Workstations for Houdini
Houdini simulations depend on system memory and CPU cores, while Karma XPU renders across NVIDIA GPUs. We size these machines for your simulations first, then for rendering.
What matters for Houdini
- System memory for the size of your simulations
- CPU cores for simulations, high clocks for modelling
- At least 12GB of GPU memory, more for GPU Vellum and Pyro
- NVIDIA GPUs for Karma XPU
System memory is the major driver for Houdini simulations: 64GB or more for particles and fluids, 128 to 256GB for large sims, and 512GB or more for several sims at once, which may need a Threadripper PRO. Modelling runs on one core, while simulations use more. SideFX requires 12GB of GPU memory or more, with 16GB or more ideal for GPU Vellum and Pyro (SideFX requirements). Houdini itself has no use for more than one card, but Karma XPU renders on the CPU and NVIDIA GPUs together and uses multiple GPUs (SideFX Karma XPU). It does not pool memory across cards and slows down significantly when it has to evict textures, so memory per card matters. Standard pairs one NVIDIA RTX PRO 4500 32GB with 128GB. Heavy moves to the 64-core Threadripper 9980X, 256GB and two NVIDIA RTX PRO 5000 48GB cards for large sims and Karma XPU. Studio uses the 96-core Threadripper PRO 9995WX, 1TB and four RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell Max-Q 96GB cards for parallel sims and Karma XPU.
Recommended configurations
Houdini – Standard
Electron · NVIDIA RTX PRO 4500 32GB
For a single artist or engineer
- CPU: AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D
- RAM: 128GB DDR5 6000 2x64GB
- PCIe slots (16x): Nvidia RTX Pro 4500 Blackwell 32GB
- NVMe Storage (Gen 5.0): Samsung 9100 Pro Gen 5 2TB
- Operating System: Microsoft Windows 11 Pro
£11,537.75 inc VAT
£9,614.79 ex VAT
Built to order · dispatched in 4 working days
Houdini – Heavy
Atom · 2× NVIDIA RTX PRO 5000 48GB
For professionals and freelancers
- CPU: AMD Ryzen Threadripper 9980X 64 Core
- RAM: 4 × 64GB RDIMM ECC DDR5 6400
- PCIe slots (16x): 2 × Nvidia RTX Pro 5000 Blackwell 48GB
- NVMe M.2 Drives (Gen 5): Samsung 9100 Pro Gen 5 4TB
- Operating System: Microsoft Windows 11 Pro
£38,555.07 inc VAT
£32,129.24 ex VAT
Built to order · dispatched in 11 working days
Houdini – Studio
Nano Pro · 4x NVIDIA RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell Max-Q 96GB
For studios and small teams
- CPU: AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 9995WX 96 Core
- RAM: 8 × 128GB RDIMM ECC DDR5 6400
- PCIe Options: 4 × Nvidia RTX Pro 6000 Blackwell Max-Q 96GB
- NVMe M.2 Drives (Gen 5): Samsung 9100 Pro Gen 5 8TB
- Operating System: Microsoft Windows 11 Pro
£148,064.14 inc VAT
£123,386.81 ex VAT
Built to order · dispatched in 12 working days
Each recommended system is a starting point. Select Customise to add components or change the specification before you order.
Tell us what you need for Houdini
Share your Houdini version, the simulations and renders you run, your current hardware and what slows you down. We will review the right configuration and confirm availability before you order.
Frequently asked questions
Allow 64GB or more for particles and fluids, 128 to 256GB for large sims, and 512GB or more for several sims at once. SideFX strongly recommends 64GB for fluid simulations (SideFX requirements). Standard has 128GB, Heavy 256GB and Studio 1TB.
Houdini itself has no use for more than one card. Karma XPU does use multiple GPUs (SideFX Karma XPU), which is why Studio has four. We have not seen scaling data beyond four, so we stop there.
No. Karma XPU uses NVIDIA GPUs through OptiX, alongside the CPU (SideFX Karma XPU). Every configuration here uses NVIDIA cards.
Karma XPU does not pool memory across cards, so each card needs room for the scene, and SideFX says the GPU slows down significantly when it has to evict textures (SideFX Karma XPU). Studio’s 96GB cards give the most room.
Standard suits a single artist on a budget with moderate sims. Heavy suits a professional or freelancer running large sims, with 64 cores and 256GB. Studio is for a studio or team running several sims at once and rendering with Karma XPU.
Talk to someone at Renderboxes
Not sure which build is right? Speak to our team and we will help you choose the right configuration for your work.
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Tell us what you are working on and we will recommend a configuration.
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