So if you’re thinking about upgrading your setup — or building one from scratch — here are some essentials we’d recommend to make your machine work with you, not against you.

CPU: The engine behind your scene

The processor handles most of the real-time work in Cinema 4D — from moving objects to navigating your scene. For us, a strong CPU means less lag, better previews, and a smoother experience overall.

We’d go with:

• AMD Ryzen 7 or 9 – excellent value and performance

• Intel i7 or i9 – powerful and widely compatible

Both platforms work great. Choose based on your budget and what else you’ll be running.

GPU: The heart of your renders

If you’re using Redshift, your GPU is going to do the heavy lifting. This is where you’ll see the biggest time gains — especially on final frames or animation sequences.

Our go-tos:

• Nvidia RTX 4070 – solid performance without overkill

• Nvidia RTX 4080 – great if you’re doing high-end or multi-scene work

We’ve used both and can vouch: the difference in speed is real.

RAM: The silent helper

You don’t really notice RAM — until you don’t have enough. For most projects, 16 GB is the absolute minimum, but if you’re handling heavy scenes or multitasking with After Effects, go for 32 GB or more.

Bonus: it’s one of the easiest things to upgrade later.

Official Minimum Requirements (for reference)

Even though we recommend going higher, here’s what Cinema 4D and Redshift officially need:

• OS: Windows 10 (version 1809 or later)

• CPU: Intel or AMD 64-bit, SSE3 compatible

• RAM: 16 GB

• GPU (Nvidia): CUDA 5.0+, 8 GB VRAM

• GPU (AMD): RDNA 2+, 8 GB VRAM

• Redshift RT: Requires RTX-capable Nvidia GPU (Windows 10/11)

Final thoughts

Specs are important, but what really matters is how your machine fits into your workflow. If you're unsure where to start, talk to someone who builds PCs professionally — or drop us a line. We’ve tried a few things over the years (some great, some not so much) and we’re happy to share what’s worked for us.