Hardware Requirements and Performance Recommendations

This topic describes the hardware that is required to run a MultiPoint Services system and support user application scenarios. The user scenario directly affects the CPU, RAM, and network bandwidth requirements.

Optimize MultiPoint Services system performance

The performance of your MultiPoint Services system will be directly affected by the capability of the CPU, the GPU, and the amount of RAM that is available on the computer that is running MultiPoint Services.

Applications and Internet content

Because MultiPoint Services is a shared resource computing solution, the type and number of applications that are running on the stations can impact the performance of your MultiPoint Services system. It is important to consider the types of programs that are used regularly when you are planning your system. For example, a graphics-intensive application requires a more powerful computer than an application such as a word processor. Overloading the computer with graphics-intensive applications will likely cause lag problems throughout the entire system.

The type of content that is accessed by applications also affects the system's performance. If multiple stations are using web browsers to access multimedia content, such as full-motion video, fewer stations can be connected before adversely affecting the system performance. Conversely, if the multiple stations are using web browsers to access static web content, more stations can be connected without a significant effect on performance.

Hardware recommendations

To achieve good performance with your MultiPoint Services system under various loads, use the guidelines in the following table when you are planning and testing your system. These are the basic requirements forMultiPoint Services . The actual configuration sizing depends on your system configuration, the workload you are running, and the hardware capability. You should always validate by testing your applications and hardware.

Note

2C = 2 cores, 4C = 4 cores, 6C = 6 cores, MT = multithreading. Processor speed should be at least 2.0 gigahertz (GHz).

Application Scenario Up to 5 Stations 6-8 Stations 9-12 Stations 13-16 Stations 17-20 Stations 21-24 Stations
Productivity

Office, web browsing, line-of-business applications

CPU: 2C

RAM: 2 GB

CPU: 2C

RAM: 4 GB

CPU: 4C

RAM: 6 GB

CPU: 4C

RAM: 8 GB

CPU: 4C+MT or 6C

RAM: 10 GB

CPU: 6C+MT

RAM: 12 GB

Mixed

Office, web browsing, line-of-business applications, and occasional video use by some users

CPU: 2C

RAM: 2 GB

CPU: 2C

RAM: 4 GB

CPU: 4C

RAM: 6 GB

CPU: 4C+MT or 6C

RAM: 8 GB

CPU: 6C+MT

RAM: 10 GB

CPU: 6C+MT

RAM: 12 GB

Video intensive

Office, web browsing, line-of-business applications, and frequent video use by all users Note: Video testing was performed using 360p H.264 video at native resolution.

CPU: 4C+MT

RAM: 2 GB

CPU: 6C+MT

RAM: 4 GB

CPU: 8C+MT

RAM: 6 GB

CPU: 12C+MT

RAM: 8 GB

CPU: 16C+MT

RAM: 10 GB

- Thin Client: RemoteFX
- USB video not recommended

CPU: 20C+MT

RAM: 12 GB

- Thin Client: RemoteFX
- USB video not recommended

Running a full virtual operating system instance for each station is more compute resource-intensive than running the default MultiPoint desktop sessions, so the host hardware requirements per station are higher:

  1. CPU: 1 core or thread per station

  2. Solid State Drive (SSD)

    1. Capacity >= 20GB per station + 40GB for the WMS host operating system

    2. Random Read/Write IOPS >= 3K per station

  3. RAM >= 2GB per station + 2GB for the WMS host operating system

BIOS CPU setting has been configured to enable virtualization – Second Level Address Translation (SLAT)

For more information about choosing the best MultiPoint Services hardware for your needs, contact your hardware vendor.