Best Hardware for 3D Modeling and Rendering
3D artists need a computer with powerful hardware for 3D Modeling and Rendering workloads. A capable computer enables them to work faster, meaning faster iterations and improved quality.
However, choosing the hardware for 3D Modeling and Rendering is challenging. In this article, Radarrender explains and recommends the right components for your workstation.
What to consider before selecting Hardware for 3D Modeling and Rendering?
Before you select and purchase the best hardware for 3D rendering and Rendering, you should understand the task you will be performing. Because each task needs different hardware specifications to work well.
3D Modeling
3D Modeling is the process of creating 3D representations of any surface of an object via specialized software. There are a variety of 3D modeling software available, for example, 3ds Max, Maya, Cinema 4D, Blender, Houdini, ZBrush, Sketchup, and many more.
This process mainly uses a single CPU core to do the calculations. In other words, you will want a CPU with the highest single-core performance possible. It does not matter if your CPU only has a few cores. Because the majority of these cores will never be used for modeling.
CPU vs. GPU rendering
Rendering is the process of creating a final image from a 2D or 3D model using a computer program. There are two main types of 3D rendering: CPU rendering and GPU rendering.
CPU rendering
CPU rendering is a technique to render images on the computer’s process (CPU). It is widely used and has been around for the longest. Most software and render engines support CPU rendering, such as 3ds Max, Maya, Cinema 4D, Blender, Corona, RenderMan, Arnold, V-Ray, etc.
CPU rendering makes full use of all of your CPU’s cores during the rendering process. Therefore, you will want a CPU with as many cores as possible. High clock speeds as well as support for technologies such as hyperthreading, are also helpful. One of the most significant benefits of CPU rendering is that it can use a considerably larger amount of memory than GPU rendering, which can manage the most detailed and complex scenes.
GPU rendering
On the other hand, GPU rendering is a technique to render images on the computer’s graphics card (GPU). It has been rapidly gaining popularity over time thanks to its very fast speed. Several GPU render engines such as Octane, Redshift, Cycles, V-Ray GPU, or Arnold GPU have taken over CPU render engines and become part of the production workflow.
GPU rendering mainly uses your GPU(s) during rendering. That’s why you will need a high-end graphics card(s) with excellent speed and plenty of memory (VRAM). Moreover, you need a good CPU to work well with your powerful card. But there is no need for the most powerful CPU as in CPU rendering.
Best Hardware for 3D Modeling and Rendering
Now, let’s take a look at the best hardware for 3D Modeling and Rendering. We will see the three most important computer parts – CPU, GPU, and RAM as well as other components you will need for your computer.
Best CPU for 3D Modeling and Rendering
Depending on your creative tasks, you can purchase different CPUs.
If you primarily use your computer to model or sculpt, texture, light, and animate, you probably need a CPU with the highest single-core performance and clock speed possible.
Best CPU for 3D Modeling
- Intel i9 13900K, i7 13700K, i5 13600K.
- AMD Ryzen 9 7950X, Ryzen 7 7900X, Ryzen 5 7600X.
On the other hand, if you mainly use your CPU to render 3D projects, a CPU with as many cores as possible will do.
Best CPU for Rendering
- AMD Threadripper PRO 5995WX, 5975WX, 5965WX.
- AMD Threadripper 3990X, 3970X, 3960X.
Best GPU for 3D Modeling and Rendering
Most modern GPU render engines support Nvidia GPUs. While only a few renderers support AMD GPUs such as Radeon ProRender, Cycles, and V-Ray. Some render engines, such as Redshift, are already developing support for AMD GPUs, but the work is not yet complete. Furthermore, benchmarks and tests reveal AMD lagging far behind Nvidia in terms of performance.
As a result, most artists still prefer Nvidia cards for a wide choice of DCC applications and no rendering restrictions.
Best GPU for Rendering
- NVIDIA RTX 4090, RTX 4080, RTX 3090, RTX 3080.
- If you solely use ProRender or other engines with AMD GPU support: AMD Radeon RX 7900XT.
Recommended RAM for 3D Modeling and Rendering
Your creative tasks will determine how much RAM (system memory) you will need. For example, you will need a larger amount of RAM when working on models with high details or high polygon counts. But you will need less amount of RAM for simpler scenes.
- Generally, 16 GB RAM is quite enough for beginners. But you usually outgrow this amount of memory as you master skills.
- Most 3D artists should have at least 32GB RAM.
- 64GB of RAM is a good choice if you usually work on complex scenes such as with high-poly meshes, a huge amount of textures, or thousands of objects.
Best Hardware for 3D Modeling and Rendering – Other components
In addition, there are a few more computer parts you should consider when selecting the hardware for 3D Modeling and Rendering.
- Hard drive: SSD drive.
- Motherboard: to connect all of your hardware components together.
- Cooling: to keep your render farm from overheating.
- Power supply (PSU): strong enough to provide power for your render farm.
- Case: to fit all components you intend to purchase.
Conclusion
So, that is all about the best hardware for 3D Modeling and Rendering. Hopefully, our recommendation help you purchase the best components for your computer or workstation.
However, building a PC on your own is not an easy task. Moreover, it may cost you thousands of dollars. Outsourcing to an online render farm is a better alternative for you if you just need to render projects once in a while.
See more: GPU Render Farm Build
See more: Hardware Of Render Farm
