Researching Archicad Performance Specs for New PCs - Seeking Feedback

[Franz und Sue ZT]

Hello everyone,

I have been diligently researching the specifications that impact Archicad performance in order to ensure that the PCs we are planning to order do not encounter any major bottlenecks.

During my research, I came across some excellent articles on CPUs and GPUs (linked here for those who are interested):

1. Graphic Cards Performance Review for Archicad 26
2. 3D V-Cache and CPU Performance
3. Multiprocessing and Archicad

While these articles provided valuable insights, I still have some questions regarding RAM speed and platform choices. Specifically, I'm curious if RAM speed and platform type (DDR4 vs. DDR5) significantly impact performance. As we are in the process of purchasing new machines and considering the compatibility of Intel 12th & 13th gen processors with both DDR4 and DDR5, it would be helpful to know if there are notable advantages to investing in the more expensive DDR5 platform.

On a side note, I would appreciate any information on VRAM bottlenecks, especially in the context of handling very large projects like hospitals and schools. If anyone has knowledge about the signs of VRAM bottlenecks and how they manifest themselves, please share your insights.

For context, our standard setup includes:
- 2x 4K displays
- 32-64GBs of DDR4 RAM at 3200MHz
- Intel processors ranging from i7-8700k to i9-11900k up to i7-12700k
- Graphics options: Quadro P2000 5GB / P2200 5GB / RTX A2000 6GB

Thank you in advance for any feedback or information you can provide. Your insights will be greatly appreciated!

[Laszlo Nagy]

I can comment on a few things:

-CPU: It seems to me that Intel has taken back the lead in Single-core performance from AMD. I am planning to buy an i9-13900 CPU (there are like 5-6 variations of it), I will probably go with i9-13900KS because it does not have an integrated GPU so it is a bit cheaper. This CPU has great single-core performance, which is still the most important for Archicad. You should also consider CPU rendering, if you want to do it, you might want to buy a CPU with a very high multi-core score.

-RAM: This is my most important component and I am willing to spend money on it. I will go with 64 GB of DDR5 RAM since it is faster than DDR4. I will probably buy a 5600 MHz version because it is almost the same in cost as the 4800 MHz and 5200 MHz RAMs, but faster. 6000 MHz RAM seems to be relatively more expensive for the added speed.

-SSD: Go for the latest and fastest NVMe SSD like the Samsung 980 EVO/PRO or 990 PRO. Make sure it is your system drive from which your operating system starts. I plan to buy a 1 TB or 2 TB SSD for the op. system.

-HDD: I like to have a RAID HDD setup. My current setup is 2 x 3 TB HDD, set up for data redundancy (data is duplicated on both drives). Last year, one of my hard drives died so it was very fortunate that I had the other one with all my data on it so no data was lost. I will probably go with  2 x 6 TB RAID setup this time.

-GPU: I am not sure that professional GPUs are needed for Archicad. I always had Nvidia GeForce cards and  was always very satisfied with their performance, and the quality of the drivers. Also, as far as I know they are better suited for real-time rendering software like Twinmotion, Exscape, etc. than professional Nvidia GPUs (which are also much more expensive). I am currently looking at the Nvidia 4060 RTX GPU, which seems to me like the best value for the buck.