How to Configure the Ultimate Autodesk® Revit® Workstation How to Configure the Ultimate Autodesk® Revit® Workstation Your Guide to Overclocking, RAM, SSDs, and More If you’re in the market for an Autodesk® Revit® workstation, your first consideration should be your workflow. In general, you should determine the size of your models, followed by the level of detail you plan to put into your families, and the other software applications you rely on in conjunction with Revit. Once you have made these determinations, it’s time to look at the key aspects of a Revit hardware solution:     Processor (CPU) Memory (RAM) Hard drive Graphics card (GPU) Image courtesy of Eric Bogenschutz, BSA LifeStructures The Processor In order to maximize the performance of the features and tools found in Revit Architecture, your hardware platform requires outstanding core speed. Running by itself, Revit doesn’t take advantage of Intel Xeon processors, dual processor systems, or multiple cores. However, if you have Revit open, in all likelihood, you may also have Adobe Acrobat, Adobe Photoshop, AutoCAD, or other programs in use as well. If you incorporate these applications into your Revit workflow, a workstation with more cores can provide superior performance. Intel Core i3 and Intel Core i5 processors are available, of course, but should not be considered viable options. In fact, only workstations featuring quad core Intel Core i7 processors offer the multi threading capabilities necessary for Revit to run at optimal performance. George Matos, Vice President of Technology and Visualization at Chipman Design Architecture recently initiated his company’s conversion from i5 systems to BOXX Intel Core i7 workstations—and is pleased with the results. “When we moved to the quad core i7’s, we experienced a 40% efficiency increase,” he says. The quad core Intel Core i7 processor is also essential for desktop rendering, since the rendering functions in Revit are bandwidth bound (meaning they use multiple cores simultaneously). The mental ray® rendering engine within Revit relies on CPU performance, so workstation with more (and faster) cores can also provide accelerated rendering performance. Overclocking Matters Another key advantage to Intel Core i7 processors is that they can be overclocked (unlike Intel Xeons). BOXX is the only workstation manufacturer to offer overclocked systems (under the 3DBOXX XTREME label), and the advantage is simple: if the cores process faster, your applications will run faster too. Achieving 4.5 GHz, overclocked 3DBOXX XTREME workstations hold a decided advantage over competitors’ top-of-the-line models which can only manage 3.7 GHz— the speed threshold since 2006. “It’s the frequency plateau,” says Tim Lawrence, BOXX Technologies’ VP of Engineering. “Improvements to architecture have helped somewhat, but not enough. With processor speeds remaining virtually stagnant for six years, overclocking is the only way to significantly increase core speed and thus, performance.” However, the value of overclocking doesn’t begin and end with speed. Faster processes result in an accelerated workflow, greater efficiency, higher productivity, and in general, a better overall user experience. At Chipman, Matos cites a twenty to thirty five percent performance increase since they began using 3DBOXX XTREME workstations. And if you’re concerned regarding the effects of overclocking on a processor, rest assured knowing BOXX has shipped overclocked systems since 2008 and with thousands of systems in the field, the company has not experienced a processor failure rate any different from that of standard processor systems. In short, there has been no statistical variance whatsoever. The reason for this is that BOXX works closely with Intel to stay within the parameters of safe overclocking, providing increased performance without applying significantly larger increases in voltage. “BOXX will tell you what can be overclocked and what can’t be,” says Matos, “and they test their machines to ensure that that the overclocking will not be a problem.” And like all BOXX systems, XTREME workstations are backed by a three year warranty. For Autodesk Revit workflows, BOXX recommends the following:  3DBOXX 4050 XTREME This liquid-cooled workstation, powered by an overclocked quad core, 3rd generation, Intel® Core™ i7 processor running at 4.5 GHz, is the industry's fastest single socket workstation for engineering and product design applications like Autodesk® Revit® and SolidWorks® .  3DBOXX 4925 XTREME Another liquid-cooled BOXX workstation, 4925 XT (4.5 GHz) includes an overclocked, six core, Intel Core i7, and is available with support for 4 GPUs and SSD caching. (This would be a great system if you utilize Autodesk® 3ds Max® / Autodesk® 3ds Max® Design in your daily design process.) The SSD Difference Your choice of hard drive makes a significant impact on performance—especially if you lack sufficient RAM with which you can take advantage. The option of Intel® Smart Response Technology further enhances performance because the system automatically learns which files users access frequently and copies them from the hard disk drive to the solid state drives. The next time these files are requested, the system loads them from the SSDs rather than the slower hard drive. The result is faster booting, faster application loading, and accelerated performance. SSDs are standard features in 3DBOXX 4925 and 4050 XTREME workstations. Memory “When it comes to memory,” says Matos, “I don’t spec anything less than 16GB of RAM for our Revit workstations.” He insists that 16GB should be “more than sufficient” as a standard; however, users who work consistently with larger scale models may want to consider more. The bottom line is this: Is your system responsive? Does it execute tasks quickly? If not, you may need to increase your RAM. Hard Drive Both BOXX and Matos recommend a minimum of 500 GB hard drive space in order to accommodate the features found in Revit, as well as to support additional applications like Adobe Photoshop, AutoCAD, and Autodesk 3ds Max which are often part of the design workflow. Getting Graphic A lot of people think you need a high end NVIDIA Quadro card in order to run Revit,” says Matos, “but that is simply untrue.” He cites extensive testing conducted by Chipman Design Architecture using Quadro 600, 2000, 4000, and 6000 cards. “The 2000 has a slight advantage over the 600 because it’s double the memory,” he says, “but in terms of running Revit, there is no difference between the Quadro 2000 and either the 4000 or 6000.” Image courtesy of Eric Bogenschutz, BSA LifeStructures Revit does not utilize the graphics card like 3ds Max, Showcase, and other applications, so if your system is to be used solely for Revit, Matos advises users to opt for the NVIDIA Quadro 600 GPU. “I would rather spend less on the graphics card,” he says, “then take the money that was saved by moving down from a Quadro 2000 to a 600 and invest it in SSDs, more memory, or upgrading from an Intel Core i5 to a quad core i7.” BOXX recommends the NVIDIA Quadro 600 as well, but also the Quadro 2000 as an ideal mid range graphics card for most Revit workflows. They suggest a Quadro 4000 only if one relies heavily on other GPU needy applications like Photoshop (or more specialized software where a higher grade GPU is essential). Dedicated Rendering Because rendering is such a critical aspect of the Revit workflow (requiring substantial time and processing power), BOXX recommends off-loading to a dedicated rendering system like renderPRO, a personal, dedicated rendering solution for 3D graphics, animation and compositing workflows. Easily configurable to accommodate any workflow, renderPRO frees your workstation and brings dedicated rendering to your desk side. Available with Intel® Xeon® E52600 series processors, renderPRO features up to 16 processing cores. It’s key advantage, however, is that the system enables the Revit user to deliver complex projects within budget and on schedule by drastically reducing rendering time. Conclusion So if you’re ready to configure the ultimate Revit workstation, the list of considerations is remarkably short:     Processor (CPU) Memory (RAM) Hard drive Graphics card (GPU) If you make sound decisions in these areas (and pay attention to ROI and its relationship to performance), your result should be a Revit system that will save you time and money, while increasing your productivity and profit. And Matos believes that your decision-making process should begin with BOXX. “Chipman Design Architecture wanted to partner with a workstation manufacturer that would give us options to customize our machines the way we want them. BOXX builds it the way I need it and they work. Their support is located right at the company headquarters in Austin, Texas, and it’s fantastic. Whether we call sales or support, BOXX knows the Autodesk software—and they know what hardware specs are necessary to run that software.” Learn More about BOXX Autodesk Revit Solutions at: http://www.boxxtech.com/Solutions/revit Special thanks to George Matos, Vice President of Technology and Visualization at Chipman Design Architecture http://www.chipmandesignarch.com/ and Tim Lawrence, Vice President of Engineering, BOXX Technologies. To view the video Configuring a Workstation for Autodesk Revit visit http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I16VG8LKmqU