Quality Tested Hardware

[PVA - Admin]

This is a list of all hardware officially tested and approved for use by Vectorworks Inc:

https://www.vectorworks.net/support/quality-tested-hardware

[trashcan]

@PVA - Jim it would be great if this was updated with some kind of bench scoring, not just validation 🙏

[Asemblance]

Any chance of an update to this list and a bit more info, based on the latest hardware/ vwx software combo's?

 

Would also be good to get an idea of..

1) How the more modern integrated graphics (i.e. from the current gen ryzen 7 and intel core i7 chips) perform in comparison to discreet gpu's as well.

2) Whether quadro's / firepro cards are worth paying extra for, or if better off with run of the mill radeon / geforce cards.

[zoomer]

1.

Integrated GPU got better over time but are still much slower

and less capable than discrete GPUs.

It is not clear what Intel does with its XE (?) cards, if they are thought

for integrated or only Server and AI purposes, at least currently they are

far from current Nvidia or AMD discrete GPUs.

(Only Apple's "integrated" GPU cores on its ARM based SoCs are interesting

but that is a different architecture and not comparable with standard current

integrated GPUs on CPU dies)

 

2.

Still, VW doesn't support or profit from Quadro or Pro GPU drivers.

They are worth if you use any of the typical supported Apps, most

coming from Mechanical and Autodesk side. You pay for that support.

Pro GPU's aren't faster than Gaming GPUs at all, but most times offer

more VRAM than Gaming cards.

[Asemblance]

Thanks @zoomer that fits with what I've read elsewhere, I think we'll stick with radeon/ geforce then!

 

It would be great if Vectorworks could issue some official guidance on this, covering futureproofing as well (presumably there are things on the roadmap for Vectorworks that we don't know about which may affect hardware requirements going forwards..)

[zoomer]

Yes, that would be nice.

Also to keep the recommended Settings in AMD and Nvidia driver Software current,

which you can find sometimes in KB articles and such.

 

But I am pretty sure that VW won't get any Pro Card Driver Optimizations anytime soon.

VW recommends standard Gamer Cards. And as long as I don't have any Software

that makes use of or even needs Pro GPUs, I would not care.

But it is pretty likely that future VW Versions will make more and more use from GPU

acceleration wherever possible, like they did until today. Or that they may integrate a

real time render solution, which means more demanding GPU recommendations.

So GPU isn't the component where I would try to save most costs.

But also not overdo for VW only. 

[trashcan]

This thread below has some good info about this:

 

[Henry Finch]

Would be nice if this list of tested hardware was kept more up to date.

 

I use Apple computers and would like to know compatibility with the new Studio Mac before buying it. Seems like this is the model which should work well with VW. My files, custom homes and additions, are about 100MB and in 3D. 

 

I presently use :

iMac (27-inch, Late 2013)

3.5 GHz Quad-Core Intel Core i7

24 GB 1600 MHz DDR3

NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780M 4 GB

macOS Catalina V 10.15.7

Apple has stopped supporting this model. 

VW 2021

holding off installing VW 2022

[trashcan]

I have top of line M1 14” (spec below) - this is equivalent to high end but not highest end Studio. I’ve used the studio, it’s great. 6 months in - m1 is very good. Not a massive improvement over a 2018 fully loaded 15”, but a vast improvement over my 2013 mostly loaded trashcan. Expect improvements but not miracles. Still same lovely VWX loaded with bugs but still the best in its class that I couldn’t live without!! I am enjoying VWX 2022. There is some better support with apple silicone, there are threads about this but, I’m on my iPad using my dumb fingers. Also, apple has a 14 day return policy if it doesn’t feel right!! Good luck!

[Mark Aceto]

10 hours ago, Henry Finch said:

Would be nice if this list of tested hardware was kept more up to date.

 

I use Apple computers and would like to know compatibility with the new Studio Mac before buying it. Seems like this is the model which should work well with VW. My files, custom homes and additions, are about 100MB and in 3D. 

 

I presently use :

iMac (27-inch, Late 2013)

3.5 GHz Quad-Core Intel Core i7

24 GB 1600 MHz DDR3

NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780M 4 GB

macOS Catalina V 10.15.7

Apple has stopped supporting this model. 

VW 2021

holding off installing VW 2022

Totally compatible with VW (not so much with UE/TM).

 

Maxed out M1 ultra is life-changing.

 

Lengthy discussion here:

 

[Henry Finch]

On 8/18/2022 at 12:06 AM, Mark Aceto said:

UE/TM

Thanks Mark and trashcan(?)

Mark, what is UE/TM?

(I hadn't looked in General Discussion for Hardware.) 

[Mark Aceto]

15 minutes ago, Henry Finch said:

Thanks Mark and trashcan(?)

Mark, what is UE/TM?

(I hadn't looked in General Discussion for Hardware.) 

Unreal / Twinmotion

[trashcan]

Confirming my name is trashcan.

 

Ditto re: UE. It performs on an M1, but not super well. 😞 

 

13 hours ago, Henry Finch said:

and trashcan(?)