Evaluate Hardware and Software

The fast computation and superior visual experience in Creo Simulation Live rely on the latest graphics processing unit (GPU) technology. To run Creo Simulation Live, PTC recommends the following minimum hardware:

• A dedicated NVIDIA CUDA-enabled GPU card (Quadro recommended) based on the Kepler, Maxwell, or Pascal architecture. Maxwell 2000 or better strongly recommended
• Most dedicated NVIDIA GPU cards produced in 2013 or later will be based on one of these architectures
• At least 4GB of video RAM (8GB+ preferred) on the GPU.
• Utilizing a hardware configuration from the Platform Support page is strongly advised

To further review your hardware, download the Creo Hardware Checker. We recommend that each of your end-users run this hardware checker before using Creo Simulation Live to ensure they have the hardware for the best experience.

After using the Creo Hardware Checker linked above, if your current GPU does not meet the requirements to run Creo Simulation Live, you will need to consider upgrading your workstation. Creo Simulation Live is heavily dependent on GPU for accuracy of results and speed, so when looking to upgrade your workstation, please keep GPU recommendations in mind. Although there are many options for GPU that meet the above criteria, NVIDIA and PTC have worked together to recommend 5 GPU's for the use of Creo Simulation Live:

• Quadro M4000
• Quadro P4000
• Quadro RTX 4000
• Quadro RTX 5000
• Quadro RTX 6000

Benchmarking has been completed for each of these five cards. This benchmarking was done for each Simulation Type, using a range of GPU models. The benchmarking was first conducted with the lowest recommended GPU, the Nvidia Quadro M4000. Four other GPUs were then tested, and the results were compared against the baseline performance of the Quadro M4000. The following chart outlines each card's performance versus the Quadro M4000 (minimum recommended):

Each of the 5 recommended GPU's comes in at a different price point. Review your company's budget, and align it with the number of workstations needed for Creo Simulation Live and select the GPU that best meets your needs.

You will need to determine whether you or your end users are using desktop PCs or laptop/workstations. For desktops, a GPU can be purchased and installed with minimal effort. However, for laptops and workstations, the GPU is typically mounted to the motherboard, which means upgrading your GPU directly is very difficult to do. In this situation, you would need to evaluate the purchase of an entirely new laptop/workstation for each end-user that does not have or have access to a desktop PC.

If necessary, you may need to upgrade your current version of Creo Parametric. Creo Simulation Live is available for use in the following versions of Creo Parametric:

• Creo Parametric 4.0 (M090 or later)
• Creo Parametric 5.0 (5.0.4.0 or later)
• Creo Parametric 6.0 (6.0.1 or later)
• Creo Parametric 7.0 (7.0 or later)

You need a licensed version of Creo Parametric to run Creo Simulation Live. Review the Creo-Windchill Compatibility Roadmap to determine your upgrade path. You'll need to ensure your version of Windchill is aligned with your version of Creo Parametric, so please review the software compatibility matrix here.

If, after reviewing your current Creo Parametric and Windchill versions and determining that an upgrade is necessary for both or either, it is vital to take a step back and evaluate your team's needs and requirements to complete an upgrade to either product. PTC has experts available to help you determine the best upgrade route to take.

If an upgrade is necessary for Creo Parametric or Windchill, it is vital to evaluate your team's requirements to complete the upgrade. PTC has experts available to help you determine the best upgrade route.