How ENVI-met uses your hardware
Processor (CPU): Simulation speed depends mainly on CPU speed and the number of cores. More cores and a faster CPU give you faster simulations. All ENVI-met licenses run simulations in multi-core mode.
Memory (RAM): ENVI-met reads and writes to RAM continuously during a simulation. The amount of RAM you have limits the size of the model domain you can simulate.
Graphics card: The CPU performs all calculations, so your graphics card has no effect on simulation performance.
Disk space: Your storage needs depend on your project. A 48-hour simulation of a large model domain can require about 100 GB. Since you will usually compare several scenarios, plan for enough space to store all results.
Recommended setups
| Minimum | Recommended | High-end |
CPU | 64-bit CPU with 4 or more cores | 8 or more cores, such as AMD Ryzen 7 9700X or Intel Core Ultra 7 265K | 16 or more cores, such as AMD Ryzen 9 9950X, Intel Core Ultra 9 285K, or AMD Ryzen Threadripper 9960X |
RAM | 16 GB | 32 GB or more | 64 to 128 GB |
Operating system | Windows 10 (64-bit) or higher | Windows 11 (64-bit) | Windows 11 (64-bit) |
Graphics card | No specific requirements | No specific requirements | No specific requirements |
Free disk space | More than 10 GB | More than 100 GB | More than 500 GB |
Choose the recommended setup for typical neighborhood-scale projects. Choose the high-end setup if you regularly simulate large model domains or run several simulations at the same time.
The CPU models listed are examples from current processor generations. Any CPU with a comparable core count and performance works equally well.
Operating system
ENVI-met runs on Windows. You can run ENVI-met in a virtualized environment on macOS or Linux, but simulations will likely run much slower. For better performance, install Windows on a separate partition, or run ENVI-met on a cloud service with a Windows operating system.
Tips for running simulations
You can run several simulations on one computer at the same time if you have enough RAM and free CPU cores.
In multi-core mode, ENVI-met uses all available CPU power. You can still use other programs, but your computer may respond more slowly.
During a simulation, Windows may show ENVI-met as “not responding.” ENVI-met continues to work in the background, so do not close it.