Table of Contents
Introduction
After wrapping up GPU testing in SOLIDWORKS earlier this year, I thought it would be worthwhile to run the same handful of Quadro video cards through their paces in other engineering applications. We don't yet have internal testing developed for other CAD programs, but there is a good test available for Autodesk Inventor called Inventor Bench. Although I've played around with it in the past, I believe this is the first time we've published results using it – and what better time to start, than with professional video cards in Inventor 2020.2?
Puget Systems offers a range of powerful and reliable systems that are tailor-made for your unique workflow.
Our Labs team is available to provide in-depth hardware recommendations based on your workflow.
Test Hardware
Here are the detailed specs of the test platform we used, along with a list of the Quadro cards we included:
| Test Platform | |
| CPU | Intel Core i7 9700K |
| CPU Cooler | Noctua NH-U12S |
| Motherboard | Gigabyte Z390 Designare |
| RAM | 4x DDR4-2666 16GB (64GB total) |
| Video Card | NVIDIA Quadro RTX 6000 24GB NVIDIA Quadro RTX 5000 16GB NVIDIA Quadro RTX 4000 8GB NVIDIA Quadro P6000 24GB NVIDIA Quadro P2200 5GB NVIDIA Quadro P1000 4GB |
| Hard Drive | Samsung 960 Pro 1TB |
| Software | Windows 10 Pro 64-bit Inventor 2020.2 Inventor Bench 1.7.0.0 |
This platform is built around an Intel Core i7 9700K, with very high clock speeds, to avoid the CPU being a bottleneck in this testing. That processor gives great performance in CAD applications thanks to high clock speeds and a decent core count. More than enough RAM was included, to avoid that being a bottleneck of any kind, and a super-fast M.2 SSD was used for the same reason. For the video cards, we included most of the Quadro RTX line – except for the RTX 8000, which should perform the same as the RTX 6000 but with more VRAM – as well as the older Quadro P6000 and some of the lower-cost P-series models.
Benchmark Details
Inventor Bench runs several different tests, some of which are more focused on the CPU or other aspects of system performance. For the purpose of this article, we are most interested in the three results that are part of the "Graphics Intensive Test". They are presented in both seconds and Hz (frame rate), and I think the frame rate is easier to interpret when it comes to tests of this nature – so that is what I have used for the charts below.
Screenshot of Inventor Bench 1.7.0.0 for Autodesk Inventor 2020
Image
Results & Analysis
Here is a gallery showing Inventor Bench performance results for all six tested cards in each of the three test sections:
While most of the Quadro video cards were within a 5% spread, the bottom-end P1000 was substantially slower in two of the three tests. All of the other cards look to be great options, though, with even the modestly-priced Quadro P2200 doing quite well.
Conclusion
Taking the results above into account, along with other info, I have two general recommendations for video cards in Inventor 2020:
- For most users, the Quadro P2200 is a great choice – and not very expensive (as workstation cards go)
- For those who want a newer generation of technology, and especially if you plan to use other applications which can benefit from recent advancements like real-time ray tracing, the RTX 4000 offers more VRAM and features without adding a lot more cost
We do offer the full line of Quadro video cards, though, so if you think you might need something more powerful for your specific workflow and combination of applications please call or email our sales consultants to discuss your situation!
Puget Systems offers a range of powerful and reliable systems that are tailor-made for your unique workflow.
Our Labs team is available to provide in-depth hardware recommendations based on your workflow.