# System requirements

What MC Grating needs: 64-bit Windows, an x86-64 processor (AVX2 used on Intel and AMD), Intel MKL bundled with the installer, memory limited only by the hardware for large mode counts, and high-DPI-aware dialogs since 2019.

Canonical: https://mcgrating.com/system-requirements.html


Every statement here comes from the changelog or the in-application help, with the release it dates from.

| Requirement | What the software says | Since |
|---|---|---|
| Operating system | Windows, 64-bit. Since version 2020-04-15 only the x64 version is presented on the website; the x32 version is available on request. Windows XP is not supported since version 2016-11-02 because of the Intel MKL requirements; a build with an older MKL can be requested. | [2020-04-15](https://mcgrating.com/changelog.html#v2020-04-15), [2016-11-02](https://mcgrating.com/changelog.html#v2016-11-02) |
| Processor | x86-64. The matrix routines come from Intel MKL, hand optimized for today's multicore processors and wider vector units; performance on AMD processors supporting the AVX2 instruction set was improved in the 2024-11-24 release. | [2024-11-24](https://mcgrating.com/changelog.html#v2024-11-24) |
| Numerical library | Intel MKL, bundled with the installer (version 2024.0.1 at the current release; 2022.2.1, 2021.3 and 2019.4 before it). Nothing needs to be installed separately. | [2024-05-23](https://mcgrating.com/changelog.html#v2024-05-23) |
| Memory | For the 64-bit version there is practically no limitation on the highest number of modes; memory usage is restricted only by the hardware. (The 32-bit version was limited to 2 GB per application.) All things being equal, the 64-bit code is 30% faster. | [help, 2018](https://mcgrating.com/docs/modal/introduction.html) |
| Display | Dialogs were revised for high-DPI monitors in 2019 and again in 2021; fonts are set in File → Options. Graphs can be exported at high DPI and in vector (EMF) format. | [2019-05-12](https://mcgrating.com/changelog.html#v2019-05-12), [2021-05-10](https://mcgrating.com/changelog.html#v2021-05-10), [2024-11-24](https://mcgrating.com/changelog.html#v2024-11-24) |
| Installation | Unpack the zip and run `setup-full-x64.exe` or `setup-light-x64.exe`. In case of a currently installed MC Grating Software version less than 2014-01-09, please manually uninstall it before running setup. The installer size is about 40 MB. | [download](https://mcgrating.com/download.html) |
| License | Locked to the computer's Hardware ID; two further computers free on request. Since versions of 2013, all modules use the new licensing technology. | [license terms](https://mcgrating.com/pricing.html#license) |
| Python | Optional: the Python interface (Modal Crossed) is installed separately; see its feature page. | [2021-05-10](https://mcgrating.com/features/python-api.html) |

Nothing here is a benchmark: the codes' speed depends on the number of modes and layers far more than on the machine. The Modal Conical and Chandezon Conical codes are about eight times slower than their collinear counterparts for the same structure.