Table of contents
Desktop or Laptop?
Benefits of a Laptop
- It doesn’t require any knowledge
- it is ready to use right out of the box
- It’s available in every Country
- It is mobile (more or less depending on the Laptop)
- It consumes less Energy
Benefits of a Desktop
- Better price to performance ratio.
- I can build a PC that fits my needing perfectly.
- It is upgradeable.
- The cooling is way better. Which allows the hardware to run cooler and quieter. which can be important for extended rendering or simulation sessions. A Laptop can heat up really quickly. which makes him slower.
- Better performance at a certain point.
What I use
Doesn’t matter if I am at home or in my office, I use Desktop PCs only.
Mainly because of the performance. I hate to wait. But the possibility to upgrade everything. And the possibility to repair everything by just swapping parts can be a huge cost saver.
The PC I am using at home is over 10 years old by now and second hand since I bought it from my friend’s brother back when I was 14, but I swapped every single Part over time.
I also prefer sitting in front of a big setup, cause the Keyboard and mouse are Just better. Also, if I liked the Trackpad of the Apple MacBook, it’s still not as good as using a real mouse. And using multiple monitors there are even study, that proof, using 2 screens is way better for work performance and 3 screens improve the work performance even more.
How much RAM do I need?
The RAM determines how much you can do on the PC at the same time. How much Tabs you can open in the Browser, how many programs you can have open, or how many/ complex the objects can be In your 3D project. A popular misconception is, that more RAM makes the PC faster, which is not true.
The minimum that Blender requires is 4 GB, but I would recommend getting at least 16 GB. Personally, I never needed more than 32 GB.
Do I need a GPU to use Blender?
To see anything on the screen, you need to have a GPU. Most Intel CPUs come with an integrated GPU. But does it make sense to buy a dedicated GPU separately?
When it comes to rendering no matter if it is Eevee or Cycles Blender can render way faster with GPUs. Some render engines like Octane which I mentioned in the article “Every render Engine in Blender” Even require a GPU to work.
So it absolutely makes sense to get a dedicated GPU. Also, if it is not necessary to run Blender.
Nvidia or AMD?Nvidia or AMD?
To see anything on the screen, you need to have a GPU. Most Intel CPUs come with an integrated GPU. But does it make sense to buy a dedicated GPU separately?
When it comes to rendering no matter if it is Eevee or Cycles Blender can render way faster with GPUs. Some render engines like Octane which I mentioned in the article “Every render Engine in Blender” Even require a GPU to work.
So it absolutely makes sense to get a dedicated GPU. Also, if it is not necessary to run Blender.
Can I use multiple GPUs for better performance?
Yes, for rendering, 2 (same) GPUs mean roughly 2 times better performance. But you can also use 3 or 4 GPUs. As far I know, the limit is at 32. But I never tested more than 4.
You can also use different GPUs. At the same time. But they have to use the same render kernel. For Example, you can’t render with an AMD GPU which uses OpenCL and an Nvidia GPU that uses CUDA at the same time. Also, if you want to render with an OptiX GPU (like the RTX3080) and a GPU that doesn’t support OptiX you can’t use the fast OptiX kernel, and you have to use the slower CUDA kernel.
You could also disable the GPU, that is connected with your monitor so that you always have a fluid interface and can even play games while rendering.