SOLIDWORKS Hardware Advice

Whether you need a desktop or a laptop, choosing the right machine to run SOLIDWORKS on is a crucial for you make the most out of your time and software investment.

We're here to help provide SOLIDWORKS hardware advices so you can choose the right PC for your requirements. We have created an easy checklist of hardware recommendations below based on our verified testing with real world engineering datasets.

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View Recommended Specs

Want to know what to look out for? We have listed our recommended specifications and advice for different PC components below.

Buy SOLIDWORKS Workstations

Visit our online store to browse our current recommended selection of certified professional desktops and laptops for SOLIDWORKS users.

View SOLIDWORKS System Requirements

It’s essential to have a machine which meets the SOLIDWORKS system requirements, view official requirements here.

Recommended SOLIDWORKS Hardware Specs

Processor - CPU

Intel Core Ultra 200 CPU's

The CPU, is responsible for the majority of the calculations carried out by SOLIDWORKS, the higher the speed, the better. Currently the fastest option for CAD in OEM workstations are Intel's Core Ultra 200 series

Further Details

CPU is measured in GHz, so look for this number as an indicator of processing power. Turbo Boost is also a winning feature when it comes to SOLIDWORKS.

CPU is generally split over a number of cores. Don’t get caught up on this though, SOLIDWORKS parts and assemblies can only make use of 1-2 cores at a time, due to the sequential rebuild nature for models.

Some assembly rebuilds, drawings with multiple views and simulations can take advantage of more cores at a time. CPU's such as Intel Xeons with more slower cores can cause a performance regression.

Memory - RAM

32GB Minimum, 64GB for Renders & Simulations

When opening a document, it is loaded into the memory of the machine, or the RAM. It is important that your machine has enough RAM for your working documents so as to not use the hard disc.

Further Details

32GB is typically sufficient for working with CAD datasets with hundreds to low thousands of components

If you are working with more complex designs or carrying out simulations or rendering, then 64GB or more may be required for these activities particularly if multitasking.

Error Code Correcting (ECC) RAM is beneficial to reduce the chance of crashes or errors when performing long running tasks such as simulation

Graphics Card

NVIDIA RTX Ada or RTX PRO Blackwell, 4GB Memory+

SOLIDWORKS requires a professional grade graphics card to perform seamlessly. Everyday CAD tasks such as panning, zooming, rotating your model rely on the graphical performance of your machine.

Further Details

Storage - Hard Drive

Fast Solid State Drives, 512GB+

Solid State Drives (SSD) offer significant performance superiority. 512GB or more should provide a good working space for your operating system and programs. For Simulation or rendering tasks, your storage will want to be increased to 1TB or more.

What about network or cloud storage?

If you want to store your SOLIDWORKS data in the cloud or on a network is important to use CAD intelligent data management solution. Saving over a network without one, or uploading to cloud solutions such as Dropbox or OneDrive, risks your files becoming corrupted or losing references.

We offer a number of data management solutions and are happy to provide advice depending on your requirements. For entry level cloud data management we typically recommend SOLIDWORKS Cloud Services. For an on-premise network solution we find that SOLIDWORKS PDM is an effective and popular choice for our customers.

Operating System

Windows 11 Professional

Windows 11 Professional or Enterprise 64bit are the only supported Operating Systems. Support for Windows 10 ended in October 2025. SOLIDWORKS 2026 does not support Windows 10, SOLIDWORKS 2022 and newer required for Windows 11 compatibility.

Can I run SOLIDWORKS on a Mac?

Monitor / Display

Laptop 15"+ / Desktop 24"+

When buying a new monitor, we recommend a resolution of 1920x1080 at a minimum size of 15.6 inches for laptops or 24 inches for desktops. 27 inch and 32 inch Monitors we would recommend QHD (2560 x 1440) resolution as the best balance.

Considerations for 4k Monitors

Why buy SOLIDWORKS hardware from us?

Configured for SOLIDWORKS

Dell Workstation desktops and laptops are built from a controlled set of components which undergo extensive internal tests to ensure they can run intensive workloads for sustained periods.

Dell sends their workstations to software vendors such as SOLIDWORKS & Dassault Systemes for certification testing to ensure that they work optimally with the software that they are designed to run.

We carry out further testing at Solid Solutions so that we can provide accurate recommendations on hardware that will save our customers the most time during their workflows.

Next Day Delivery

3 Years of Dell Pro Support

An area that is often overlooked is professional support for your hardware - what happens when things go wrong?

Hardware issues are unfortunately a fact of life, and so to minimize disruption, the experts at Dell Pro support are on hand 24/7. If they're not able to resolve the issue remotely,a Dell Technician will typically be out onsite the next business day to resolve the issue for you at no extra cost.

Compare to typical consumer level support from many other providers that can take weeks to repair and return a machine to you and the value becomes clear.

Every Dell workstation purchased from us comes with three years of Dell Pro Support, so you can rest easy.

Over 20 Years of Experience

Get Free SOLIDWORKS Hardware Advice

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dell precision desktop-workstation exploded view

Time for a Hardware Check Up?

Choosing the best solution can be daunting and often, spending more doesn’t even guarantee better performance. Whether you’re outfitting a new engineer or upgrading equipment, our free hardware review can help make the most of your budget.

Book Hardware Review

New Workstation VS. Four Year Old PC

How much of a difference does upgrading make?

We recommend upgrading your hardware every three to five years to optimise performance and maximise your engineering team's efficiency. The stats below show how much better a new laptop workstation performed when compared against a similar four year old desktop machine. For more detail on how we tested the machines and got the numbers shown below please watch the video.

71%

Faster rebuild time for complex datasets

66.7%

Faster opening a large assembly

49%

Faster to complete a structural simulation analysis

87.5%

Faster when running a CFD study

50%

More frames per second when working on a large assembly

183%

Faster when rendering with SOLIDWORKS Visualize

SOLIDWORKS Hardware Advice

View Recommended Specs

Buy SOLIDWORKS Workstations

View SOLIDWORKS System Requirements

Recommended SOLIDWORKS Hardware Specs

Processor - CPU

Memory - RAM

Graphics Card

Storage - Hard Drive

Operating System

Monitor / Display

Why buy SOLIDWORKS hardware from us?

Time for a Hardware Check Up?

How much of a difference does upgrading make?

71%

66.7%

49%

87.5%

50%

183%

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