System Requirements to have REVIT & other Autodesk softwares

[geteway2digitalindia]

Is REVIT & other Autodesk softwares Macbook compliant.

For windows based laptop what are the recommended configurations

[Simon_Weel · Accepted solution]

System Requirements | Autodesk Support

[geteway2digitalindia]

THANKS FOR THE GREAT INPUTS..

[HVAC-Novice]

Those official requirements are pretty useless. They start at 16GB RAM. In 2025, no PC or laptop should have less than 32GB. 

And their CPU recommendation is even worse. All they require is a CPU with 2GHz base speed. A 10 year old dual-core CPU will meet that requirement. You will need a modern CPU (AMD Ryzen, Thread ripper, or Xeon released within the last two or fewer years) that can clock to over 5GHz. that is pretty standard nowadays. There is more than clockspeed (cache, etc. ). 

And try to get a well-cooled desktop. Laptops will throttle since they over-heat. There are very few mobile platforms that actually implement some sort of decent cooling. Every other laptop is falsely advertised sine they don't actually achieve the advertised speed for more than a few seconds. 

[Basam.Yousif]

Revit is notoriously resource-intensive. Recommended specs for a solid Revit machine:

1. 1TB C:\ Drive (2TB Recommended) - A fast C:\ drive (preferably an NVMe SSD) prevents performance bottlenecks. A 1TB minimum ensures room for the OS, Revit, project files, and temporary files, while 2TB future-proofs for complex workflows. I'm not talking about storing projects, just multiple Revit version installs plus other programs and TEMPORARY space needed for Revit to breath. High-speed NVMe SSDs drives are very affordable.

2. 32GB RAM Minimum (64GB+ Better)

3. Powerful Processor - get the most powerful LATEST generation you can afford!

4. Nvidia Graphics (RTX Recommended) - Nvidia GPUs are the go-to for Revit. An RTX 3060 or 4060 is more than sufficient for most Revit tasks, including real-time visualization and Enscape rendering. Keeping drivers updated. Avoid high-end gaming GPUs like the RTX 4090 unless you’re doing GPU-intensive rendering. The savings from this item can be put for higher specs on the previous three points 🙂

5. Efficient cooling and wired internet

I built a workstation last year with these very specs and it's a monster. It opens anything in seconds.

If you want, post here the model you're considering before you commit, and we'll review it for you!

[robert_kalnins]

Hi Basam,

Do you know Autodesk's current stance on supporting enterprise vs gaming GPUs for Revit?

We're scoping PC refresh, and all the information and "certified" device lists I can find are years out of date.

[HVAC-Novice]

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@robert_kalnins wrote:

Hi Basam,

Do you know Autodesk's current stance on supporting enterprise vs gaming GPUs for Revit?

We're scoping PC refresh, and all the information and "certified" device lists I can find are years out of date.

---

Certified just means some GPU and drivers they tested many years ago. Basically all outdated. If you go to the GPU manufacturer, they strongly advise against using the OLD certified drivers Autodesk recommends. 

GPU old for gaming typically are more powerful. People use them for all kind of applications and they are fine. They usually require stronger power supply, if you go crazy. I think a 4060 or 4070 is very powerful. I think 4060 only has 8GB VRAM, which may be a problem with 4K. A GPU is a GPU. People use the very same GPU for AI, crypto-mining, gaming and so on. 

[Basam.Yousif]

I would go with enterprise ... because it's made for stability, while gaming is more for speed and motion. However, I think they're all just fine for most Revit users.

What setup do you have in mind? can you share the specs?

[robert_kalnins]

@Basam.Yousif

These are some of the suggested configs we're looking at to get a couple of evaluation machines. Roughly 600mb+. I can look at swapping in other graphics cards etc.

Desktop PCs

The reason for the possible threadrippers is a hedge against heavy AI tooling etc. Rest of the builds are relatively easy to swap out for us in a couple of years. We're looking at 4-5 years of service.

There's a couple more options I haven't shared because we're not getting pricing on them until July

They've usually got a combination of these applications running at any one time:

Autodesk Revit 2025

AutoCAD 2023

AutoCAD Architecture 2023

MEP & Plant Object Enablers

Autodesk Robot Structural Analysis Extension

Lumion 2023

Adobe Photoshop 2025

Adobe Illustrator 2025

Adobe InDesign 2025

Config 1
CPU: Intel Core i7-14700, 20-core (65W)

GPU: NVIDIA RTX A4000, 16GB

RAM: 48GB DDR5-5600 (1x48GB)

NVMe: 1TB PCIe M.2 SSD (TLC)

PSU: 700W

Config 2
CPU: Intel Core i7-14700K, 20-core (125W)

GPU: NVIDIA RTX A4000, 16GB

RAM: 96GB DDR5-5600 (2x48GB)

NVMe: 1TB PCIe M.2 SSD (TLC)

PSU: 550W

Config 3
CPU: AMD Threadripper PRO 7945WX, 12-core (350W)

GPU: NVIDIA RTX 4000 Ada, 20GB

RAM: 64GB DDR5-5600 ECC REG (4x16GB)

NVMe: 1TB PCIe M.2 SSD (TLC)

PSU: 1125W / 1275W

Config 4
CPU: AMD Threadripper PRO 7945WX, 12-core (350W)

GPU: NVIDIA RTX 4070 Super, 12GB GDDR6X

RAM: 64GB DDR5-5600 ECC REG (4x16GB)

NVMe: 1TB PCIe M.2 SSD (TLC)

PSU: 1125W / 1275W

[Basam.Yousif]

Awesome systems! I think -when on a budget- Prioritize capacity over speed.

- I would scale down the graphics cards a little bit (to save some money), then increase the RAM to 128GB and the chips to intel i9

- I'm not a fan of anything AMD makes, but that is just me 🙂

- Definitely change the NVMes to 2TB. I say 1TB is too small. I have 1TB work laptop and keeps filling up and I don't even work on projects full time! in 4-5 years you will have 5-7 versions of Revit installed. I believe the cost difference of this upgrade is not substantial, but the improvement in performance will be, and you will thank me later. Also, never partition the drive. A C:\ drive is all you need. No Autodesk application ever needs another drive.

- By July, you will have Revit, Robot and Acad 2026 installed ...

- Always go higher than what you think you need on the power supply and cooling fans.

[HVAC-Novice]

With the recent Intel issues (degradation of 13th/14th generation, and general heat problems) I'm surprised Intel is recommended. On the consumer market, AMD really is better these days. I don't know if Xeon/Threadripper is so clear.

anyway... skip the first configuration since it only uses single-channel memory. All the consumer platforms use double-channel. You always want two RAM sticks to double the speed. 

The Threadripper systems really are the best in your list. Don't get confused by Intel's core count. Those only have 8 actual (P-performance) cores. the rest are just very weak e (efficiency) cores that have low clock speed and no hyper-threading. Many software using multi-cores only use the P-cores. threadripper also gives you 4-channel RAM vs. 2-channel for the 14700K. 

How much RAM you need, depends.. but IMHO 64GB is the new bottom line for new systems you keep for a while. I would first determine how much RAM you need, then price all options with the same amount of RAM. 

[robert_kalnins]

We use intel across the board except for very specific situations and consistency is important for us. Not just vPro, but a known variables kind of thing.

The threadripper spec has an option for a custom solution alternative to vPro which we'd be getting, and as you noticed the option for 4 channel memory.

The heat concerns are why I was looking at the 14700 / 14700k instead of the i9 series, because we have no options whatsoever to customize the heating solution and they're going to be using a few apps side by side which I'm predicting will up the thermal profile and lead to lower single core performance, despite better silicone.

That's my thinking anyway, also the future proofing - it's easier down the line to throw more ram in, better graphics, etc but the CPU isn't something we're going to be able to change after the fact and we're looking at 4-5 years of expected life per device.

[HVAC-Novice]

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@robert_kalnins wrote:

We use intel across the board except for very specific situations and consistency is important for us. Not just vPro, but a known variables kind of thing.

The threadripper spec has an option for a custom solution alternative to vPro which we'd be getting, and as you noticed the option for 4 channel memory.

The heat concerns are why I was looking at the 14700 / 14700k instead of the i9 series, because we have no options whatsoever to customize the heating solution and they're going to be using a few apps side by side which I'm predicting will up the thermal profile and lead to lower single core performance, despite better silicone.

That's my thinking anyway, also the future proofing - it's easier down the line to throw more ram in, better graphics, etc but the CPU isn't something we're going to be able to change after the fact and we're looking at 4-5 years of expected life per device.

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Over the decades, AMD and Intel traded places which one has the better solution. I think sticking to a "brand" limits the added value competition provides. Intel is in big financial trouble du their their outdated products. But I understand, some people use "what they know".  No one ever got fire for specifying IBM.... Ironically I talk a lot against the intel CPUs. But I'm about to get an 14900k myself since that is the best our IT is wiling to get from Dell. It isn't my choice, but better than my current potato I'm using.  

Whoever provides the PCs should provide adequate PSU and cooling. If they advertise an 14900k, they should provide appropriate cooling. if not, you should re-consider who you buy from. it is like someone sells you a powerful car, but only gives you cooling from an economy car and then you only can use the power for a second before overheating. 

Threadripper (and Xeon) has 8 memory channels. So if you upgrade later, and double up by adding 4 more sticks, you double the speed as well. For a consumer platform (2-cahnnel only) you ideally only use 2 RAM sticks (even if they provide 4 slots). The consumer memory controllers often have to downclock with multiple RAM sticks per channel. For those platforms, you often end up not being above to re-use the old sticks (i.e. if you want to go from 2x32 GB to 128GB, you buy two new 2x64GB sticks and sell the old 2x32GB set)

[luisPDAN6]

I would recommend you have a look here for the latest Revit laptop CPU benchmarks and Revit laptop GPU benchmarks. I have tested a few laptops with RTX GPUs on our office and they seem to perform in pair if not better than equivalent Desktop Gpus. One conclusion about choosing the right GPU is actually the ammount of VRAM that the card has, generally 6 Gbytes is too little for today workflow, we prefer 8 Gbytes as a minimum and if possible 12+ Gbytes. We notice that plenty of applications rab a significant portion of VRAM, including Crome and its not easy to flush that memory unless you restart the computer. So something to have in mind. If you already got a new system, have a look at the free benchmark plugin https://goto.archi/hardware-benchmark-for-revit and do a quick test after a machine restart.

[luisPDAN6]

Do you have any of these configs? How do they benchmark? Have you tried running them on https://goto.archi/hardware-benchmark-for-revit ? I really wonder how the 14th generation performs. I understand that intel has some quite good turbo clock speeds that benefit both single and multi-thread Revit operations.

[LfordZ584N]

I'm in architecture school and debating between 2 ASUS models:

1.  Asus ProArt H7606WP-PB99T  (AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX370 & NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070, 4K OLED screen)

2.  Asus ROG Zephyrus  GU605CW-XS98 (Intel Core Ultra 9 processor & NVIDIA GeForce RT5080, 2.5K OLED screen)

Both models come with 64GB RAM, 2T storage.

Which would you buy to maximize Revit performance?

Thanks.

[Basam.Yousif]

If you're asking for my opinion, I'm with the "never AMD" camp ... so #2 is the better way to go.

[RDAOU]

@LfordZ584N 

It depends on how you intend to use the workstation or laptop.

• AMD Ryzen AI 9 and Threadripper currently dominate in rendering, large model collaboration, and AI-enhanced workflows, with literally no competition. These CPUs are the favorites among the majority of designers, architects, content creators, and video editors.
• Intel Core Ultra 9 and Xeon are still top picks for conventional CAD workloads, thanks to their high single-threaded speed

Hence if you're only running vanilla Revit or traditional CAD software (like AutoCAD or SolidWorks, in 2D/3D), you likely won't notice much of a performance difference  so choose based on your budget and brand preference. However, if you're aiming for stronger multi-core performance, AMD is the clear winner. 

Over the past 4 years, Intel CPUs have been on a noticeable decline in performance leadership. That doesn’t mean they’re bad just that AMD has consistently outpaced them in innovation and power. There are countless benchmark tests online, and it's very rare to find a credible comparison where an Intel CPU outperforms an AMD chip of the same tier.

Feature	AMD Ryzen AI 9	Intel Core Ultra 9
Single-Core Performance	Very Strong	Very Strong
Multi-Core Performance	Often Better Depending on Setup	Great
Integrated GPU	Radeon 890M (stronger for AI)	Arc iGPU (decent, but weaker)
AI Acceleration (NPU)	Top-tier (50+ TOPS)	Still developing (~10 TOPS)
AI Denoising (e.g. Enscape)	Uses NPU + GPU (lower latency)	Mostly GPU-based
Thermal Efficiency	Slightly hotter under load	Can throttle under heavy use
Revit & V-Ray Rendering	Excellent w/ dedicated GPU	Excellent w/ dedicated GPU
Geekbench 6 Single-Core	~2,800	~2,900
Geekbench 6 Multi-Core	~13,500	~11,500
Cinebench 2024 Multi-Core	Higher (Rendering advantage)	Good, but lower
Battery Life (on AI tasks)	More efficient due to NPU load	Less efficient (CPU/GPU based)