First PC Build for 3D Modeling (rhino, fusion360), Rendering (keyshot). CPU choice

[Polo5959]

Hi Everyone,

I already posted a few months ago (december) for the same topic, but at that time nothing was available and I also now have a better understanding of what I need now.

I use a lot Rhino3D (which doesn't require a lot of power), Fusion 360, and keyshot for product visualisation. I would like to slowly start rendering on blender and also do small animation of products. I would rather use the CPU visualiation, because I feel like each time I look at CPU vs GPU rendering, GPU is of course quicker but you don't have the same bokeh or reflection quality with lights (Am I wrong?).

I am thinking to get a decent CPU but I am a bit confused between all the i7-i9 range. for exemple is an Intel Core i9 11900K good for what i am planning to do? is there a big difference between an Intel Core i9 11900K and an Intel Core i9 11900? or should i go more towards a xenon one maybe?

Thanks in advance

Paul

 

[Jerry James]

Hi Everyone,

I already posted a few months ago (december) for the same topic, but at that time nothing was available and I also now have a better understanding of what I need now.

I use a lot Rhino3D (which doesn't require a lot of power), Fusion 360, and keyshot for product visualisation. I would like to slowly start rendering on blender and also do small animation of products. I would rather use the CPU visualiation, because I feel like each time I look at CPU vs GPU rendering, GPU is of course quicker but you don't have the same bokeh or reflection quality with lights (Am I wrong?).

I am thinking to get a decent CPU but I am a bit confused between all the i7-i9 range. for exemple is an Intel Core i9 11900K good for what i am planning to do? is there a big difference between an Intel Core i9 11900K and an Intel Core i9 11900? or should i go more towards a xenon one maybe?

Thanks in advance

Paul

For your use-case, I'd recommend leaning towards AMD processors instead of Intel (depending on budget). If you're planning to render using your CPU, you'll need a lot more cores. A Ryzen 9 5950X or 5900X should set you up nicely. You can get started with a build using the CGDirector PC Builder here - https://www.cgdirector.com/pc-builder/
Just set your workload and budget to get a build recommendation that you can then fine-tune to your liking

As for CPU vs. GPU rendering, @Alex Glawion can probably answer that better. But from what I've seen, it's pretty much down to what GPU renderer you're using. I've seen many GPU rendered scenes (on Redshift, for example), that look just as good as those rendered on a CPU.

 

[Polo5959]

Thanks Jerry for your reply,
Yes you are right an AMD would be better in this case. Regarding the CPU based rendering, my though was that you always benefit from a good cpu in cad software in general, and keyshot, which I use, has many features that are not working with the gpu mode. (and I think you can use the denoise with the gpu while you render with the cpu, but I'm not sure about that...)
so the configuration I choose is:

Fractal Design Define 7 Compact Black Solid ATX Case (£100)
ASUS PRIME X570-PRO AMD X570 Chipset (Socket AM4) ATX Motherboard (£250)
AMD Ryzen 9 5900X Twelve-Core Processor (£500)
BeQuiet Pure Rock 2 Intel/AMD CPU Air Cooler (£40)
Crucial 32GB (2x16GB) DDR4 2666MHz Memory Module (£150)
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti 8GB Graphics Card (£550)
WD Blue™ SN550 1TB NVME PCI-e Gen 3 Solid State Drive (Read 2400MB/s | Write 1950MB/s) (£90)
Corsair RM Series RM750 80 PLUS Gold Fully Modular ATX Power Supply (£100)

I am thinking to buy it via a PC builder: Novatech, that would do it for £2087 (£300 more expensive than if everything was bought individually). I found that it is quite a good deal as it is already assembled and they have regularly graphic cards available which is tricky to find at the moment at a normal price...

does this configuration make sense?

Thanks,

Paul

 

[Jerry James]

does this configuration make sense?

Yep, I don't see any issues with the build Go for it.

 

[Polo5959]

Great, thanks,
Do i need a sound card? I am planning on recording some tutorial but i am not sure the motherboard needs one?

Also I need to get windows, there are different version (home, pro, workstation) would the home one take use of all the spec?
Prices varies a lot on internet (from £30 to £200 for the pro version for exemple). Are there some things to be aware of before getting one version or another?

 

[Jerry James]

Great, thanks,
Do i need a sound card? I am planning on recording some tutorial but i am not sure the motherboard needs one?

Also I need to get windows, there are different version (home, pro, workstation) would the home one take use of all the spec?
Prices varies a lot on internet (from £30 to £200 for the pro version for exemple). Are there some things to be aware of before getting one version or another?

Nope, the built-in audio card will do just fine As for Windows, I usually grab an OEM key from eBay or something. Depends on availability in your region mostly. You can send me a pm here if you want some help getting your hands on one.