What is this page about?

We receive many questions about what constitutes a good computer and whether a certain computer will be able to run CET smoothly.

Our hope is that after reading this, you will be able to judge a computer by looking at its specifications in any good store.

I’m not a technical person

You don’t have to be.

This is not intended as a guide to teach you all the details about computer hardware. We do not expect everyone to learn technical jargon – so we will not explain what GHz is, or go into boring details about the impact of Hard Disk Drive IOPS.

The idea is to go through the most important parts as far as CET is concerned and tell you what values to look for and why they are important.

Contents

• The Operating System (OS)
• Memory Size (RAM)
• Processor (CPU)
• Graphics Card (GPU)
• Screen Size & Resolution
• Hard Disk Drive (HDD)
• Going Forward

The Operating System (OS)

Which version of Windows to pick is mostly a matter of personal preference or company policy.
CET supports running on most recent versions of Microsoft Windows:

• Windows 11
• Windows 10

The most important part to keep in mind when selecting your Operating System is making sure you get a 64-bit version of Windows.

Why 64-bit?

A 64-bit Operating System is capable of handling a lot more memory, between 200 to 500 GB of memory for the Professional versions of Windows 8.1 and 10. Whereas a 32-bit Operating system is limited to a maximum of 4 GB total memory.

Keep in mind that total memory on your computer is not only the amount of RAM but also includes the memory on your Graphics Card (and a few other bits and pieces).

Memory Size (RAM)

This is the computer’s active working memory and is shared between Windows and all other currently running programs.

Today, most modern computers come with 8 GB (or more) worth of RAM installed. This should be considered a minimum amount for any newly acquired computer.

As a general rule of thumb, the more memory, the better all programs will run.

Processor (CPU)

For CET, two of your processor values are important:

1. Performance Score (Recommended minimum: 2000+)
2. Number of Cores (Recommended minimum: 4 cores)

Like Memory, your Processor is also shared by all currently running programs.

We recommend a Performance Score of 2000+ for good performance.
Going below this recommendation could potentially make the program feel slow or “sluggish”, and will result in rendering images taking much longer to finish.

We also recommend a minimum of 4 Processor Cores; more Cores lead to significantly less time required to finish a rendered image and also means that CET does not have to worry about other programs competing for speed.

The processor brand or manufacturer does not matter, both AMD and Intel processors work equally well. CET also does not differentiate between different processor models. (like the Intel i3, i5, and i7 series)

What about “Intel Turbo boost”?

Intel Turbo Boost will temporarily run your Processor faster than what it is normally intended to, and is done automatically when your computer detects a need for more processing power.

The maximum boost speed is, however, limited by a couple of factors:

	Turbo Boost mode generates more heat, and if the processor gets too warm, then the turbo boost is automatically limited in how much faster it can go to prevent damage. This means that the longer you run in boosted mode, the hotter your system gets, and the less boost you are likely to get.
	The more Cores that simultaneously request boost speed, the less effective the boost becomes. This might become noticeable when rendering in CET, as it will try to use as many Cores as are available.
	Running in boosted mode draws more power, so a laptop constantly running in boosted mode will see its battery drain faster.

Graphics Card (GPU)

When looking at the graphics card, keep in mind that CET gets the best performance from “gaming technology” type cards.

This means that CET is best served by the GeForce line of cards from Nvidia.

What about Quadro?

The Quadro line of cards from Nvidia is often touted as “professional level” graphics, and really come into their own when working with CAD objects requiring maximum levels of precision.

However, the Quadro cards are significantly more expensive than the GeForce line, and generally offers lower performance than their GeForce cousins as far as CET is concerned.

How to tell if a card is powerful enough

The indicator for how well a card should perform for CET usually lies in the numbers accompanying the card name. Since the purpose of this guide is to keep things simple, we are just going to look at a performance metric called Passmark G3D.

Follow this link, use the search field on the Videocard Benchmarks page, and click on “Video Card Mega list / Search Model” in the left menu to find the graphics card you want to look up.
Look at the column for Passmark G3D:
•    A score of 3,000 is the minimum recommended level for CET.
Anything below this will likely perform poorly the further down you go.
• A score of 7,000 or higher is the recommended level for good performance.
• A score of 15 000 or higher is the recommended level if you intend to be running Virtual Reality.

Screen Size & Resolution

For your computer screen, two values are equally important:

1. Resolution, measured in pixels (commonly written as Width x Height), tells you how many dots (pixels) the screen can fit in at once.
2. Screen size, measured in inches (diagonally), tells you the physical size of the screen.

Our minimum recommended resolution is 1920×1080 (often called Full HD), as that guarantees that all dialogs and windows will fit on the screen. This also means a larger work area for your 2D or 3D views.

For screen size, we recommend using a screen that is no smaller than 14”, preferably 15-17” for a laptop. And 20-27” (or larger) for a stationary desktop screen.

Why such a large screen?

On smaller screens, buttons, images and text risk becoming too small to look at, which could potentially cause eye strain when working longer periods of time.

Hard Disk Drive (HDD)

CET frequently accesses the computer’s Hard Drive to read and write data. We consider a Hard Drive capable of rapidly reading and writing data important for a good working experience, as this results in minimal time waiting for the computer to load data from disk.

We highly recommend Solid State Disks (SSD), as they offer superior performance by being many times faster than traditional disks both for reading and writing data.

In addition, they are less sensitive to being jostled about when you move your computer around and draw far less power. SSD storage also weighs less than normal HDD, making it ideal for laptops.

If an SSD is not available as an option for the computer you are looking at, then make sure that the Hard Drive has an RPM of at least 7200, preferably higher.

And finally: Laptop or Desktop?

While we at Configura recommend doing the main part of your work on a Desktop computer, as they are decidedly more powerful than laptops (and can more easily be upgraded), we also recognize the need for mobility and that changing demands in the modern workspace may call for different solutions.

That said, please keep in mind when buying a laptop; make sure to check that it is possible to freely replace the graphics driver. Many manufacturers only allow their own, often poorly maintained, drivers, which can cause problems for professional graphics intensive applications like CET.