Hey everyone! I'm considering a shift from my current Intel Core i5-12600K to an AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D for my 3D VFX work using Arnold and Houdini Karma. Typically, I use my GPU for quick test renders and switch to the CPU for final outputs due to VRAM limitations on my RTX 3080 (only 10GB). I'm aware that making this switch would mean upgrading not just the CPU, but also the motherboard and RAM. Before I dive into this upgrade, I'd love to hear your thoughts—am I making a sensible choice or is this a mistake? Any insights would be super helpful!
2 Answers
Hey, have you checked whether your rendering software supports AMD processors? Some programs tend to perform better or are exclusively optimized for Intel CPUs. Your build looks solid otherwise, but it's good to double-check compatibility before making the switch!
It might be worth looking at a B850 motherboard instead of the X870 series. The USB4 chip on those boards takes up four CPU PCIe lanes, which might squeeze your GPU down to x8 lanes if you use two NVMe slots. This can slow down render times even though it might not affect gaming performance much. On a B850, the second NVMe slot runs at full speed without affecting GPU lanes.
I didn't know this! Thank you so much for the advice!
Ahh, good point! My main goal is to get a CPU with a lot of cores; I’ve been comparing the Ryzen 9950X and the i7 14700K. The Intel has fewer powerful cores, which is why I'm leaning towards Ryzen.