When it comes to working with any software like Redshift, project scope varies immensely—from simple low-poly assets to vast cityscapes intended for blockbuster films. Because of this variety, recommending a single, universal hardware configuration that fits all demands is extremely challenging.

That’s why we will examine some common Redshift project types to offer tailored hardware suggestions for each specific level. By matching your hardware to your particular project, you can determine the most efficient setup for your Redshift work. Let’s explore!

Simple Projects

Projects classified as “simple” typically involve characteristics that make them less hardware-intensive. They feature assets with lower polygons, lower-resolution textures, and simple lighting. A significant percentage of projects rendered with Redshift fall into this “simple” category.

Source: eegoridze

Hardware Suggestions:

• GPU: For simple projects with 50,000 to 200,000 polygons, you can manage with entry-level hardware. Any modern GPU with at least 8 GB of VRAM will be sufficient as a starting point.
• CPU: The CPU does not need to be overly powerful as long as it avoids bottlenecking the GPU and has sufficient PCIe Lanes (>= PCIe 3.0 x8). Any CPU with decent single-core performance (>900 in Single Score and >3,000 in Multi Score in Cinebench R23) and has at least a 2.5GHz clock speed will do. Having more cores does not matter much.
• RAM: While 16 GB of RAM is enough to run Redshift at this level, 32 GB or higher is strongly recommended. This extra capacity helps manage the memory usage of modern operating systems and essential background applications.

Intermediate Projects

The vast majority of projects rendered with Redshift—whether by hobbyists or seasoned professionals—fall into this “intermediate projects” category.

Source: Wim Coene

This level typically involves numerous assets, various textures, and complex effects to produce visually stunning renders. At this stage, more powerful hardware is essential to keep pace with the growing complexity and demands of the scenes.

Hardware Suggestions:

• GPU: For intermediate 3D projects with around 500,000 polygons up to millions that use many high-quality textures and complex effects, you’ll need a current-generation mid-to-high-end graphics card. The GPU should ideally have 12 GB VRAM or more to handle the heavy texture load. For example, cards like the NVIDIA RTX 4070, 4080, or newer equivalents are recommended.
• CPU: The CPU requirement is centered on data flow and viewport performance. The primary concern is ensuring the CPU can feed enough data to the GPU for fast rendering and maintains a smooth viewport experience. A CPU with at least 3 to 4GHz clock speeds and high single-core performance (>1300 in Single Score and >9000 Multi Score in Cinebench R23) is recommended.
• RAM: We suggest making 32 GB of RAM the minimum standard for this tier. This capacity ensures that complex scenes and high-resolution textures are handled efficiently.

Complex Projects

Complex projects represent the most demanding types of scenes, pushing hardware limits to the upper extreme. These scenes are extremely intricate, such as highly detailed cityscapes and huge landscapes with millions or even billions of individual assets scattered throughout.

Source: Nick Hiatt

Creating and rendering scenes at this level demands immense computational power and extensive memory.

Hardware Suggestions:

• GPU: For very complex 3D projects with millions or even billions of polygons and sophisticated effects, you need the most powerful graphics card available with massive video memory. We recommend a minimum of 24 GB of VRAM, which is the current consumer flagship ceiling (e.g., NVIDIA RTX 4090). For artists anticipating future needs, seeking next-generation cards with 32 GB VRAM (like the speculated RTX 5090) would be suitable.
• Pro-Grade VRAM: If your work genuinely requires VRAM exceeding 24 GB, you must consider Pro-level GPUs (e.g., NVIDIA Quadro/RTX Ada Generation), which offer 32 GB, 48 GB, or more. However, these Pro cards typically have a considerably lower performance-per-dollar ratio than consumer counterparts.

Source: NVIDIA

• CPU: You will need a powerful CPU, not just to avoid bottlenecking the GPU but also to adequately process all the geometry and assets within the scene. Unfortunately, since Redshift is not highly multi-threaded for final rendering, simply using a high-core-count AMD Threadripper CPU will not provide the best performance. Accordingly, you’ll need a CPU with very high single-core performance and high boost clock speeds to process this level of complexity.
• RAM: We recommend a minimum of 64 GB of RAM, though 128 GB or even 256 GB would be preferable. Given the extreme amount of geometry and textures in these scenes, you may often encounter insufficient GPU VRAM; having a large amount of system RAM as a backup is critical to mitigate performance issues.

Render Redshift faster and cheaper on 3S Cloud Render Farm

As your Redshift projects move from the Intermediate to the Complex tier, the financial and logistical burden of managing dedicated high-end hardware becomes unsustainable. This is where 3S Cloud Render Farm offers a flexible, powerful solution.

3S Cloud Render Farm operates as a SaaS (Software as a Service) render farm, allowing you to simply submit your job and let our infrastructure handle the massive computational load.

Why Artists Choose 3S Cloud for Redshift:

• Guaranteed Redshift & C4D Support: We fully support Redshift across all essential versions of Cinema 4D, including C4D 21, 23, 24, 25, 26, 2023, 2024, and 2025. This ensures total compatibility for your project files.
• Worry-Free Workflow: Our process is streamlined: submit your job, and we handle the heavy lifting. You can focus entirely on your creative work.
• Key Features: We offer Free Preview Renders so you can check your output and accurately estimate the cost before committing to the full render.

Using a professional render farm for Redshift is the most efficient way to get your projects done fast and on budget, especially when facing highly complex scenes. 

Ready to render Redshift faster? Sign up today and get a $5 Free Trial to test our service for yourself.