Graphics Workstations for Revit

Understand Revit’s hardware requirements and pick the perfect 3XS Systems graphics workstation for your project

What is Revit?

Revit is a BIM applications that brings all architecture, engineering and construction disciplines into a unified modelling environment, driving more efficient and cost- effective projects - from conceptual design, visualisation and analysis to fabrication and construction.

What makes the best workstation for Revit?

Although there is no one ideal workstation for Revit, this page will guide you through the most important factors to consider. The best place to start is your intended usage of Revit - designing and modelling will work well on a lower powered workstation whereas rendering and BIM functions will require more powerful hardware. Similarly you should also consider whether Revit will be used standalone or whether other design or rendering packages will be used in your workflow - the below recommendations and guidance focus primarily on the requirements for Revit software alone, so you may want to read other application pages to understand how systems specifications may be impacted if multiple applications are used together.

What CPU should I choose for Revit?

Revit runs best on CPUs with a high frequency and high IPC, such as an AMD Ryzen 7 or Intel Core i7, upgrading to Ryzen 9 or Core i9 which have more cores for more complex projects.

What GPU do I need for Revit?

Revit is a software application that relies on the CPU for the majority of tasks so a mid-range professional-grade NVDIA GPU will suffice if working with simple assemblies - such as an NVIDIA RTX A2000. When using complex BIM models, especially larger ones we would recommend a higher specification GPU, such as an NVIDIA RTX A4000, to cope with the more complex graphics and larger frame buffers.

In both cases, we would recommend a professional-grade NVIDIA GPU, as although their consumer counterparts may offer similar performance on paper, they will not be officially certified for Revit usage, so you may struggle to get support from the GPU manufacturer or Autodesk should you encounter a software issue.

How much RAM is recommended for Revit?

The minimum RAM that we recommend for Revit is 32GB. As previously stated, if you require several models open alongside each other, or other applications open together then increasing the memory to 64GB or even 128GB is probably wise. Likewise, if you opt for a higher end CPU, it makes sense to match the RAM to the CPU capability for a more powerful system all round.

What storage does Revit need?

We always recommend using an SSD for the boot drive that will host your OS, Revit itself, and any active projects you are working on. The high speed of SSDs allows your system to boot, launch applications, and load files many times faster than any traditional hard drive. Alternatively, as your work projects increase you may want to consider a second SSD or higher capacity HDD - depending on your budget - so your OS, Revit and live projects benefit from SSD speed, but your archived work uses the HDD where speed isn’t a necessity and costs can be lowered. Another archive solution could be to employ an external NAS device allowing sharing and RAID protection.

When it comes to deciding on drive capacity, this will very much depend on your number of files and the model sizes. You should also consider the space required by other applications and their associated files too.