These are the recommended hardware and software components for Impact CAD 2026 (v15) and its companion products. In general, meeting or exceeding these specifications will provide improved performance, a better user experience and longer compatibility with future Impact releases.
Existing hardware of lower specification may be usable in some environments. In these cases, the specification should be reviewed by your support representative before installation or upgrade.
Note: The system requirements for Impact CAD 2026 (v15) are broadly the same as Impact CAD 2024 (v14), but have been updated to reflect more recent operating system, database engine and support lifecycle considerations.
Impact CAD 2026 (v15)
Hardware Requirements
- Intel® Core™ i5/i7/i9 CPU1 or equivalent
- 8 GB memory or greater
- 2 GB NVIDIA graphics card2 or greater
- Monitor capable of resolution 1920 x 1080 or greater [See also Multiple Monitor Support]
Software Requirements
- Windows 11 [See also Supported Operating Systems]
- Windows Installer
- A suitable database engine to host the Impact design database, such as SQL Server or Oracle3
- Appropriate database client drivers [See also Database Client Drivers]
- An important consideration with processor selection for an Impact CAD client is that CPUs with higher clock speed tend to perform more strongly than those with more cores. As a predominantly single-threaded application, pay particular attention to the single-thread speed, also known as single-core speed, offered by each available CPU. >2,000 MOps/Sec is OK, >3,000 MOps/Sec is good, and >4,000 MOps/Sec is best.
- Consideration should be given to the type of work being carried out. Users frequently working with 3D, graphics or animation should pay close attention to the graphics card requirements.
- Refer to Supported Database Platforms for more information on design database hosting options.
Note: Installing and using Impact CAD software on a Terminal Services or Remote Desktop Services (RDS) server, such as Citrix, is not typically recommended due to the highly graphical nature of CAD software. However, Citrix and Microsoft both provide solutions designed for graphical applications. Windows Server 2016 and later should be considered for these environments due to improved graphics platform support. You cannot use standalone Nalpeiron workstation licensing in this configuration. Impact Licence Server is required.
Impact Viewer 2026 (v15)
Impact Viewer 2026 (v15) follows the same hardware and software requirements as Impact CAD 2026 (v15).
Arden Licence Server 2026 (v15)
Arden Licence Server 2026 (v15) supports both the traditional hardware dongle version and the dongleless version. The dongleless version is intended for virtual server and cloud-hosted environments, and also removes the need for a physical licensing component that could be broken, lost or stolen.
Hardware Requirements
- USB port1
Software Requirements
- Windows 11 or Windows Server 2016/2019/2022 [See also Supported Operating Systems]
- Windows Installer
- DESkey ‘DK2’ Dongle Drivers2
- Required only for the hardware dongle-based version of Arden Licence Server 2026 (v15).
- Required for Arden Licence Server 2026 (v15), as supplied and documented with the licence server installation.
Windows Server 2012 and Windows Server 2012 R2 are not recommended for new Arden Licence Server installations because they are outside normal Microsoft support. Customers with existing deployments on older Windows Server versions should review their environment with their support representative before upgrading.
Arden Licence Server Administrator 2026 (v15)
Hardware Requirements
- None beyond the requirements of the workstation or server on which it is installed.
Software Requirements
- As per Arden Licence Server 2026 (v15).
Further Information
Supported Operating Systems
Impact CAD 2026 (v15) is intended and recommended for use with Windows 11.
Older Windows client operating systems may remain technically compatible in some existing environments, but they are not recommended for new installations where the operating system is outside mainstream vendor support or no longer receives standard security updates.
Windows 8.1 and Windows 10 are not recommended for new Impact CAD 2026 (v15) installations. Customers using these operating systems should review their wider IT support position, security requirements and upgrade plans before installing or upgrading Impact. Similarly, Windows Server 2000/2003/2008/2008 R2/2012/2012 R2 are end-of-life platforms and should be avoided for new installations.
WARNING: Impact and affiliated products will no longer install on Windows XP, Windows Vista or Windows 7.
Database Client Drivers
Appropriate database client drivers must be installed on each workstation or server that connects to the Impact design database.
SQL Server Drivers
For SQL Server databases, the following ADO drivers are supported, listed in order of preference:
- Microsoft OLE DB Driver for SQL Server (MSOLEDBSQL) - Recommended
- Microsoft OLE DB Provider for SQL Server (SQLOLEDB)
- SQL Server Native Client (SNAC or SQLNCLI) - Legacy
SQL Server Native Client (SNAC or SQLNCLI) and the legacy Microsoft OLE DB Provider for SQL Server (SQLOLEDB) are not recommended for new deployments. For new SQL Server client installations, use Microsoft OLE DB Driver for SQL Server (MSOLEDBSQL) unless your support representative advises otherwise.
We also recommend using ODBC or ODBCDIRECT connections for Impact nServer because they are generally faster and require less memory when used at scale.
Oracle Drivers
For Oracle databases, appropriate Oracle client drivers must be installed and configured on each workstation or server that connects to the Impact design database. Please consult your database administrator or support representative for the correct driver version and configuration for your environment.
Supported Database Platforms
Impact relies on a database engine to hold its design data, which is then accessible by one or more Impact clients.
Impact CAD 2026 (v15) requires the database server to be running up-to-date database software, as follows:
Microsoft SQL Server
- SQL Server 2016 (13.x)
- SQL Server 2017 (14.x)
- SQL Server 2019 (15.x)
- SQL Server 2022 (16.x)
- SQL Server 2025 (17.x) - Recommended for new SQL Server deployments where compatible with customer IT policy and infrastructure standards
Important Notice: SQL Server 2014 and earlier versions are not recommended. While older versions of SQL Server may continue to function with Impact in some environments, they are no longer supported by Microsoft and do not receive standard security updates or patches. To maintain performance, security and supportability, we strongly recommend upgrading to a newer supported SQL Server version.
SQL Server 2016 remains technically supported by Impact CAD 2026 (v15), but should be treated as a legacy baseline. Customers using SQL Server 2016 should review their database upgrade plans, as Microsoft support for SQL Server 2016 is approaching end of support.
SQL Server 2025 Express increases the maximum relational database size to 50 GB. This may be useful for smaller Impact environments that use SQL Server Express, but customers should still validate backup, maintenance, performance and support requirements before selecting SQL Server Express for production use.
For the Design Similarity feature introduced in Impact CAD 2026 (v15), SQL Server 2016 or later should be considered. Later SQL Server versions provide significant performance improvements when locating matches due to enhanced use of index-related features available in SQL Server 2016 and later.
TIP: For SQL Server databases, the database compatibility level needs to be “SQL Server 2005 (90)” or higher.
Oracle
- Oracle Database 19c
- For information about Oracle 21c or later, please contact the support team.
Important Notice: Oracle versions earlier than Oracle Database 19c are not recommended. These older versions may continue to function with Impact in some environments, but they may no longer receive standard security updates or patches from Oracle. To maintain performance, security and supportability, we strongly recommend upgrading to a supported Oracle Database version, such as Oracle Database 19c or later.
MySQL
- No longer supported.
WARNING: MySQL is not supported from Impact CAD 2026 (v15) onwards.
Remote, Hosted and Virtualised Environments
Impact CAD is a highly graphical desktop CAD application. Remote, hosted and virtualised deployments should therefore be reviewed carefully before installation.
For remote desktop, Citrix or similar deployments, particular consideration should be given to graphics acceleration, OpenGL support, display performance, profile storage, database connectivity and licensing. Impact Licence Server is required in these environments; standalone Nalpeiron workstation licensing is not suitable.
For virtual machines used as Impact workstations, Impact CAD 2026 includes improved virtual machine licence resilience. Impact can now retain activations for workstations identified as virtual machines, helping reduce the need for repeated reactivation and improving offline usage where the workstation remains within its valid lease period.
The default lease grace period for virtual machines is now 28 days, matching the default behaviour for physical machines. The workstation must still be able to extend its lease through the Nalpeiron activation server, my.nalpeiron.com, before the lease expires.
Plug-ins and Automations
Selected Impact plug-ins and automations are available for customers with specific workflow requirements. These are not included in the default Impact CAD 2026 installer or standard download.
Customers using existing Impact plug-ins, or wishing to request additional plug-ins such as Bill of Materials (BOM) for Corrugated after upgrade, should contact their Impact support representative to confirm compatibility, availability, installation requirements and any licensing considerations.
Multiple Monitor Support
Working with multiple monitors can provide greater flexibility when arranging Impact toolbars and toolboxes, and can increase the available screen area for the drawing canvas.
Impact supports multiple monitor arrangements and will remember the position of undocked or floating toolbars. It is recommended that each monitor uses the same resolution or relative DPI configuration, and that the same scaling options are used across monitors.