Free SOLIDWORKS from Performance Constraints (FSWPC-13-#3)

(Hardware Testing – Number of Cores)

The number of cores that a workstation has is critical for use of SOLIDWORKS — but only to a point. Since SOLIDWORKS can only take advantage of 2 cores itself, the numbers of cores needed is determined by how many other activities the workstation is going to need to perform while SOLIDWORKS is operating.

The graph above reveals that when SOLIDWORKS is the only application running on a workstation, anything more than four cores is simply overkill. We recommend that before purchasing a new machine you evaluate your daily use to make sure you are getting all that you need from a single multi core processor. If you are utilizing the workstation for SOLIDWORKS Simulation Products, Photoview360 or other applications that can take advantage of multiple cores, then it may be worth the investment in a second processor to gain the additional cores.

You can, by looking at our deltas, see that going from 2 cores to 4 cores was an overall cost difference of less than $750 but gained us an almost 65% total improvement. If we look at the deltas going from 4 cores to 6 cores the overall cost difference was just over $1700 but the total performance gain was only .5% improvement.

Please check back to the CATI blog as we will continue posting our series of articles that goes further into the details of each of our tests. All of these articles will be stored in the category of Free SOLIDWORKS from Performance Constraints and links to each with their release date are listed below:

• FSWPC-13-#1 Introduction (3/19/13)
• FSWPC-13-#2 RAM (3/21/13)
• FSWPC-13-#3 Processor Cores (3/26/13)
• FSWPC-13-#4 Processor Cores for Simulation and PhotoView360 (3/28/13)
• FSWPC-13-#5 Processor Clock Speed (4/2/13)
• FSWPC-13-#6 Hard Drives (4/4/13)
• FSWPC-13-#7a Graphics Cards-SOLIDWORKS Functionality (4/9/13)
• FSWPC-13-#7b Graphics Cards-Hardware Comparison (4/11/13)
• FSWPC-13-#7c Graphics Cards-Model Complexity (4/16/13)
• FSWPC-13-#8 Files stored in an older version (4/18/13)
• FSWPC-13-#9 OS Visual and User Settings (4/23/13)
• FSWPC-13-#10 SOLIDWORKS Options (4/25/13)
• FSWPC-13-#11 SOLIDWORKS Image Quality (4/30/13)
• FSWPC-13-#12 SOLIDWORKS RealView Graphics (5/2/13)
• FSWPC-13-#13 SolidWorks  Level of Detail (5/7/13)
• FSWPC-13-#14 SOLIDWORKS Mates and Flexible Subassemblies (5/9/13)
• FSWPC-13-#15 SOLIDWORKS Defeature (5/14/13)
• FSWPC-13-#16 SOLIDWORKS Envelope (5/16/13)
• FSWPC-13-#17 SOLIDWORKS Large Design Review (5/21/13)
• FSWPC-13-#18 SOLIDWORKS SpeedPak (5/23/13)
• FSWPC-13-#19 SOLIDWORKS Save as Part (5/28/13)
• FSWPC-13-#20 SOLIDWORKS Large Assembly Mode (5/30/13)
• FSWPC-13-#21 Optimal Configuration and Conclusion (6/4/13)

Thanks,

Josh Altergott, CATI Support Manager

Adrian Fanjoy, CATI Technical Services Director