Revit with 64 bits technology

[mvicentelo]

hi,

Who knows something about revit 8 performance with 64 bits AMD processors??


thanks

Milton

[rodneyf]

We are rolling along without any hiccups on 9 machines with AMD Athlon64 4000+ processors and will be getting more soon.

[Steve_Stafford]

...rolling along without any hiccups on 9 machines...Any comments on performance improvement?

[iru69]

Who knows something about revit 8 performance with 64 bits AMD processors??

Regarding the 64 bit part, check out this thread (unfortunately it gets way off topic in the middle, but the short answer is that unless you're using over 3GB-4GB ram, 64 bit isn't going to be any better than 32 bit):
http://forums.augi.com/showthread.php?t=18342&highlight=64bit

If you're wondering, there's no reason not to go with the Athlon64...

[Damo]

Performance increases on 64bit Athlon (or Intel for that matter) won’t be seen until there are 64bit programmes, and Revit Building 8 isn’t 64bit.

You will also need a 64bit operating system. Initially 64bit versions of Windows will be XP Professional & Windows Server 2003 (Tablet PC and Media Centre will follow).

Using Release Candidate 1 of Windows XP Pro 64bit, a recent report in PCW said there was a greater performance increase in tests with Intel PCs over Athlon, as the Windows 64bit operating system makes better use of Intel CPU’s hyperthreading technology.

Of interest to you, PCW said ‘The performance of 32bit programmes does not change appreciably under the 64bit operating system…. tests was almost identical to that on the 32bit platform’

I suppose the only advantage of using 64bit hardware is that the system can address up to 128GB memory, as opposed to the current limit of 4GB with 32bit operating systems. So, if you have large files and 4GB memory isn’t enough then the extra memory you can have with a 64bit machine may give you some benefits, but not in performance terms.

[FK]

64 bits can in theory address 16 exobytes. ;-)

But yes, right now it's like filling your old gas guzzler with premium... ;-)

[rodneyf]

Steve
I know this much for sure ever since going to these machines I have yet to lock one up by that I mean the processor staying at 100% for more than a 2-6 seconds max. Hope that helps.

[ctaho]

Steve
I know this much for sure ever since going to these machines I have yet to lock one up by that I mean the processor staying at 100% for more than a 2-6 seconds max. Hope that helps.

How much RAM do you have in your machines?
Thanks

[rodneyf]

We have 2 gigs in our machines. I should also note that when it does take the 6 seconds it is on a 4 story over 1 story of parking highly detailed condo building other than that it is smooth sailing.

[hand471037]

64 bits can in theory address 16 exobytes. ;-)

But yes, right now it's like filling your old gas guzzler with premium... ;-)


Great analogy. :D

However, just a quick note, you might be able to get more 'bang for your buck' with the AMD's. They are fast and capable, and can be cheaper than the Intels. So regardless of you not being able to use the 64-bit portion yet, it might be a better deal anyways. Check out Tom's Hardware or a simluar site for Benchmarks and then look at the prices of said systems and you'll see what I mean.

[rgrisaru]

Can anybody tell me if they are successfully running Revit 8.0 on a 64bit AMD Athlon machine running Windows XP64?

I've ordered two new machines with a AMD Athalon 64 3800 processor and have the choice of having the manufacturer, (XI Computer), load XP Pro, (32-bit version), or XP64. Manufacturer assures me that current versions of Autocad run fine, (even though Autodesk may not have "authenticated" it yet), but can't tell me about Revit. I've tried to get an answer from Autodesk and they referred me to my reseller, who is looking into it.

I've read through various threads on this topic, and get the sense that I won't get much performance boost now from choosing XP64 over XP Pro, but a few years down the line might be glad I have the former.

Thanks

[hand471037]

Manufacturer assures me that current versions of Autocad run fine, (even though Autodesk may not have "authenticated" it yet), but can't tell me about Revit.

I'd double check that. I remember seeing something about trouble with ADT on XP64. Check the ADT newsgroups and search for it, I would, even if I was just running plain AutoCAD to be certain.

[Scott Hopkins]

Everything I have heard and read about Windows XP64 suggests that you are almost guaranteed to have problems. Lack of compatible drivers will probably give you the most grief but application incompatibilities could create issue as well. Unless you need more than 4 megs of RAM, your life will be made alot easier by sticking with plain old Windows XP Pro.

[rgrisaru]

I'm going to take the safe course and stick with XP Pro, (32 bit version).

My reseller emailed me this response from Autodesk:

Revit at the moment is a 32-bit application and will not take advantage of the 64 bit architecture. It will run in a simulation 32-bit mode and depending on the processor type and OS it may be running slower than native 64-bit applications. We've done limited testing on a Windows 64-bit and Revit appears to function correctly while running in the 32 bit simulation mode. There may be issues with printer and graphics card compatibility since the OS is relatively new and driver support by the vendors may be lagging.
We are exploring port of Revit to native 64 bit, but can make no commitments about it. Note that when such port is done, the only benefit of will be an ability to have larger and larger. Unless you are planning to design very large models, 64 bit does not really provide any advantages.


Is there a reason that your customer is exploring 64 bit? If they are indeed running into memory limitations in design or rendering, they may realize some benefits when Revit is ported. But otherwise, I would recommend that they stay away from 64-bit - they will have less driver compatibility issues and other problems associated with a new OS release.

Thanks for your responses Jeffrey, Scott