Logic behind the minimum GPU spec, and actual limitations imposed by it

[jaraujo98]

I’m trying to better understand the logic behind the published minimum GPU requirements for IsaacSim.

In the current IsaacSim documentation, the minimum supported GPU is listed as an RTX 4080. However, in IsaacSim version 4.5, the minimum requirement was listed as an RTX 3070.

I have a few related questions:

1. How is the minimum GPU requirement defined?

• Is it based on performance benchmarks (e.g., real-time rendering performance, physics simulation load, VRAM capacity)?
• Is it driven by specific hardware features or APIs required by newer versions?
• Or is it primarily a supportability/testing boundary rather than a hard technical limit?

2. How strict is this requirement in practice? For example, considering a GPU like the RTX 3090:

• Would it be able to run the latest version of IsaacSim even though it is from the RTX 30 series?
• Is the minimum requirement "all or nothing", or could some features work (for example, physics simulation) while others (rendering) would not?
• Or would the application refuse to run entirely on GPUs below the stated minimum?

Thanks in advance for any clarification!

[ssulkunte-nv]

1. The minimum GPU requirement is defined by the lowest spec GPU tested for the given release. As you mentioned, it's a supported/testing boundary as opposed to a hard technical limitation. Similarly, the performance data for benchmarks is only tested across these defined specs as well.
2. A RTX 3090 should be able to run the latest Isaac Sim version but as mentioned, new releases are not specifically tested against older hardware generations. The application would not refuse to run but unexpected crashes, rendering behavior, etc. are technically possible. Should some unexpected results in the form of rendering artifacts appear, that doesn't necessarily affect physics simulation. It's not an "all or nothing" situation.