Investing in a new computer for the purposes of modelling in Zbrush can be quite a costly investment. If you’re anything like me the technology side of things is difficult to keep up with. All I’m interested in is great performance so you can concentrate on your modelling without hardware limitations. I’ve recently invested in a new rig and through my extensive research and testing I have been able to conclude the following.
Unlike most programs Zbrush can handle millions of polys with ease. In the most part Zbrush primarily utilizes the CPU with minimal reliance on Graphics Cards. It can use all threads of a CPU for the more important computational heavy processes. As such the more CPU cores available the better. This paired with 16GB of RAM will smoothly render large poly count models on screen.
In this article we will address the minimum specs you need for Zbrush, how upgrading your computer can improve performance and exactly what components you should consider upgrading with recommendations.
Zbrush’s Recommended Specs
The best thing about Zbrush is even with a fairly low powered computer you can quite easily use it and create good art. In fact for some time I used a 4 year old laptop with an integrated graphics card and 8 GB of RAM. While it wasn’t ideal I managed to model perfectly until I hit the multi million poly count.
If you reference the Zbrush website for specs their highly recommended specs only state you need a i5/ AMD equivalent CPU with 8GB of RAM and a graphics card newer than 2008. From experience I agree with this.
Why Consider Upgrading Computer for Zbrush
The above recommended specs for Zbrush is great news for anyone looking to get into Zbrush and 3d modelling. But if this is the case can you benefit from more powerful components? The answer to the question is definitely!!
It wont improve your art, no amount of money invested in hardware can do that (besides maybe a drawing tablet check my article out on this here), but it can improve your workflow considerably.
Prior to my recent upgrade I would always have to be weary of poly count at the risk of experiencing reduced performance. Please note I’m talking about millions of polys in this case which is a lot!! However now this is no longer an issue.
Any time I was looking at having to run functions like ZRemesher I had to weigh the benefits of waiting a few minutes against having clean topology. Now it’s almost instantaneous!!
While these issues are minor and you can certainly work around them it’s great to have the ability to focus on your art and not interrupt your creative juices having to wait for your computer to catch up.
What Computer Hardware is Beneficial
This is difficult to say without some actual research so that’s exactly what I did. Running a few common usage scenarios in Zbrush.
My Research
In order to answer this question I followed Zbrushes recommendations and focused on my computer’s CPU usage while performing certain tasks. I did this using my AMD Ryzen 3950x with 16 cores and 32 threads. Honestly I think it may be overkill if you’re only planning on using this CPU for ZBrush.
I created a model with roughly 5 million polys on a single subtool and below is what I observed testing 6 of my most commonly used functions.
| Process | Number of Threads Used |
| ZRemesher | 32 |
| Dynamesh | 1 |
| UV Unwrap | 1 |
| Decimation Master | 32 |
| FBX Export/Import | 2 |
| General Usage | 32 |
I would say the most regularly used functions would be Dynamesh, ZRemesher and of course General Usage (eg. rotating and manipulating the model). All of which besides Dynamesh fully utilized my CPU. Below is an example of the results I got for General Usage.
As you can see the usage was split across my CPU never fully reaching its max. This indicates the 3950x is more than capable of handling such a large load. The more threads you have the more efficient Zbrush runs. This is a huge advantage when it comes to dealing with ridiculously high poly models.
As a final test I tried to see how many polys it took for my CPU to max out. It appeared to be at around 12 million polys on a single subtool when I saw a noticeable difference in the responsiveness of the system.
It is important to note the 12 million is for an active Subtool only. Having multiple subtools adding up to 12 million ran much easier. This is a pro tip and great workaround if you are working on a less powerful system.
Choosing a CPU for Zbrush
Based on my testing I would recommend a CPU with 16 threads to get some pretty decent performance for a reasonable price. In this case I would recommend a AMD Ryzen 3900xt. This is a really popular CPU with 12 cores and 24 threads. For those of you who also game on your computer this is a great choice for gaming enthusiasts.
If you have a little bit of a bigger budget I would certainly recommend the AMD Ryzen 3950x which I’ve personally use and tested for this article. I really cant stress how amazing it is!!
Lastly for those of you who are on a budget the Ryzen 3 3300x is amazing value with 8 threads, and is one of the most popular options for budget friendly build due its performance.
You are probably noticing a theme. I’m a recent AMD convert and you simply can’t beat the quality at the price they offer.
Choosing Ram for Zbrush
From my experience with Zbrush it appears RAM plays a big part. The more RAM you have the better Zbrush can handle higher poly models.
This is evident if you look at the top right hand bar of Zbrush where it actively tracks your RAM’s usage.
Operating Zbrush with 8GB of RAM is possible as you can see even with my large model its isn’t utilizing a lot.
I certainly think 16GB appears to be the ideal amount with 32GB being a little overkill (depending on how many background programs you might be running). As a quick test I tried scaling my model to about 60 million polys this brought my usage to 8.8GB. This lends further proof that 16GB is ideal since Zbrush limits you to a mere 100 million polys (Note the sarcasm).
Provided the RAM is DDR4 I do not believe the type of RAM matters too much. If you have a 2 channel system, Id recommend you aim to only have 2 sticks eg for 16GB of ram have 2x8GB sticks. I personally use the Cosair Vengence. Its a great choice, reasonably priced and it is also low profile if you are also planning on mounting a cooler on your CPU.
Choosing GPU for Zbrush
From what I have researched Zbrush does not heavily rely on graphics cards as such upgrading this would have little effect. I would not recommend spending large amounts of money on a graphics card for the purposes of modelling in Zbrush. You would not get too much value for money in this case.
Is it Worth Upgrading
The best thing about Zbrush is it is quite possible to use with a reasonably low budget computer. However if you are looking at getting a bit more serious about your modelling I would certainly recommend upgrading.
From my experience you don’t know how much better it can be until you try it. I’ve been amazed how much more productive I can be when I’m not constrained to my computer’s performance. If you are a professional or looking to take your modelling a little more seriously this is a worthwhile investment.
Conclusion
Building a computer for the purpose of any CG can be quite confusing. From personal experience I’ve found taking a targeted approach for your hardware needs can save you a lot of money in the long run. Every software package such as Zbrush is different so it’s certainly worth doing your homework before sinking lots of money into a system you may not need.
I hope you have found this article useful and I wish you good luck with your CG endeavours.