Gaussian 16W remains the easiest to use for Windows-native work, especially when coupled with GaussView. However, for large-scale jobs (>200 atoms) or zero budget, consider ORCA on Windows or WSL. Future Outlook: Gaussian 18? Gaussian 20? Gaussian 16W Today As of 2025, Gaussian Inc. has not released a Gaussian 18 or 20. Gaussian 16 (released 2016) remains the latest version, with periodic revisions (Rev A.03, B.01, C.01). With the rise of machine learning potentials and GPU-accelerated codes, Gaussian 16W is showing its age in raw performance. However, for reliability, documentation, and validation , it remains unmatched in many pharmaceutical and academic labs.
| Component | Minimum | Recommended for Production | |-----------|---------|----------------------------| | | Windows 10 64-bit | Windows 11 Pro/Enterprise 64-bit | | CPU | 4 cores (Intel Core i5) | 16–32 cores (AMD Ryzen 9 or Intel Xeon/ Core i9) | | RAM | 16 GB | 64–128 GB (more for large basis sets) | | Storage | 50 GB free (SSD) | 1 TB NVMe SSD + separate 2 TB HDD for scratch files | | GPU | None required (CPU-only) | Not used intentionally (no GPU acceleration in G16) | | Network | TCP/IP for Linda | 1 GbE for multi-machine clusters | gaussian 16w
0 1 C -0.1234 1.2345 0.0000 ... (atomic coordinates) Gaussian 16W remains the easiest to use for
Currently, Gaussian 16W is x64-only. It may run under emulation on Snapdragon X Elite chips, but without support. Gaussian 20