Workstations for 3D modelling and animation

Are you looking for the perfect workstation for creating and animating 3D models? Then you’ve come to the right place with our workstations, which are specifically optimized for Autodesk 3ds Max, Autodesk Maya, and Cinema 4D. We’ve analyzed benchmarks and studies from the most reputable hardware magazines and conducted our own benchmarks, and based on these findings, we offer you the best workstations for your specific needs:

Which processor is best suited for Autodesk 3ds Max, Autodesk Maya, and Cinema 4D?

Applications like Autodesk 3ds Max, Autodesk Maya, and Cinema 4D typically use only one CPU core. Therefore, for our 3D design and animation workstations, we recommend processors with high clock speeds and few cores.

If the workstations are also to be used for rendering with the render engines included in 3ds Max, Autodesk Maya, and Cinema 4D—such as Arnold, Mental Ray, V-Ray Next CPU, etc.—a high number of cores is recommended.

For the highest clock speed and thus the best performance for animation and modeling, the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K (24 cores, up to 5.7 GHz Turbo Boost) is ideally suited. If the workstation should also be optimized for rendering, an AMD Threadripper 7975WX (32 cores, up to 5.3 GHz) offers the best performance.

Which graphics card should you choose for Autodesk 3ds Max, Autodesk Maya, and Cinema 4D?

When editing and animating 3D models, the graphics card is largely responsible for the performance of the 3D workstation. For most 3D applications, we recommend NVIDIA Professional graphics cards, as these are certified and supported, unlike GeForce graphics cards.

For a 3ds Max, Autodesk Maya, and Cinema 4D workstation, the NVIDIA RTX A1000 offers a solid entry point into the world of animation and design. When working with larger scenes (up to 6 million polygons), you should opt for at least an RTX 4000 ADA. For the most demanding users working with very large and complex scenes (up to 15 million polygons), an RTX 6000 Ada is recommended.

If graphics card certification for your applications isn’t a priority, we recommend current NVIDIA GeForce RTX graphics cards as an alternative. These offer comparable performance at a much better price point

How much RAM is needed for Autodesk 3ds Max, Autodesk Maya, and Cinema 4D?

The amount of RAM required for 3D programs depends on the complexity of the scenes and models. For beginners, we recommend 16GB of RAM, and for demanding users, 32GB. If highly complex scenes are to be rendered at the highest resolution, 64GB of RAM or more is also recommended.

Do I need an SSD for Autodesk 3ds Max, Autodesk Maya, and Cinema 4D?

Generally speaking, there are three storage solutions to consider for animation and design workstations: SSDs, NVMe drives, and mechanical hard drives. While mechanical hard drives are slow, they typically offer more storage space at lower prices than fast SSDs and NVMe drives. However, due to their slow speed, they are less suitable as system or swap drives.

SSDs are many times faster than HDDs, but also significantly more expensive. These drives are ideal as system drives and swap drives. Programs and projects stored on the SSD can also be opened much faster than on a traditional HDD.

NVMe drives are up to 5× faster than SSDs, but they also cost significantly more. In most cases, an NVMe drive will not noticeably increase system speed, since even with standard SSDs, system performance is no longer limited by the speed of the hard drive. Like SSDs, these drives are well-suited as system and swap drives.

To enable fast load times, an SSD should be used for the operating system as well as for Autodesk 3ds Max, Autodesk Maya, and Cinema 4D. The fast system drive is supplemented either by a large HDD or an additional SSD for data storage. An additional SSD can boost the PC’s performance, as it allows projects to be loaded and saved more quickly.

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