System Requirements

ARC and Windows 10 compatibility

ARC is designed to be efficient and can run on lower-end PCs using Microsoft Windows 10. However, "efficient" does not mean that minimal hardware is appropriate for every project. Complex or advanced robots that use multiple sensors, high-resolution video, intensive tracking algorithms, or 3D rendering typically require more CPU power, memory, and GPU capability than very low-spec systems provide.

Synthiam supports current Microsoft operating systems and does not maintain compatibility with versions that Microsoft has discontinued. For mainstream support and testing, Windows 10 is the baseline platform for ARC.

Performance

Recommended minimum hardware: an Intel i5 (or equivalent) CPU, 4 GB of RAM, and Windows 10 or later. When available, the ARC 3D Designer and the 3D instruction interface use GPU hardware acceleration to improve responsiveness and rendering performance.

Video processing is often the largest CPU load. High-resolution streams, multiple simultaneous tracking routines, and complex image-processing pipelines increase CPU and GPU usage significantly. Account for these demands when choosing a PC for robotics development and testing.

For guidance on selecting an appropriate PC, see the Getting Started guide.

Compatibility: Does ARC work on Windows 8?

Windows 8 reached the end of mainstream support from Microsoft on January 9, 2019. Unsupported operating systems no longer receive vendor updates or fixes, so many ARC features may not function correctly on Windows 8 or other unsupported Windows releases.

If your computer runs an older version of Windows, we recommend upgrading to Windows 10. Windows 10, released on July 29, 2015, is the primary version Synthiam tests against and supports for mainstream updates; Microsoft has provided upgrade paths from earlier Windows versions to Windows 10.

  • New features: ARC depends on modern OS capabilities for speech recognition, speech synthesis, and machine learning. These features are available or optimized only in newer Windows releases.
  • Bug fixes: Ongoing updates deliver fixes that improve system and application stability. ARC’s reliability depends on running with current public updates that Synthiam tests against.
  • Security updates: Staying on a supported Windows version ensures you receive security patches that protect your system from known vulnerabilities.