Graphics Workstations for Siemens NX

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

What is Siemens NX?

Siemens NX is an advanced CAD (Computer Aided Design) and CAE (Computer Aided Engineering) software platform. It offers a comprehensive software suite that spans the entire range design and of physics, providing access to virtually any field of engineering simulation that a design process requires, including mechanical, fluid dynamics, optics and acoustics.

What makes the best system for Siemens NX?

Although there is no one ideal workstation for Siemens NX, this page will guide you through the most important factors to consider. The best place to start is your intended usage - Siemens NX is a highly demanding package for computer workstations, so selecting the correct hardware for your particular workflow is integral to ensuring the stability, reliability and performance you need. Similarly you should also consider whether Siemens NX 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 Siemens NX software alone, so you may want to read other application pages to understand how systems specifications may be impacted if multiple software applications are used together.

What CPU should I choose for Siemens NX?

Whether you work with 2D or 3D models, Siemens NX will benefit from CPUs with a high frequency and high IPC, so CPUs with lots of cores will have little benefit as the application is predominantly single-threaded. Considering these parameters we recommend AMD Ryzen 5 or Intel Core Ultra 5 CPUs for entry-level Inventor systems, Ryzen 7 and Core Ultra 7 for mid-range systems and Ryzen 9 or Core Ultra 9 CPUs for high-end systems. These processor families offer clock speeds required but retain value for money.

What GPU do I need for Siemens NX?

Siemens NX software can take advantage of GPU acceleration, but your choice of card should be determined by your usage. For simpler models an entry-level NVIDIA RTX GPU should suffice, whereas with more complex models we recommend looking at high-end NVIDIA RTX GPUs.

When adding a GPU card, we would recommend a professional-grade card, as although their consumer counterparts may offer similar performance on paper, they are not certified for Siemens NX, so you may struggle to get support from the GPU manufacturer or Siemens should you encounter a software issue.

How much RAM is recommended for Siemens NX?

The minimum RAM that we recommend for Siemens NX is 32GB. If your Siemens NX usage is heavier than average or if you require several models open alongside each other, or other applications open together then increasing the memory to 64GB or 128GB is probably wise.

What storage does Siemens NX need?

We always recommend using an SSD for the boot drive that will host your OS, Siemens NX 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, Siemens NX 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.

Recommended Siemens NX Workstation Specifications

Workstation specifications
	High-End	Mid-Range	Entry-Level
CPU	AMD Threadripper PRO / Intel Xeon W	AMD Threadripper PRO / Intel Xeon W	AMD Ryzen 9 / Intel Core Ultra 9
RAM	128GB	64GB	32GB
GPU	NVIDIA RTX 6000 Ada	NVIDIA RTX 4000 Ada	NVIDIA A1000