FAQ - General

Are there any video tutorials available?

Yes, there are! Check out our Sway presentation and our YouTube channel.

Hardware requirements for nextnano? I want to buy a new computer. What shall I buy?

The nextnano software even runs on Laptops. Therefore, for most typical simulations, you do not have to buy a special computer. Still, you might have CPU-intensive calculations which require more horsepower. In this case, the following configurations or their equivalent will give excellent performance for about 1.000 € or less:

CPU+RAM

Intel i7-8700, 6 cores, 3.2 GHz (Coffee Lake) with 32 GB DDR4-2666 RAM, or Intel i7-7700, 4 cores, 3.6 GHz (Kaby Lake) with 32 GB DDR4-2400 RAM.

Note: These CPUs can be bought as ‘’boxed’’ (including a default cooler) or ‘’tray’’ (without default cooler). However, both CPUs are too noisy with the default cooler in the boxed variant when running simulations. We recommend buying a large additional CPU cooler.

Main board

Any compatible motherboard will work, please select according to your extensibility needs, required peripheral ports, etc. The integrated graphics on the mainboard usually suffices for office use and development. But be prepared to add a dedicated graphics card for CAD, multi-monitor setups and the likes.

Storage

E.g. a 500 GB SSD for the OS and programs, together with a 2 TB HD for simulation data.

Power supply

E.g. 500 W to allow future upgrades such as a dedicated graphics card.

Computer case

Select according to available space, future extensibility, and aesthetic desire. Silent cases are recommended for reducing noise. Please make sure that there is enough clearance to fit your CPU cooler and large additional components such as graphics cards inside.

Recommended BIOS settings (if available)

  • CPU: Hyperthreading \(\Rightarrow\) Enabled (accelerates compilation)

  • CPU: VT-d \(\Rightarrow\) Enabled (accelerates virtualization)

  • CPU: Hardware prefetch \(\Rightarrow\) Enabled (accelerates linear memory accesses)

  • RAM: XMP \(\Rightarrow\) enabled (if disabled, RAM much slower than maximum supported speed,

    e.g. 2166 instead of maximum supported 2666 (DDR4-2666))

(For the experts: If you are planning to have your PC assembled from components, please use tools such as prime95, Intel Extreme Tuning Utility, and/or Intel Linpack to test system stability and adequate cooling under extended heavy load.)

Example: Our latest computers have the following configurations
i7-8700 (purchased 2018-Oct: ~1.000 EUR, purchased 2018-Dec: ~900 EUR)

  • CPU: Intel i7-8700, 6 cores, 3.2 GHz (Coffee Lake) (a large additional CPU cooler is recommended, see comments above)

  • CPU cooler, e.g. be quiet! Pure Rock

  • RAM: 32 GB (DDR4-2666), e.g. Corsair Vengeance

  • Storage: 500 GB SDD + 3 TB HDD

  • Motherboard with integrated graphics processing unit, e.g. ASRock Z370M-ITX/ac (CPU socket 1151)

  • Power supply: e.g. be quiet! Pure Power 10-CM or 11, 500 W

  • Computer case: Midi Tower, e.g. Zalman R1 or be quiet! Pure Base 600

i7-7700 (purchased 2018-Jan, ~900 EUR)

  • CPU: Intel i7-7700, 4 cores, 3.6 GHz (Kaby Lake) (a large additional CPU cooler is recommended, see comments above)

  • CPU cooler, e.g. be quiet! Pure Rock Slim

  • RAM: 32 GB (DDR-2400), e.g. Corsair Vengeance

  • Storage: 256 GB SDD + 2 TB HDD

  • Motherboard with integrated graphics processing unit, e.g. ASRock Z270M-ITX/ac

  • Power supply: e.g. Pure Power 10, 500 W ATX 2

  • Computer case: Midi Tower, e.g. Zalman R1

How shall I cite the nextnano software in publications?

You can cite any of the following papers:
For simulations including electrolytes, you should cite:
For simulations that use the Contact Block Reduction method (CBR) (ballistic transport), you should cite any of the following papers:
The nextnano.MSB tool: For simulations that use the multi-scattering Büttiker (MSB) probe model (NEGF), you should cite:
The nextnano.NEGF tool: For simulations that use the NEGF method, you should cite:
For simulations that use the NEGF algorithm included in nextnano³, you should cite any of these publications:

There might be further papers in the literature that are more suited to be cited in certain cases.