Graphics Workstations for CATIA

Understand CATIA’s hardware requirements and pick the perfect 3XS Systems graphics workstation for your project

What is CATIA?

CATIA stands for Computer Aided Three-Dimensional Interactive Application. Although it incorporates CAD (Computer Aided Design) elements, it is much more than that. It is a full software suite which incorporates CAD and CAE (Computer-Aided Engineering) capabilities, and is primarily focused on surface modelling - hence its widespread use in the automotive and aerospace industries. If your projects involve components, machinery and 3D parts then SolidWorks may be a better option for you.

What makes the best workstation for CATIA?

Although there is no one ideal workstation for CATIA, this page will guide you through the most important factors to consider. The best place to start is your intended usage of CATIA - designing and modelling will work well on a lower powered workstation whereas rendering and simulation will require more powerful hardware. Similarly you should also consider whether CATIA will be used standalone or whether other design or rendering packages will be used in your workflow - the below recommendations and guidance focus primarily on the requirements for CATIA software alone, so you may want to read other application pages to understand how systems specifications may be impacted if multiple applications are used together.

What CPU should I choose for CATIA?

If primarily doing design and modelling work CATIA runs best on CPUs with a high frequency and high IPC, such as an AMD Ryzen 9 or Intel Core Ultra 9. Simulation and rendering work will use more CPU cores, so a higher core count CPU such as an AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO or Intel Xeon W is recommended.

What GPU do I need for CATIA?

CATIA is a software application that relies on the CPU for the majority of tasks so an mid-range professional-grade NVDIA GPU will suffice if working with simple assemblies - such as an NVIDIA A1000. When using 3D models, especially larger ones we would recommend a higher specification GPU, such as an NVIDIA RTX GPU card, to cope with the more complex graphics and larger frame buffers.

In both cases, we would recommend a professional-grade NVIDIA GPU, as although their consumer counterparts may offer similar performance on paper, they will not be officially certified for CATIA usage, so you may struggle to get support from the GPU manufacturer or Dassault Systemes should you encounter a software issue.

How much RAM is recommended for CATIA?

The minimum RAM that we would recommend for CATIA is 32GB. As previously stated, if you require several models open alongside each other, or other applications open together then increasing the memory to 64GB is probably wise. Likewise, if you opt for a higher end CPU, it makes sense to match the RAM to the CPU capability for a more powerful system all round.

What storage does CATIA need?

We always recommend using an SSD for the boot drive that will host your OS, CATIA itself, and any active projects you are working on. The high speed of SSDs allows your system to boot, launch applications, and load files many times faster than any traditional hard drive. Alternatively, as your work projects increase you may want to consider a second SSD or higher capacity HDD - depending on your budget - so your OS, CATIA and live projects benefit from SSD speed, but your archived work uses the HDD where speed isn’t a necessity and costs can be lowered. Another archive solution could be to employ an external NAS device allowing sharing and RAID protection.

When it comes to deciding on drive capacity, this will very much depend on your number of files and the model sizes. You should also consider the space required by other applications and their associated files too.