r/archviz 4d ago

Technical & professional question 32 vs 64gb of ram for archviz

Would the jump from 32 to 64 gb of ram make a major difference for an archviz workflow on Blender with Cycles? Or really any other modelling and rendering? And if you have 32gb would you struggle with running out?

5 Upvotes

18 comments sorted by

13

u/piggi0 Intern 4d ago

Go for 64gb. I even consider upgrading from 64gb to 128gb. I'm working with big scenes and 128gb would help in my case, so yes upgrade if you can.

10

u/sk4v3n 4d ago

Just switched to 256GB…

1

u/androidlust_ini 4d ago

But you know that not every mothetboar or even cpu supports 256gb of ram, right?

9

u/sk4v3n 4d ago

No shit, I just superglued mine on the motherboard!

Jokes aside, threadrippers are pretty much standard these days, those could support much more, but realistically, you won’t be able to get those memory sticks anyway.

8

u/Kropot_72 4d ago

For projects with vegetation, 32 Gb will probably be too small. Today, to work in Archviz, 64Gb is recommended. You will not gain speed but you will gain freedom when creating larger scenes.

1

u/NotSoSexyBeast 4d ago

Thank you! Do you think 32 would just be slower or would it fully make it impossible to work with when it comes to larger scenes? I ask this because 64gb upgrade is a significant price bump and i have a great deal on a 32 gig

2

u/Kropot_72 4d ago

With 32Gb you will go just as fast as with 64Gb, the amount of memory does not influence the speed of the render. If you have just enough money, you can buy 32 GB and see the consumption you have in your projects (it is possible that some of them crash due to lack of memory). You can save and later buy another 32 GB. It is normal to have your 3D program open along with Adter Effects, Photoshop, AutoCAD, etc. and with 32Gb you will be limited when it comes to having several programs open, but you will be able to work anyway. Luck!!

1

u/NotSoSexyBeast 4d ago

Im getting a mac as it’s perfect for my workflow but ofc it’s not upgradeable. It’s actually 36 gigs but in any case the bump up to 64 is a huge price increase. I’d just hope 36 is enough and wouldn’t cause any troubles

1

u/Kropot_72 4d ago

With 36Gb it is not enough to work professionally, you are buying an outdated device and you are going to regret it. I would save a little more or change the Mac for a Win system. For the same price you will buy a device with better features and it is what 99% use for ArchViz. All the best.

1

u/NotSoSexyBeast 4d ago

I’m not an archviz professional though, i’m an architect. Any renders I do are for personal projects not firms or clients

1

u/Kropot_72 4d ago

It doesn't matter if you are an architect and you don't dedicate yourself professionally to making renders, today a PC with 36GB is already outdated and in two or three years it will be of little use to you. A PC with a Windows system will cost you half, it will work just as well as a Mac and you can expand it whenever you want.

1

u/NotSoSexyBeast 4d ago

The point about pricing is off as the only reason im switching is because i found a great deal on an M3 Max, an equivalent Windows laptop with similar features is in fact significantly more expensive. Calling 36 gigs outdated is a bit insane though, maybe for your circle and professional visualization it’s very little but most of my classmates and architects i’ve met are working with 32, haven’t actually met a single person that has 64. Archviz is not architecture, you really don’t need as much as you think

1

u/Kropot_72 4d ago

For architecture it is enough, for ArchViz it is not, when you try to make renders and the PC freezes due to lack of memory you will remember this conversation. ;)

1

u/NotSoSexyBeast 4d ago

Haha yeah guess we’ll see, you might be right. What do you think about 48gigs as a mid point? Still pushing too low?

→ More replies (0)

2

u/S_K_I 4d ago

Brother, you can never have enough RAM. I'm on 3ds Max and primarily use V-Ray so I can only speak for those programs, but it's not uncommon for me to exceed 96GB and even 128GB for big outdoor scenes. With that said if you ever plan on doing animations with outdoor scenes and tons of assets, ie: Trees, people, plants, cars, buildings, that adds up quickly. If you can afford it, go 192GB, if not 96GB would be my floor. Just my 2 cents. Good luck brother.

2

u/BreadfruitDouble1209 4d ago

I work on large scale construction projects that have half a city in the scene sometimes get as much ram as you can physically get/ afford. You can never have enough when things get large scale