Skip to content

Main Navigation

Puget Systems Logo
  • Solutions
    • Recommended Systems For:
    • Content Creation
      • Photo Editing
        • Recommended Systems For:
        • Adobe Lightroom Classic
        • Adobe Photoshop
      • Video Editing
        • Recommended Systems For:
        • Adobe After Effects
        • Adobe Premiere Pro
        • DaVinci Resolve
        • Foundry Nuke
      • 3D Design and Animation
        • Recommended Systems For:
        • Autodesk 3ds Max
        • Autodesk Maya
        • Blender
        • Cinema 4D
        • Houdini
        • ZBrush
      • Real-Time Engines
        • Recommended Systems For:
        • Game Development
        • Unity
        • Unreal Engine
        • Virtual Production
      • Rendering
        • Recommended Systems For:
        • OctaneRender
        • Redshift
        • V-Ray
      • Digital Audio
        • Recommended Systems For:
        • Ableton Live
        • FL Studio
        • Pro Tools
    • Engineering
      • CAD
        • Recommended Systems For:
        • Autodesk AutoCAD
        • Autodesk Inventor
        • Autodesk Revit
        • SOLIDWORKS
      • Photogrammetry
        • Recommended Systems For:
        • ArcGIS Pro
        • Agisoft Metashape
        • Pix4D
        • RealityCapture
    • Scientific Computing
      • Recommended Systems For:
      • Data Science
      • Machine Learning / AI
      • Scientific Computing
    • More
      • Recommended Systems For:
      • Compact Size
      • Live Streaming
      • NVIDIA RTX Studio
      • Quiet Operation
      • Virtual Reality
  • Products
    • Intel Core i7 & i9
      Workstations with 13th Gen Intel Core i7 & i9 processors on Z690 and Z790 chipsets
    • AMD Ryzen 7 & 9
      Workstations with AMD Ryzen 7000 Series processors on B650 and X670 chipsets
    • AMD Threadripper PRO
      Workstations with AMD Threadripper PRO 5000 WX processors on the WRX80 chipset
    • Intel Xeon W
      Workstations with Intel Xeon W 3300 processors on the C621E chipset
    • Rackmount & Server
      Servers and workstations in rackmount chassis
    • Custom Computers
      Customize a desktop workstation from scratch
    • Custom Servers
      Customize a rackmount server from scratch
    • QNAP Network Attached Storage
      Check out our external storage options as an authorized reseller for QNAP
    • Recommended Third Party Peripherals
      View our list of recommended peripherals to use with your new PC
  • Publications
    • Articles
    • HPC Blog
    • Blog Posts
    • Case Studies
    • Podcasts
    • Press
  • Support
    • Contact Support
    • Support Articles
    • Warranty Details
  • About Us
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Press Kit
    • Testimonials
    • Careers
  • Talk to an Expert
  • My Account
  1. Home
  2. /
  3. Hardware Articles
  4. /
  5. Best Workstation PC for V-Ray Next CPU (Spring 2020)

Best Workstation PC for V-Ray Next CPU (Spring 2020)

Posted on June 12, 2020 by William George
Always look at the date when you read an article. Some of the content in this article is most likely out of date, as it was written on June 12, 2020. For newer information, see our more recent articles.

Table of Contents

  • Introduction
  • Good PC Configuration for V-Ray Next CPU
  • Better PC Configuration for V-Ray Next CPU
  • Best PC Configuration for V-Ray Next CPU
  • Additional Resources

Introduction

Here at Puget Systems, specifically in the Labs department, most of the content that we write falls into one of two categories: either long, fairly in-depth articles looking at the performance of various PC components in a given application or recommended system pages, with multiple configuration options aimed at different budgets and lots of supporting data drawn from the aforementioned articles. For some readers all of that is information overload, though, and they just want a quick question answered: what is the best computer for my needs? We’re going to try answering that question more directly in a new series of short articles, like this one.

Today we are looking at V-Ray Next from Chaos Group, and specifically the CPU based side of this rendering engine. As applications go, it is very straightforward in its needs: CPU cores – lots of them! – and clock speed doesn't hurt either. These recommendations will also apply to older versions of V-Ray, as long as you are using the CPU processing side of things (we have another article for the GPU side).

Screenshot of V-Ray Next Benchmark

Screenshot of V-Ray Next Benchmark

Image
Screenshot of V-Ray Next Benchmark

Good PC Configuration for V-Ray Next CPU

We'll start off with a good, solid workstation design for V-Ray Next – hopefully without breaking the bank. AMD has been killing it with high core count processors in the mainstream and workstation space recently, so you'll see a trend in this article that starts right here with their Ryzen 9 3950X. This is a 16-core processor that rivals the top of Intel's Core X line in rendering performance for a much lower price. To go with it, any good NVIDIA GeForce graphics card should do (consider a Quadro instead if you will be running any Autodesk software) and 64GB of memory ought to be plenty for most small to mid-size rendering projects. A fast SSD for the OS, applications, and project files rounds things out, and then a hard drive for storage of finished projects; don't forget to keep regular backups too!

CPU AMD Ryzen 9 3950X 16-core
Video Cards NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER
RAM 64GB DDR4
Drives 1TB NVMe SSD & 4TB SATA HDD

Configure System With These Specs

Better PC Configuration for V-Ray Next CPU

Our most popular workstations for V-Ray Next CPU bump the processor up to AMD's Threadripper line, which offers even more cores while still maintaining good per-core performance. The 32-core 3970X is a solid choice here, without getting too expensive, and to go with that we'll double up the amount of RAM as well (though this can be increased or decreased, depending on your specific needs).

CPU AMD Threadripper 3970X 32-core
Video Cards NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER
RAM 128GB DDR4
Drives 1TB NVMe SSD + 4TB SATA HDD

Configure System With These Specs

Best PC Configuration for V-Ray Next CPU

Maxing-out CPU rendering performance in V-Ray Next with this platform is as simple as bumping the processor up to AMD's top-end Threadripper 3990X. This 64-core behemoth is the fastest single CPU for rendering that we have tested to date, and beats out the highest-end dual-socket Xeon systems we have available as well (which feature up to 28 cores each).

CPU AMD Threadripper 3990X 64-core
Video Cards NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER
RAM 128GB DDR4
Drives 1TB NVMe SSD + 4TB SATA HDD

Configure System With These Specs

That is the most powerful traditional, tower workstation that can be built for V-Ray Next CPU right now – though of course with the caveat that some folks may want more (or less) RAM or storage capacity, or might need a different GPU. There are also other ways to move beyond even this powerhouse of a PC. For example, if this were going to be a server-style system that was accessed remotely, you could go with a rackmount chassis and potentially dual or quad CPU configurations – though doing so drastically raises the price. V-Ray also supports distributed network rendering, so you could split out processing across several systems in either an office or server farm.

Additional Resources

If you want to know more about V-Ray Next performance, we have published several articles over the years looking at how individual CPUs compare. With video card speeds increasing at a faster pace than CPUs, and the option to stack several in a single workstation, you may also want to consider GPU-based rendering in V-Ray Next or another engine as well. And if you aren’t sure what you need, or if your workflow includes multiple applications, please feel free to call or email our consultants to get a more personalized configuration.

CTA Image
Looking for a V-Ray Workstation?

Puget Systems offers a range of powerful and reliable systems that are tailor-made for your unique workflow.

Configure a System!
CTA Image
Labs Consultation Service

Our Labs team is available to provide in-depth hardware recommendations based on your workflow.

Find Out More!

Related Content

  • Intel Xeon W-3400 Content Creation Preview
  • NVIDIA RTX 6000 Ada vs RTX A6000 for Content Creation
  • GPU Rendering: NVIDIA RTX 6000 Ada Performance
  • NVIDIA GeForce 40 Series vs AMD Radeon 7000 for Content Creation
View All Related Content

Latest Content

  • Puget Systems Hardware Trends of 2022
  • Guide To Removing Instapak Foam
  • Basic Guide to Identify and Remove Malware
  • Should I Upgrade My Gpu
View All
Tags: Chaos, CPU, Group, PC, PC Workstation, Render, Rendering, V-Ray, Workstation

Who is Puget Systems?

Puget Systems builds custom PCs tailored for your workflow

Extensive in-house testing
making you more productive and giving you more performance for your dollar

Reliable workstations
with fewer crashes and blue screens means more time working, less time waiting on your computer

Support that understands
your complex workflows and can get you back up and running ASAP

Proven track record
check out our customer testimonials and Reseller Ratings

Get Started

Browse Our Workstations

Fractal Design Define 7 Chassis with Puget Systems Logo

Select your workflow:

Content Creation
Engineering
Scientific Computing
More

Latest Articles

  • Puget Systems Hardware Trends of 2022
  • Guide To Removing Instapak Foam
  • Basic Guide to Identify and Remove Malware
  • Should I Upgrade My Gpu
  • Case Study with Lost Boys Interactive
View All

Post navigation

 Best Workstation PC for Pix4D (Spring 2020)Best Workstation PC for V-Ray Next GPU (Spring 2020) 
Puget Systems Logo
Build Your Own PC Site Map FAQ
facebook instagram linkedin rss twitter youtube

Optimized Solutions

  • Adobe Premiere
  • Adobe Photoshop
  • Solidworks
  • Autodesk AutoCAD
  • Machine Learning

Workstations

  • Content Creation
  • Engineering
  • Scientific PCs
  • More

Support

  • Online Guides
  • Request Support
  • Remote Help

Publications

  • All News
  • Puget Blog
  • HPC Blog
  • Hardware Articles
  • Case Studies

Policies

  • Warranty & Return
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Privacy Policy
  • Delivery Times
  • Accessibility

About Us

  • Testimonials
  • Careers
  • About Us
  • Contact Us

© Copyright 2023 - Puget Systems, All Rights Reserved.