Basic GPU Requirements for ArcGIS 3.2

[GeoMouse]

After Years away from using ArcGIS, I am considering purchasing the personal use only license to use these tools for citizen science projects I now participate in during my retirement.  Unfortunately, my current home computer will not support current ArcGIS Pro software.  The results of Tech Check revealed:   (You have: No supported NVIDIA GPU detected.  OPENGL ARB_CLIP_CONTROL EXTENSION - Requirement: OpenGL Extension ARB_Clip_Control is required, You have: No).  

I am making this post to ask the community how to overcome this issue cost effectively.  If an NVIDIA graphics processing unit is required what is the lowest limit (lowest GPU series) that will work for ArcGIS)?

I own a Dell AIO 7700 which cannot run ArcGIS 3.2 but apparently has video HDMI in capability - the user can select from input from the AIO or from anoter source.  The screen on my AIO is a 27-inch.  I am thinking of purchasing a desktop that will meet the requirements of ArcGIS and use that machine in combination with my AIO as a monitor.  I am considering this option to lower the cost of purchasing a new computer and then being left with a perfectly good personal computer that I cannot use.  If I can purchase an older computer that will have both the NVIDIA required by ArcGIS and an HDMI output, I think this may be the best arrangement.

I need users that are educated on these topics to tell me if I am going in the wrong direction.  Any comments will be appreciated.  Thank you.

[Luke_Pinner]

Before you race out and buy a new PC and license, try QGIS on your existing PC, it won't cost you anything apart from a bit of time as it's free. 

I use ArcGIS for work and QGIS for personal projects on my home PC.  The learning curve is pretty similar and there are things that QGIS does better than ArcGIS  and vice-versa. 

[GeoMouse · Accepted solution]

Luke:

Thank you for your suggestion of using QGIS, I appreciate
your reference of your knowledge on both systems. So far, I haven't been
able to clearly determine if QGIS can be universally used in an ArcGIS 3.2
environment. The reverse is, also, true. I expect to be working with state
and regional organizations which use ArcGIS, so my work needs to "plug into"
their research in the format that they can use. If QGIS can do this, then
clearly it is the better choice.

However, I am still running up against the NVIDIA graphics processor
recommendations that I don't have. My desktop has integrated motherboard
Intel Iris graphics and the information I am getting on-line is I still need
a separate (NVIDIA) graphics card for QGIS to work as designed. The insert
photo is from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

The "system requirements" for QGIS listed by U of I recommends a NVIDIA
GeForce card. I do see that the minimum requirements for QGIS are met on my
machine so the interoperability of QGIS and ArcGIS seems to be the issue
now. This is information I need to confirm with the potential users of the
information I intend to provide.

Thank you, again for your response and advice!

[Luke_Pinner]

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@GeoMouse wrote:
So far, I haven't been able to clearly determine if QGIS can be universally used in an ArcGIS 3.2
environment. The reverse is, also, true. I expect to be working with state and regional organizations which use ArcGIS, so my work needs to "plug into" their research in the format that they can use. If QGIS can do this, then clearly it is the better choice.

---

Yes and no... 

Yes, QGIS can read and write pretty much all raster, vector, point cloud formats that ArcGIS can. One notable exception is Esri Enterprise GDBs (running in Oracle, SQL Server, etc. RDBMS) which you're unlikely to be using.

No, QGIS has it's own project (.QGZ) and layer (.QLR) and doesn't natively support ArcGIS Pro project (.APRX) and layer (.LYRX) files. Though there is a paid third party extension/plugin that allows QGIS to support ArcGIS project/layer files, but I haven't used it so can't comment. 

---

@GeoMouse wrote:
However, I am still running up against the NVIDIA graphics processor
recommendations that I don't have. My desktop has integrated motherboard
Intel Iris graphics and the information I am getting on-line is I still need
a separate (NVIDIA) graphics card for QGIS to work as designed. The insert
photo is from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

The "system requirements" for QGIS listed by U of I recommends a NVIDIA
GeForce card. I do see that the minimum requirements for QGIS are met on my
machine so the interoperability of QGIS and ArcGIS seems to be the issue
now. This is information I need to confirm with the potential users of the
information I intend to provide.

---

I've run QGIS for many years on a 2012 Intel I5 CPU and recently a 2021 AMD Ryzen 5 CPU both with integrated graphics and no discrete GPU.  Both worked fine for general mapping and analysis work. I didn't use any 3D rendering or any analyses that required offloading computation to GPU with NVIDIA CUDA.

[BarryNorthey]

I am retired and use a personal use license on a Dell XPS desktop built in 2014 that has an NVIDIA GeForce GT 635 video card that meets the minimum spec but is well below the recommended specs but still meets my simple needs. I am warned that my PC won’t run Windows 11 without upgrading and a replacement is on the horizon.

Some random thoughts but inevitably it depends and more is usually better.  

• What you need depends on what you do or are likely to do. For example, working efficiently in 3D seems to require more video horsepower than working in 2D.
• Meeting the recommended specs should keep you going for the next few years and may cost less in the long run due to the never-ending Windows and esri upgrades assuming you need to keep current. My PC had two empty memory strips that I used to boost my RAM to meet specs. If no empties, then I probably would have had to replace the existing RAM strips at greater cost.
• The organization I worked for still mainly uses ArcGIS Desktop in 2023, not Pro due to various customizations, workflows and the retraining effort required. There are some compatibility issues so you might find that you still need to use ArcGIS Desktop to work with partners. There are even compatibility issues between AGP 2x and 3x. The personal use license includes both Desktop and Pro.  
• The personal use licence is intended for “personal, non-commercial” use so you might want to check with esri about providing services to third parties even if for free.  
• Dell offers refurbished computers at a discount as do others.

[Brian_Wilson]

If I get pulled into an Esri shop again as a volunteer, I will go there and use their computers. I volunteered in the science center at a national park and that included a dawn hike every Friday morning. Can't beat that.

There is endless volunteer work out there and no need to ever install Esri software at home again; I already know how to use it and having a non-commercial license is too limiting. QGIS works fine for my own projects.

There's a climate crisis. Industry needs to do a lot better about supporting "old" equipment. That includes you. Esri.

I'm retiring next summer probably.

[GeoMouse]

Brian:

Thank you for your comments and suggestions. I am leaning toward using QGIS
as many who responded mentioned the difficulties of using the personal use
license for ArcGIS. If I were close enough to the physical location of the
agencies/organizations I will be working with, I would use their equipment.
But the West is a big place, and I don't have that option. Thanks again for
your advice.

[Brian_Wilson]

I'd recommend QGIS too, but most people don't have the option. The people I volunteered at Pt Reyes for only cared about results so they probably would have been fine if I'd used QGIS.

I have lived in Oregon and California most of my life so when most people say the "West" to me, it's east! 🙂 I had a free ride to the national park, I never would have driven there myself.

QGIS can work with most Esri services and formats but for the new ones (versioning). Some of the big agencies are the slowest to change so it might not matter, and you probably don't want to spend your own time editing Parcel Fabric anyway.

[GeoMouse]

Brian:

Thanks for your comments! You've added to the gallery voicing their support
of QGIS. Looks like that is the way to go, especially after my long absence
from the Esri world of computing. I appreciate your experienced remarks.
Although west of the Rockies, I remain east of the Cascades. Lots of work
to do out here in the high desert of WA. Best Regards!

[DonNadeau-GISOffice]

In the years I have been using ArcGIS (starting with SMLs) I have seen its online presence mature.  Be sure to check AGOL offerings, and maybe you can just compute in the cloud!  That said, I do not know if the cloud computing gis needs the same super-strong GPUs.  Also, the interoperability has matured, so one no longer need worry about most formats and interchange formats.  Oh, and do check the brand new A.I.  GIS abilities--simply astounding.  They now even code for us.

Thank you for continuing in citizen science!  I am near retirement and plan to do likewise.