Revit vs AutoCAD vs ArchiCAD: Which Needs the Strongest PC in Uganda?

AutoCAD: the least demanding, but don't cheap out on the CPU

AutoCAD is mostly 2D drafting with light 3D. It's single-core-hungry rather than GPU-hungry -- a fast 6-core CPU (Ryzen 5 7600 or Intel Core i5-13400F) with 16GB RAM handles most drawings without issue. A mid-range GPU like an RTX 3050 or 4060 is plenty; you're not rendering, you're panning and zooming large drawing sets.

Revit: the RAM and multi-core hog

Revit is the one that punishes weak hardware. Large BIM models with linked files, worksharing and clash detection need 32GB RAM minimum -- 64GB if you're working on anything beyond a single house. Revit also uses more cores than AutoCAD for regeneration and rendering, so an 8-core Ryzen 7 or Core i7 is the sweet spot. Pair it with an RTX 4060 Ti or better if you're using Revit's built-in raytraced views often.

ArchiCAD: GPU matters more than you'd think

ArchiCAD's OpenGL-based 3D window is more GPU-dependent than Revit's. If your model view feels sluggish while orbiting, that's a graphics card bottleneck, not a CPU one. 12GB VRAM (RTX 4070 or similar) keeps large models smooth, especially with BIMcloud collaboration open in the background.

Side-by-side spec guide

What we'd actually recommend for a Kampala firm running all three

If your studio moves between all three programs depending on the client, build once for the heaviest case: a Ryzen 7 / Core i7, 32-64GB RAM, and an RTX 4070-class GPU. That spec comfortably runs AutoCAD and ArchiCAD without a hiccup and gives Revit real headroom, instead of buying three different machines for three programs.