Confused about how much RAM, Processor, or Storage you need to run Fusion 360 smoothly? You are in the right place.
Here’s a low down of the most basic and recommended settings needed to run Fusion 360 smoothly so whether you are a professional designer or a newbie, you have a hassle-free experience.
Contents
Fusion 360 System Requirements
| MINIMUM SPECS | RECOMMENDED SPECS | |
| Operating System | Microsoft Windows 10 (64-bit)Microsoft Windows 8.1 (64-bit)Apple MacOS Catalina 10.15, Big Sur 11.0, High Sierra v10.13, and Mojave v10.14 | |
| Processor | Intel Core i and AMD series (64-bit) quad-core, 1.7GHz clock-speed | Faster CPU, 3GHz Clocks or more, 6 Cores or more |
| RAM | 4GB | 8GB and beyond, preferably 16GB |
| Storage | 3GB | SSD storage device |
| Display | 1366x728p | 1920 x 1080 or greater at 100% scale strongly recommended |
| Internet | 2.5mbps | Higher speeds |
| Graphics Card | Dedicated GPU 1GBVRAMIntegrated GPU 6GB VRAM | Dedicated GPU with 8GB VRAM |
| Pointing Device | HID-Compliant mouse |
System Requirements for Autodesk Fusion 360
Operating System
Fusion 360 runs natively on both Windows and macOS operating systems and requires 64-bits. Most devices in the market will have a 64 Bit Operating System. The PC vs. Mac debate is irrelevant in this case; provided the hardware is solid, Fusion 360 will run devoid of any hiccups.
CPU-Processor
In this requirement, we recommend that you go for clock speed over CPU cores. Consequently, a quad-core processor with 3GHz Clock speeds will serve you way better as compared to an 8-core processor offering 2.4GHz clock speeds.
Notwithstanding, some processors come with both high clock speeds and high core counts. However, the catch is always on the cost.
GPU/ Graphic Card
A dedicated graphics card is the most suitable for Fusion 360. As such, it is advisable to avoid laptops with an integrated graphics card only.
Additionally, systems using the Intel 8th Generation Core Mobile Processor with Radeon RX Vega M graphics are able to toggle between Intel’s onboard graphics for lightweight tasks and the Vega RX M graphics for graphics-intensive tasks such as CAD.
Further, external GPU’s or eGPUs come in handy for enhanced functionality if your preferred device supports such. The downside is that they’re not as highly portable as you’d expect.
RAM
You want smooth operations even if you have multiple programs open in the background and that’s where RAM comes into play. This is why the best laptops for Fusion 360 come with a higher RAM of about 16GB. Autodesk’s Fusion 360 minimum requirement for RAM is 4GB.
However, 8GB is the recommended standard, but since more is better, 16GB serves you much better. Finally, when in the market for a suitable laptop for Fusion 360 and you come across a device with the essential requirement of 4GB but with an option for an upgrade, drop it in your shopping cart without hesitation as it will be cheaper.
Storage
Between an SSD and an HDD type of storage, the Fusion 360 works best on the SSD since it’s much faster. Luckily, most of the laptops for Fusion 360 provide the best of both worlds, that is, SSD plus HDD. SSD offers lower capacity but is much faster and expensive. On the other hand, HDD provides a greater storage capacity and is cheaper.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q1: Is Fusion good for Architecture?
Yes. It is an excellent tool for Architects. It permits the importation of 2D sketches and other reference materials for design development using T-spline modeling strategies.
Architects get a fantastic tool for idea generation courtesy of Fusion’s direct modeling mode, which allows for freedom of component placing and editing minus the structural overhead as is the case with parametric modeling.
Q2: Does Fusion 360 use GPU or CPU?
Fusion only uses CPU, with GPU coming in handy on the model display.
Q3: Is Fusion 360 similar to SolidWorks?
They share many features. However, there are also stark differences between the two. For instance, SolidWorks is rather assembly-driven, building parts individually in separate files. For Fusion, however, all the building is done and assembled in the same file.
Q4: Can Fusion 360 be used offline?
Yes, it can. You can create new designs and save the same to the local cache. Once it is back online, you can have those changes
Q5: Will Fusion 360 run on Windows 7?
Yes. Fusion 360 still runs on windows 7. However, there’s a caveat on that. Effective 14th January 2020, Autodesk announced the end of validation, bug fixing, and product support of future releases.
Consequently, although future releases wouldn’t be precluded from installing on Windows 7, compatibility and support would not be guaranteed moving forward.
Q6: Is Fusion 360 multithreaded?
A majority of the Fusion 360 simulation options are single-threaded. Accordingly, they have limited control as regards the Central Processing Unit utilization during the solve.
Q7: How many GB is Fusion 360?
Fusion 360 consumes an average disk space of 3 Gigabytes.
Conclusion
Fusion 360 is an incredible tool for design and engineering projects. It is also a great piece of software for projects requiring CAD rendering. Using it to develop 3D printing prototypes with unmatched ease makes it more desirable.
With a comparatively less steep learning curve, students, educators, and start-ups can use its free version. It is also commercially used and not costly. Further, Autodesk provides tutorials on software usage; thus, one can quickly learn to use Fusion 360 with all its bells and whistles.
Finally, purchasing both the software and a computer with the appropriate specs to run it shouldn’t break your bank. Additionally, there’s a wide range of devices capable of running the software effectively. Notwithstanding, it is imperative to consider the specs before settling on a device capable of running Fusion 360 with all its demands.
