Learning Forum

[jasmin.buerger]

Dear Lumerical community,

We are currently planning on a new computer to run Lumerical simulations (FDTD solver). Our IT team sent us two quotes with slightly different configurations but the same processor and graphics card.

 

Version 1:

Processor: AMD Ryzen™ Threadripper™ PRO 7965WX (128 MB cache, 24 cores, 48 threads, 4.2GHz to 5.3GHz, 350 W)

Graphics: NVIDIA® RTX™ 4000 Ada Generation

Memory: 64 GB: 2 x 32 GB, DDR5, 5200 MT/s, RDIMM, ECC

First Internal M.2 SSD: 2 TB, M.2, PCIe NVMe, SSD, Class 40

 

Version 2:

Processor: AMD Ryzen™ Threadripper™ PRO 7965WX Processor (4.20 GHz up to 5.30 GHz)

Graphics: NVIDIA RTX™ 4000 Ada Generation

Memory: 16 GB DDR5-4800MHz (RDIMM, ECC)

Onboard M.2 SSD: 2 TB SSD M.2 2280 PCIe Gen4 Performance TLC Opal

 

We have already checked the Ansys platform support website. Ansys has successfully tested the graphics card type of the graphic card from the two quotes. The exact processor hasn’t been tested so far. However, different versions of AMD Ryzen processors have been tested, but a note has been mentioned for these: ‘Requires specific non-unified driver for installation’.

Does anyone have experience with which of the two configurations above would be more beneficial for the Lumerical simulations (or if there should not be any difference in performance), and what is the most important property/component to consider when deciding on a computer for FDTD simulations? 

Many thanks for your advice in advance!

Best wishes,

Jasmin

[Kirill]

Dear Jasmin,

I noticed that the second configuration lists only 16 GB of RAM, which may be insufficient for larger simulations. I recommend verifying this with your IT team to ensure it's accurate.
In general, for Lumerical FDTD simulations, it's important to prioritize both larger memory (RAM) and higher memory bandwidth as they significantly influence the size and speed of your simulations. Please refer to the Hardware specifications guidelines for more detailed information.
Additionally, regarding the driver note, I suggest confirming that both the CPU and Lumerical software are compatible with your chosen OS. You can find the relevant details in the System Requirements article.

Best regards,
Kirill

[jasmin.buerger]

Dear Kirill,

Thank you very much for your reply and the helpful links.

Best wishes,

Jasmin