your hard drive. How important is a SSD, and how much storage do you really need to tackle a simulation? Finally, we talk about video/graphics cards. This is always a fun topic, and here, we explain why a gaming graphics card (like GeForce and Radeon) might not be the best choice.