When using SolidWorks 2025, CPU requirements vary depending on the complexity of the projects. Here are recommendations for Intel CPUs that are suitable for small, medium and complex projects:
1. Small SolidWorks projects
For smaller projects that do not involve extremely large assemblies or very complex simulations, mid-range Intel Core processors are more than sufficient.
Intel Core i7-13700K
This CPU has 16 cores (8 performance cores and 8 efficiency cores) and offers excellent performance for more intensive CAD work. The high clock rate and the additional cores ensure smooth processing of medium-sized projects.
2. Medium SolidWorks projects
For medium-sized projects involving larger assemblies and more complex simulations, a more powerful CPU is required.
Intel Core i9-14900K
This CPU has 24 cores (8 performance cores and 16 efficiency cores) and offers excellent performance for more intensive CAD work. The high clock rate of up to 6.00 GHz and the additional cores ensure smooth processing of medium-sized projects.
3. Complex SolidWorks projects
Powerful processors with many cores and high reliability are required for very large assemblies and complex simulations. This is where the Intel Xeon processors come into play.
Intel Xeon w5-2465X
Cores/threads: 16/32
Base clock/turbo: 3.1 GHz / 4.7 GHz
Cache: 33.75 MB L3
Recommended for:
CAD modelling with large components (more cores help with regeneration calculations).
Simpler FEM analyses (linear statics, modal analyses) - uses several cores for matrix calculations.
Batch processing (e.g. automatic simulations of multiple configurations).
Intel Xeon W7-2495X
Cores/threads: 24/48
Base clock/turbo: 2.5 GHz / 4.8 GHz
Cache: 45 MB L3
Recommended for:
Medium-scale simulations & parametric studies (e.g. load cases with different boundary conditions).
Dynamic simulations (e.g. motion analyses with many components).
Fluid simulations (flow simulation) - utilises multithreading for faster solution times.
Intel Xeon w9-3495X (Sapphire Rapids)
Cores/threads: 56/112
Base clock/turbo: 1.9 GHz / 4.8 GHz
Cache: 105 MB L3
Recommended for:
Large assemblies & complex simulations (e.g. FEM analyses, CFD, thermal simulations)
Rendering (PhotoView 360, SOLIDWORKS Visualize) - uses all cores for faster rendering.
Topology optimisation & non-linear calculations (e.g. contact analyses with many degrees of freedom).
When does SolidWorks 2025 use multiple cores?
Simulations:
FEM (Structural, Thermal, Frequency) - parallel calculation of the matrix solution.
CFD (Flow Simulation) - flow calculations benefit from multithreading.
Dynamic analyses - time integration is accelerated.
Rendering (Visualize, PhotoView 360) - Full CPU utilisation.
Assemblies with many components - background calculations and regenerations.
Uli's expert tip
SolidWorks is not always perfectly scaled - some tasks (e.g. interactive modelling) run primarily on a single core. For best performance, a combination of a high turbo clock (for CAD) and many cores (for simulations) should be selected
Is SolidWorks 2025 multi-core capable?
SOLIDWORKS 2025 is multi-core capable, but to a limited extent. The software uses several CPU cores for certain tasks, but not all processes are fully parallelised. Here is an overview:
Multicore support in SOLIDWORKS 2025
1. modelling & sketching
o Basic operations (extrusion, rotation, etc.) usually only use one core.
o Some complex features (e.g. stiffeners, freeform surfaces) can benefit from multicore.
2. assemblies & large models
o The assembly calculation (e.g. movement analyses, collision check) sometimes uses several cores.
o Opening/saving large assemblies can be accelerated by multicore.
3. simulation (SOLIDWORKS Simulation)
o The FEM calculation (e.g. statics, thermics) is highly multi-core optimised (depending on the solver).
o Flow simulation also uses several cores efficiently.
4. rendering (PhotoView 360 & Visualize)
o Rendering is heavily CPU-dependent and uses all available cores.
o GPU acceleration (via NVIDIA CUDA/AMD) can also help.
5. drawing creation
o The creation of views and dimensions often runs single-threaded.
