First PC build - C4D CPU/GPU rendering opinions

#1

Hi everyone!

I’m new to this forum and still pretty new to 3d as well :slight_smile:

I have a graphic design background and I’m currently learning C4D as fast and thoroughly as I can.
With my old MBP (early '11) I’m hitting limits regularly and render times are through the roof.
So I’m looking into buying / building a new system.

I’ll be using this machine mostly for Cinema 4D (70-80%) and some Adobe CC.
As for Cinema, I’ll have to use this machine for modeling, animation and rendering.

I’m looking at a max. budget of around €3k (incl. tax) for the whole build.
New peripherals won’t be necessary.

I did my fair share of research, but I’m facing a general question right now:

In terms of performance and cost efficiency - would you suggest to either

  • find a CPU config that works okay for animation/modeling and CPU rendering (C4D physical), or
  • should I opt for a high-clocking CPU plus (a) good video card(s) and a GPU-based renderer (most likely Octane)?

I hope this question isn’t too broad and I’m thankful for any of your thoughts and pointers!

#2

To be honest, the octane question is something youll need to ideally answer before picking a machine as it will impact what you buy very much. If octane is going to be your engine of choice, you could put together a machine with a pair of 1080ti cards; but if not then that would be a huge waste of 50% of your budget.

#3

Take a look at Redshift renderer too. People say that Octane is really good and fast, but I think Redshift isn’t limited by VRAM amount (like most gpu renderers are).

It’s better to decide your rendering workflow first (cpu or gpu) and then it would be easier to wisely distribute the 3k budget in the right parts.

#4

Thanks a lot for your feedback @imashination and @FatherN.

I’ll definitely check out Redshift and take a good last look at my engine choice.

Btw, Matthew, really appreciate your tutorials.
Thanks for sharing the knowledge!