Hi all, I am doing a lot of Boolean Operations on complex 3D models. The problem is, it takes forever to compute the preview, and then it takes again to compute the final result again after hitting “Apply” I have a Windows 7, 64 bit machine, plenty of HDD, 4 Gigs of Ram, an Intel Quad Core Q9400 at 2,37Ghz and a Nvidea GeForce 9500 GT graphics card - the machine is probably two years old - I am ready to invest some Euros into either an upgrade or a total new machine - But what should I focus on? GPU Power? The CPU? A lot of RAM? Or all of it? thank you for any hints!
For the operations you are using I’m pretty sure it’s CPU dependent. If you use cycles for rendering the video card is the most important but for operations CPU is the main thing. Looks like you will need to build a new machine as that motherboard will probably not support the newer i5 and i7 chips. A i5 3570k would probably be a good price point. As far as RAM goes at least 8gb of the fastest that your new motherboard will support is a good idea. Not exactly sure on graphics card, but a Nvidia 650 or higher will probably be a good bet. Check the Cycles rendering benchmark for more details of what cards are the best. Be sure to get a big enough power supply that will be able to handle the video card + your other parts.
Thanks deamon for the hints.
As for now, I don’t need to do any renderings, just those Boolean operations (in preparation for 3D printing).
All the best
Etienne