ZBrushCentral

New computer, what specs?

ZBrush Usage Questions
#1

Hi people,

I’m about to buy a new computer and wanted your opinions on it with regards to optimal performance for ZBrush.
Should I stick with 4 GB of RAM and 32bit Windows (Vista), or, if I can afford it, should I opt for 8 GB of RAM and 64bit Windows (Vista), would that make a big difference?
(that would be 800MHz Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM)

About the graphics card, which one would be better:

  • 1024MB nVIDIA GeForce 9600GT, or
  • XFX nVIDIA® GeForce 9800GTX+ 512MB DDR3 (less RAM but faster core?)

MainProcessor:
Is there a big difference between for example a:

  • Intel Core 2 Quad Q9650 Quad Core Processor (3.00Ghz, 12MB Cache), or and older
    -Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 Quad Core Processor(2.4GHz,8MB Cache,1066MHz)
    with regards to working in ZBrush…or is the graphics card more important?

Is Windows Vista ok? Or are people still sticking with XP pro ?

Any thoughts would be much appreciated.

cheers

#2

My recommendation is to go with 64-bit regardless of whether you have 4 GB or 8 GB of RAM. 32-bit versions of Windows can’t give more than 2 GB of RAM to any app.

I’ve been using Vista for quite some time now and am happy with it. Your mileage may vary. :slight_smile:

Graphics card plays no real role in ZBrush. You should have one that’s OpenGL capable, but beyond that it really doesn’t matter.

After RAM, CPU is the most important factor in ZBrush performance. I’d save money off the GPU and put it into the better CPU.

#3

Thanks Aurick , that’s a big help !