Pix4D System Requirements & Best Workstations (2025)

Mapping and land surveying with drone images, terrestrial LiDAR, and photogrammetry. Get survey-grade deliverables faster with the right CPU, GPU, RAM, and storage.

Pix4D is advanced mapping and land surveying software that turns drone imagery, terrestrial photos, and LiDAR into highly accurate 2D maps and 3D models. Teams use Pix4D to
reduce time in the field, deliver survey-grade results, and continuously update projects with cloud collaboration.

Basic system requirements only tell you what will run the software — not what will run it well. Below we translate Pix4D’s guidance and our hands-on experience into practical,
up-to-date hardware recommendations for real-world performance.

Building new? Explore our
Photogrammetry & GIS Workstations,
our Pix4D hardware recommendations,
the Intel Core Ultra Pix4D Workstation (mid-tier),
or the AMD Threadripper Pix4D Workstation (high-end).

Where Pix4D Shines (Applications & Benefits)

Processor (CPU): What Pix4D Really Uses

Pix4D’s pipeline stresses the CPU differently across steps:
Initial Processing prefers higher clock speeds; Point Cloud & Mesh utilizes more cores;
DSM/Ortho/Index sits between the two. The best results come from a balanced CPU with strong single-core and enough cores to parallelize heavy stages.

• Great mainstream picks: Intel Core™ Ultra 9 285K; AMD Ryzen™ 9 9900X/9950X
• For huge maps & labs: AMD Ryzen™ Threadripper (more memory channels & PCIe lanes)
• Tip: Ultra-high core counts don’t always scale linearly in Pix4D; prioritize clock speed + “enough” cores.

Video Card (GPU): CUDA Matters — But Only One

Pix4D accelerates key stages with a CUDA-capable NVIDIA GPU. As of current releases, only a single GPU is used for compute;
additional GPUs won’t speed up processing (they can help if another app is using a different GPU simultaneously).

• Compatible: NVIDIA GeForce RTX (modern generations with CUDA 6.5+)
• Recommended: RTX 5080 or RTX 5090 (16–32GB VRAM) for large image sets and dense point clouds
• Workstation option: NVIDIA RTX PRO (48–96GB VRAM) if you need pro drivers or very large VRAM
• Note: One strong GPU beats multiple lesser GPUs for Pix4D processing.

Memory (RAM): How Much Do You Need?

RAM needs scale with the number of photos, resolution, and quality settings. Many projects stay modest, but enterprise datasets and high-res workflows
can push memory higher. Plan for today and where your image counts are heading.

• Minimum: 16GB (small projects)
• Recommended: 32–64GB (most professional use)
• Large/enterprise: 128GB+ (multi-thousand images, LiDAR fusion, multi-app pipelines)

Storage (Drives): NVMe First, Then Capacity

Fast storage improves import, caching, and output write speeds — and Step 3 (DSM/Ortho/Index) is particularly sensitive to drive performance.
A tiered approach delivers the best results:

• Primary (OS & Apps): 1TB+ NVMe SSD for Pix4D and companion tools
• Projects/Data: 2–4TB SSD for images, point clouds, and meshes
• Archive/Backup: HDD or NAS with redundancy for long-term storage and team sharing

Pix4D Recommended Workstation Specifications

VRLA Tech Workstations for Pix4D

Purpose-built systems validated with large drone and LiDAR datasets:

• Intel Core Ultra and AMD Ryzen/Threadripper CPUs
• NVIDIA GeForce RTX 50 Series & RTX PRO GPUs
• 32–128GB DDR5 (ECC options on workstation platforms)
• Tiered NVMe + SSD storage with NAS integration
• 2-year parts & labor warranty, lifetime support

Pix4D Hardware FAQ

Conclusion

Pix4D enables fast, accurate mapping and surveying across AEC, agriculture, utilities, and public safety. Pair it with a balanced workstation —
high-clock CPU, single strong NVIDIA RTX GPU, ample RAM, and NVMe storage — to cut processing times and deliver better results.

Ready to configure your build? Compare our
Core Ultra Pix4D workstation
and Threadripper Pix4D workstation,
or browse the full Photogrammetry & GIS lineup.