Pix4D is a popular and powerful software suite for photogrammetry. But to make the most of Pix4D’s features and reduce processing times, you need a Workstation designed for Pix4D.
Pix4D gives some hardware recommendations on its website, but they could be more specific and detailed. If you want to save time and money on your computing tasks, you need to optimize your hardware for Pix4D. In this article, we will show you what hardware you need to build your own Pix4D Workstation.
Best Processor for a Pix4D Workstation?
Pix4D uses different aspects of your processor for different tasks. The first step, initial processing, depends a lot on the speed of one core. If you work on small projects, this is where you can speed up your workflow. Intel® Core™ Workstations are great for this, as they have fast single-core speeds.
The second step of creating point clouds and meshes uses more cores at the same time. If this is where you spend most of your time, you need a Workstation with many cores. AMD Ryzen™ Threadripper™ Pro Workstations are our best choice for this.
The last step of making DSM, Orthomosaic and Index does not need as many cores as the second step, but it still benefits from having some. It also needs fast core clock speeds. So, the best Workstations for this step are those with high-end Intel® Core™ or AMD Ryzen™ Workstations, which balance clock speed and cores well.
To sum up, the best Workstation CPU for Pix4D depends on what kind of projects you do and at which stage you need more performance. But, if you want a good balance, we recommend getting a processor with 16 to 32 cores and fast clock speeds.
Best Graphics card for a Pix4D Workstation?
Pix4D mainly uses your CPU but also your GPU for tasks like point cloud and mesh. It only works with NVIDIA GPUs, because it uses NVIDIA CUDA technology. So, you need an NVIDIA graphics card to run Pix4D.
Pix4D can only use one graphics card at a time. We suggest getting a mid to high-end NVIDIA GeForce RTX graphics card. These cards are very powerful and work well with Pix4D.
You might consider getting a professional NVIDIA RTX graphics card, but they are more expensive than the GeForce RTX ones and are rarely better for Pix4D. They might benefit other professional applications. Therefore, check if the NVIDIA GeForce RTX cards are also a good choice for all your other applications before buying.
How much RAM do I need for Pix4D?
System Memory (RAM) is very important for Pix4D. If you need more, your system will suffer from bottlenecks, and your projects will take a long time.
How much you need depends on how big your projects are. If you have an existing Workstation, you can monitor Task Manager when running Pix4D to see how much memory your projects need.
If you cannot check this, 64-128GB is usually enough for most people.
Data Storage Configuration for a Pix4D?
Flash-based NVMe Solid State Drives (SSD) are fast and cheap enough that we think all professionals should use them as their main drive. You should put your Operating System and applications on this drive to make them run faster.
If you want to improve your performance, get a 2nd SSD drive to keep your active project files separate from your Operating System.
Traditional Hard Disk Drives (HDD) are much slower than NVMe SSDs. With an SSD, your Operating System will be more smooth, applications will open much quicker, and your user experience will be much better.
We recommend using a traditional secondary HDD or a Network Attached Storage system for storing your data for a long time and making backups. These bigger drives have a lower price per GB and are good for storing large amounts of data.
Summary
Pix4D has different stages that need different hardware. For example, some stages use only the CPU, and some use the GPU. It would help if you looked for a Workstation with a good balance of multi-core performance, fast clock speeds and a mid to high-end NVIDIA GeForce RTX GPU.
One of our Intel® Core™ or AMD Ryzen™ Workstations with at least 16 cores is ideal for Pix4D. If you need more than 128GB of RAM, you should check out one of our Intel® Xeon® W or AMD Ryzen™ Threadripper™ Pro Workstations.
If you want to talk to one of our experts to find the best solution for your needs and budget, please call +44 (0) 800 180 4801 or request a consultation by clicking here.
