Hardware: What you need in principle

Hardware is constantly changing, so this article seeks to establish what system will serve you best without getting too specific. Hopefully it will then remain valid for longer.

Keeping Revit performing at an optimum level is not the result of having a single standout component or specification. Many people presume that more RAM translates to more speed. However this is only part of it. In terms of hardware only, the performance of Revit will only ever be as good as the weakest part of the system. Large amounts of RAM stand to be undermined by a slow CPU, or the Front Side Bus (FSB). Therefore to have a high performance system requires high performance components throughout.

In a networked environment, particularly where worksharing is to be used on projects, consideration also needs to be given to the server on which the central files will be stored, and the bandwidth available between the server and the client machines. Any weak component through which data is passed or written to is a potential bottleneck.

Moreover, it must be remembered that currently, keeping Revit performing the way we'd like it to requires more than just super-spec'd hardware. The methods that the users employ also have a significant impact on the speed at which they can work. Various tips can be used for keeping files (particularly large files) running smoothly. Refer to the links below in this knowledgebase for more information.