5 Best Desktops for VFX 2023

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Best Desktops for VFX

The industry of the VFX is huge and it is rapidly growing day by day. To be a professional of this field, one needs a very highly configured computer setup. A PC with ultrafast processing speed and updated system configurations are the basic requirements of this industry.

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Minimum & Recommended System Requirements for VFX 

For creating any VFX effect, you need to choose a high-end system. Low-end PCs are not capable enough to tackle those applications that are used for this purpose.

But if you have a tight budget then you should consider a PC that has at least an Intel Core i7 processor, 16 GB RAM, and a powerful and efficient GPU.

But if you are a professional-level VFX creator, you need to consider high-end configurations like an Intel i9 processor, 32 GB RAM, updated NVIDIA GPU, and an SSD with huge storage capacity. 

Minimum System Requirements: Intel Core i7-10700F | 16GB RAM | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Super | 480GB M.2 SSD and 1TB HDD.

Recommended System Requirements: Intel 8-Core i9-11900KB or better processor | 32GB RAM or more | NVIDIA RTX 3080 or better GPU | 1TB Gen4 NVMe M.2 SSD and 2TB HDD or more storage.

5 Best Desktops for VFX:

1. Intel NUC 11 Extreme Mini PC – Overall Best

Intel NUC 11 Extreme Mini PC

Bottom Line: For professional VFX creators, this is the best option. With high-end configurations and top-notch performance, this mini PC can boost your productivity to a new level.

Key Features:

  • Storage: 1TB NVMe SSD
  • RAM: 32GB
  • Processor: Intel 8-Core i9-11900 KB
  • OS: Windows 11 Pro
  • GPU: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti

This is a power-packed mini PC. It comes with an updated Intel i9-11900 KB processor which has 8 cores.

This powerful processor is assisted by 8 GB NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti. The 32 GB RAM and 1 TB SSD give this product enough power to process any high-end software with great speed and accuracy.

Updated connectivity features like WiFi-6E, thunderbolt 4, and RJ-45, make this device very user-friendly. Latest OS – Windows 11 Pro is pre-installed in this product.

Some RGB fittings are also present there to make its outfit classy.

Any high-end user, whether he creates VFX or edits videos, or loves to play games will be pleased with the powerful smooth performance of this product. 

Pros

  • Smooth processing and great graphical performance. 
  • Double thunderbolt ports through USB Type-C interface
  • Dual brand inbuilt Wi-Fi 6E connectivity

Cons

  • The cooling section is not so powerful
  • Not upgradable
  • Non-customizable RGB lights

2. CORSAIR ONE i160 – Runner Up

CORSAIR ONE i160

Bottom Line: Having a very powerful processor, the PC has great responsiveness and in terms of productivity this device is also quite rich. While creating advanced VFX, its updated configurations helps a lot; that’s the reason we have placed it in the ‘Runner Up’ position. 

Key Features

  • Storage: 480 GB M.2 SSD and 2 TB HDD
  • RAM: 32 GB DDR4
  • Processor: Intel Core i9 9900K 
  • OS: Windows 10 Home
  • GPU: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Ti

As a well-known desktop manufacturer, Corsair has a wide range of computers of various price ranges.

Most of the products of this company are very compactly designed and have very stylish, unique outfits and this product is not exceptional.

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It also has updated configurations. It is equipped with Intel Core i9 9900K and the base clock speed of this highly powerful processor is 3.0 GHz.

The PC has an advanced liquid cooling system that helps the processor to process with such a great speed; this feature helps the VFX creators a lot.

This advanced cooling system also makes the PC completely silent. Having 32 GB DDR4 RAM the device can open various files quickly.

The octa-core processor is placed upon the mini ITX motherboard. The RGB lightings of the casing are easily customizable.

This updated system of Corsair has both SSD and HDD as its storage. The buyers can transfer various files very quickly by using the 480 GB solid-state drive of this PC and to store various huge data they can simply use the 2 TB hard disk drive.

The SSD also helps the product to enhance its processing speed. The graphics card that is present in the device is also very powerful.

NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Ti helps the product to process flawlessly even with 4K contents. On the other hand, this computer of Corsair is a VR ready product.

The users can attach three 4K display units with this PC; this feature is really helpful to create a proper working environment for creating VFX.

The company has attached useful updated USB ports in it. This PC runs on Windows 10 Home. 

Pros

  • Having a very compact design, it is easy to fit in any space or environment.
  • The updated configurations of this product help it to process very quickly.
  • The PC is very silent when it gets operated.

Cons

  • The users have to compromise with the numbers of the USB ports as its design is very compact.
  • The users can’t operate this PC with any old OS.
  • The pump of the cooling system sometimes gets stuck.

3. Thermaltake View 380 – Easy Upgradable

Thermaltake View 380

Bottom Line: VFX has several standards. This PC has adequate specifications for creating any moderate-level VFX. However, if you want to increase your level of work, you can simply upgrade the configurations of this Thermaltake View 380.

Key Features:

  • Storage: 1TB Gen4 NVMe M.2 SSD
  • RAM: 16GB
  • Processor: AMD Ryzen 7 5800X
  • OS: Windows 10 Home
  • GPU: NVIDIA RTX 3080

This desktop is a powerful, efficient, liquid-cooled system. The AMD Ryzen 7 5800X is a very efficient chip and can process any type of mid-range software with ease.

When creating VFX, the GPU plays a crucial role, and this PC features a 10 GB NVIDIA RTX 3080.

So this device can generate very realistic top-notch graphical performance. 16 GB DDR4 RAM and 1 TB NVMe Gen4 M.2 SSD ensure very fast processing and booting time.

It comes with closed-loop liquid cooling with a 360mm radiator. So it hardly gets overheated while running for a long time.

RGB fittings, inbuilt Wi-Fi, and an easy upgrade facility are the other promising factors that make it one of the preferred options for VFX creators.

Pros

  • 360mm radiator liquid cooling facility
  • Option to attach multiple displays
  • Temper glass side panels

Cons

  • Bulky design
  • Expensive
  • Windows 11 is missing

4. Omen by HP Obelisk – Stable Performance

Omen by HP Obelisk

Bottom Line: The combined outcome of the installed processor and GPU helps the PC to offer a stable performance. The users can also upgrade its RAM and storage capacity. These features make this device a very standard choice for the VFX creators.

Key Features

  • Storage: 1 TB SSD 
  • RAM: 32 GB 
  • Processor: Intel Core i9 9900K 
  • OS: Windows 10 Home
  • GPU: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 SUPER

To make a prominent VFX, a highly classified computer is the very basic tool and this product of HP is one of the best options for them as it offers a constant stable performance.

It possesses updated parts that include a powerful processor, GPU, RAM, etc. NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 SUPER is present in this PC and its capacity is 8 GB.

The graphics card is quite powerful and the users can run most of the updated games by using this 8 GB GPU.

This product also comes with a very powerful updated 9th gen Intel Core i9-9900K processor. The combination of these two powerful processing units makes the PC very efficient.

This computer from HP is a VR ready device. This easily upgradable computer is equipped with a micro ATX motherboard. The PC has 1 TB PCle(R) NVMe M.2 SSD drive.

The users can easily upgrade the capacity of the storage of this device, by using the two extra free storage spaces.

To make the product’s external outfit very attractive, the company has attached RGB lightings and transparent glass panels in this product.

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The RGB lights of the device are easily changeable and it makes its outfit very eye-catchy. The PC supports RAM up to 64 GB, but initially, it comes with 32 GB and it is a HyperX RAM.

The Omen by HP Obelisk operates on Windows 10 Home.

The GPU that is present in this PC supports real-time ray tracing technology; this advanced GPU is a good choice to create a prominent VFX.

Pros

  • This computer of HP has the updated liquid cooling system.
  • Inbuilt Wi-Fi connection of this device helps the users to connect various peripherals wirelessly. 
  • The users can easily upgrade the computer’s configurations.

Cons

  • The capacity of the storage is only 1 TB.
  • The two cooling fans inside the cabinet are too loud.
  • There are plenty of preinstalled software in this PC and those can’t be uninstalled.

5. HP Envy TE01 – Great Graphical Performance

HP Envy TE01

Bottom Line: A powerful updated graphics card is used in this product; that gives it a great graphical capability; that is a must feature in any PC which is going to be used for creating VFX. The processor and other components of this device are also very powerful and updated.

Key Features

  • Storage: 512 GB PCIe SSD and 1 TB HDD
  • RAM: 32 GB DDR4
  • Processor: 10th Gen Intel Core i7-10700F 
  • OS: Windows 10 Home
  • GPU: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Super

Nowadays productivity of the pre-build computers has become a major concern and most of the branded companies try to make their systems as productive as possible.

To do so, they are trying their best to attach most of the updated components as possible.

The most attractive part of this HP Envy TE01-1177c desktop is its 10th Generation Intel Core i7-10700F processor and its huge capability makes this device a perfect choice for the VFX users.

2.90 GHz is the average clocking speed of this octa-core processor and while performing any CPU oriented tasks, this numerical value can be changed to 4.70 as this powerful processor supports Turbo Boost Technology.

The 16 MB smart cache memory also helps this powerful PC to offer very speedy and stable performances. To offer a great speedy performance a 32 GB DDR4 SDRAM is used in this device.

In this respect, the 512GB PCIe NVMe M.2 SSD also plays a crucial role silently. The 1 TB SATA HDD that is used in it, is also quite fast and the rotational speed of this mechanical drive is 7200 RPM.

Optical drive that is very uncommon in the updated PCs is present in this product of HP. This powerful product operates on Windows 10 Home.

To track various high graphical data, this device uses its NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER. This 6 GB GDDR6 dedicated GPU, is highly capable of handling HD contents.

The combined outcome of this powerful graphic card and processor offers the most satisfactory performance and it helps the users a lot while creating any VFX.

The inbuilt Wi-Fi 5 and Bluetooth 5 connectivity, help the device to offer the most stable wireless connectivity.

The users can use 4 USB Type-A ports, 1 USB Type C port to connect various peripherals or to externally transfer various files.

1 combo port of headphone and microphone, 1 HDMI port and 1 display port are also present HP Envy TE01

Pros

  • The sleek design of the device is very eye-catchy.
  • One can find an optical drive in this PC.
  • Being equipped with updated components, the PC is very productive.

Cons

How to Choose Right Desktop for VFX?

Best Desktops for VFX

As mentioned earlier, to become a professional in the VFX industry, a user must possess an advanced computer.

If you work at the office of a company or in any professional studio, then the company has to give you a powerful PC.

But, if you are an individual freelancer, or a student of this field, and want to prosper in this line, then you have to invest money in a decent, powerful, updated computer.

An advanced PC with updated features is the key tool to perform the VFX assignments at home.

Insufficient and those PCs that process data slowly can hamper the user’s capability and as a result, he can’t complete the assignment within its deadline.

If the user has a basic computer setup, then he has to update it properly or has to invest in another new, advanced PC to perform various projects of VFX.

The user has to choose the configurations of the PC depending upon the level of the project he has assigned. He has to perform different operations to create the perfect output of the project.

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According to the difficulties of those operations, he has to choose the PC’s specifications. In any VFX project, animation and simulation are the two major pillars and by using real-time rendering the creator creates the perfect visualizations.

So, depending upon the working procedure, every creator of visual effects has to choose his PC.

A beginner can get confused while buying a perfect PC for performing VFX work. So we are providing a buyer’s guide to help them out. 

Graphical Ability

To create visual effects the users need some specific software. With the advancement of technologies, those software are also getting updated accordingly.

To run software like 3DS Max or Maya one needs a decent GPU. Most of the software of this category needs basic graphical processing.

A great graphical unit helps the VFX creators to create various scenes very easily. Just by attacking a great GPU one can speed up his productivity.

The updated models of NVIDIA are the best choice for this field. The users can easily go with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 SUPER or the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Ti. 

The Processor

As we all know, the processor is the key processing unit in any PC. The capability of handling various software of a computer mainly depends on the processor that is installed in that product.

For this particular field, Intel’s i7 or the similar counterparts from AMD is a decent choice. But the professional VFX creators prefer to use i9 products from Intel.

These processors are very costly and very efficient at their work. Processors of lower range like Intel i3 or i5 are not suitable for creating visual effects.

If the users use these insufficient processors there is a high possibility that the software that they use to create VFX can get stuck.

So, the users have to be very selective while choosing the processor for their PC.

The Primary Memory

The speed of any computer has a direct relation to the capacity of the RAM that is present on that particular system.

It also defines the PC’s ability. This primary memory is responsible for interlinking various software and their results.

More RAM capacity provides smoother and stable performance.

When one works on a big project, the multitasking ability of the PC plays a major role and in this respect, the primary memory plays the key role.

For VFX 32 RAM is the basic requirement but for getting more stable performance, the professionals of this field go with 64 GB.

Storage Type and Storing Capability

While creating a proper VFX, the storage unit plays an equally important role as the other parts of a computer do.

The VFX creators have to maintain huge amounts of data regularly. The sizes of the animated videos are too large and they can fill up the entire storage of a PC very quickly.

So, the users need huge storage space. This era is considered as the era of seed. In this aspect, SSDs offer faster processing speed than the traditional HDDs.

But the main issue with the SSDs is the huge price tag. A standard choice for this purpose is 1 TB SSD and 2 TB HDD.

But the users have to choose the PCs’ storage capacity, depending upon their budgets and usages.

Additional Features

The PC that is going to be used for creating VFX that must have to be easily upgradable because the users have to customize their system from time to time depending upon the project he has assigned.

He has to change the GPU and RAM of the PC frequently. In terms of processor, it is good to go with the ultimate choice.

If the user’s budget is low, then he can go with the products of AMD. Budget is the major factor while choosing a desktop for creating VFX.

The buyers have to invest a huge amount of money in it. So, it is good to go with such a PC that offers more warranty period.                                    

About Dominic Chooper

AvatarDominic Chooper, an alumnus of Texas Tech University (TTU), possesses a profound expertise in the realm of computer hardware. Since his early childhood, Dominic has been singularly passionate about delving deep into the intricate details and inner workings of various computer systems. His journey in this field is marked by over 12 years of dedicated experience, which includes specialized skills in writing comprehensive reviews, conducting thorough testing of computer components, and engaging in extensive research related to computer technology. Despite his professional engagement with technology, Dominic maintains a distinctive disinterest in social media platforms, preferring to focus his energies on his primary passion of understanding and exploring the complexities of computer hardware.

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Dominic Chooper
Dominic Chooper, an alumnus of Texas Tech University (TTU), possesses a profound expertise in the realm of computer hardware. Since his early childhood, Dominic has been singularly passionate about delving deep into the intricate details and inner workings of various computer systems. His journey in this field is marked by over 12 years of dedicated experience, which includes specialized skills in writing comprehensive reviews, conducting thorough testing of computer components, and engaging in extensive research related to computer technology. Despite his professional engagement with technology, Dominic maintains a distinctive disinterest in social media platforms, preferring to focus his energies on his primary passion of understanding and exploring the complexities of computer hardware.
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