PC Requirements. The need is real!

Many labs continue to operate using older systems that are simply out of date when it comes to hardware capabilities. These systems are sometimes old enough that they may even be running end-of-life Microsoft Operating systems like version 7. In order to be successful in digital, it is always recommended to at least meet the necessary minimum requirements to run software properly. However, if it is possible, you should try to get as much computing hardware as you can. The software used for CAD/CAM, Milling/Printing and design increase in their computer requirements yearly, as software development requirements increase.

MillBox CAM, 3Shape CAD and many of the software you may use daily require up-to-date specifications to make them operate at optimum levels. Maintaining your hardware allows you to move forward with the development of these programs. Something that has run successfully for the last 5-6 years may not have the necessary computing speed or ability to handle the capacity you are looking for in the lab or clinic. The technician or clinician are simply losing time and money waiting for slow pc’s to calculate and give them the desired outcome.

Minimum Requirements

Minimum requirements today are represented by the following specifications, but you should always strive for more, in order to get more time and usage out of your system. The better specs your hardware offers, the better the results you will experience. More Hardware = faster and better results!

Operating System: Windows 10 Professional or Higher - 64 bit (fully current on Windows Updates)

CPU: Intel I7 or Higher - AMD Ryzen 9 or Higher

Performance scales quite well with SUM3D/MillBox. Higher Core counts/thread counts mean that the more operations can be calculated simultaneously.

It is advisable to avoid CPU’s designed for ultra-low power (i.e., I7: 7660U processor) that are typically found in notebooks or laptops. These processors perform significantly slower than their high performance counterparts. While they may still operate the CAM, there are noticeable differences between different types of processors.

Memory (RAM): 16GB of RAM or more

(Most performance pc’s ship standard with 8GB or more of RAM)

Graphics Card: NVidia GT/GTX series or higher with at least 2GB or more of dedicated video memory

Hard Drive: HDD size is discretionary based on how many STL files and job files will be stored/backed up on the machine. SSD Hard Drives (Solid State Drives) will help read/write times significantly – I recommend 500GB size or larger.

I also recommend M2 hard drives that boost read/write times significantly.

Avoid Usage of Security Software or establish exceptions/exclusions for the software being used. We try to keep our software whitelisted with major Anti-virus/Security Software companies. However, sometimes the software can quarantine pertinent DLL/ini files and this causes issues in the CAM or CAD. If you are in an environment that requires Anti-virus or Security Software, ensure that the MillBox files or 3Shape files are on the exclusion list for the security.