Recommended Hardware and Software

When choosing a computer to run Logos, or considering an upgrade to an older computer, there are a lot of factors to consider. This article is intended as a general guide to help with these decisions.

Logos is a very large application, so meeting or exceeding the recommended requirements will drastically improve performance. If you want the best possible performance, think of these as a starting point. To view the minimum requirements, click here.

Windows

macOS

Hardware Glossary

Multi-Core Processors

The Processor determines how fast Logos can process data. Multiple processing cores provide much more processing power which translates to faster performance in almost all areas.

Memory (RAM)

The term, "memory", refers to Random Access Memory (RAM), not storage capacity. In simple terms, it controls how many files can be open at a given time, as opposed to how many files can be stored or saved (hard drive space), and follows the old rule, "more is better". Computers have limits on how much memory they support. We recommend 16GB, but more may be helpful if you tend to use a lot of applications at the same time.

Hard Drives

Hard drives speed and capacity will vary by drive. Generally speaking, more capacity is always better. Having enough space on your hard drive (HDD) is important, but most modern drives should be large enough for Logos. However, when constantly reading and writing large amounts of data, like a large Logos library, hard drive speed can become a major bottleneck in some systems.

We've outlined three of the most common speeds to consider below:

5400 RPM

Common in laptops, these have the slowest performance but help maintain better battery life. If you plan to use Logos away from a power outlet, this may be a good option for you, but it won't be as fast.

7200 RPM

More common in Desktops, these have average performance and relatively low cost. Note: Laptops with 7200 RPM drives may slow to 5400 RPM when working from battery.

Solid State Drives

Solid State Drives (SSD) do not contain a spinning disc. These drives are lightning fast and have extremely low power demands, but they tend to be more expensive with less storage capacity. You might consider using an SSD for Windows/OS X and Logos, then install other applications and save documents to a second, standard format hard drive. Logos can only be installed on one drive at a time. The application and the content cannot be separated.

Video Card or Graphics Processor (GPU)

People tend to think of Logos as text-based software and do not consider that to be visually demanding. In actuality, Logos uses a lot of graphics processing power to render multiple panels, floating windows, menus, visual filters, search filters, graphs, maps and even videos. Using a stronger video processor can make for big speed improvements. Major factors to consider when buying a video card (GPU) or new computer are:

Dedicated Memory (RAM)

Does the video processor have its own, dedicated video memory, or does it share the system's memory?
We recommend at least 1GB of dedicated video memory.

On-Board vs Integrated

An "on-board" or "integrated" video card is more likely to share memory from the system. Some even share CPU power.

Expansion Slot

A separate video card, installed in an expansion slot (AGP, PCI, PCIe, etc) is a self-contained unit and doesn't borrow from primary system resources. These are usually a better choice, if possible.