Detailed discussion of the technical requirements to install and use Caseware Working Papers
Caseware International lists the minimum requirements here: https://documentation.caseware.com/2020/WorkingPapers/en/Content/Setup/Environments-Configuration/Installation/System-Requirements.htm This article is designed to consider these requirements and provide further insight.
Operating System
Caseware Working Papers runs on the Microsoft Windows operating system. At the time of writing this (September 2020) Windows 10 64-bit (x64) & Windows 8.1 64-bit (x64) are the only supported operating systems.
Note: Caseware Working Papers 2020 will not install correctly on Windows 7.
Users with Apple or GNU/Linux cannot run Caseware Working Papers natively; you will need to run a Virtual Machine system with one of the supported versions of Microsoft Windows installed.
Hardware
At the date of writing, Caseware International lists these as the minimum technical requirements of the program:
- 1 GHz 64-bit (x64) processor; 2 GHz recommended for improved performance
- 2 GB of RAM; 8 GB recommended for improved performance
- Solid-state drive (SSD) recommended for optimal performance
- Minimum 1 GB free disk space recommended for installation
However, in FHBINC's experience, these minimum specifications may provide very poor performance if you are working with larger or more complex files (especially those files containing a large number of consolidation entities).
Key Factors in Working Papers Performance
The following are key considerations for performance of Working Papers:
Location of the Data File
Many people work with their Caseware Working Papers file located on a remote, networked file system. This has many advantages, most importantly the ability to backup and protect the files. However, networked storage is often much, much slower than the hard drive located on your computer. For users working on their files located on a remote file system, the number one thing you can do to improve performance is to move the file on to your local computer.
Processor
Caseware Working Papers is not written to take advantage of multiple cores in your computer's CPU. Frequently, modern processors are designed with many lower-speed cores, and Working Papers does not perform well on these chips.
For optimum Working Papers performance, single-core speed is most important.
RAM
64-bit operating system:
Working Papers 2020 only supports 64-bit versions of Windows that are able to make use of a much larger amount of RAM.
FHBINC's Recommended Specifications
In consideration of the above, for users looking to maximize the performance of their larger and more complex Working Papers files, FHBINC has developed the following recommended specifications:
- Operating System: 64-bit version of Windows 10
- Processor: i5 or better with a base clock speed of 3.0 Ghz+, or
AMD Ryzen 3000+ CPU 3Ghz+
- Memory: 8GB minimum, 16GB or more recommended
- Hard Drive: For best performance, SSD (solid state drive) if the Working Papers data file is on the local computer