Workstations for Unreal Engine
Unreal Engine’s frame rate comes from the GPU, while compiling and light baking lean on the CPU. We size these machines for the viewport first, then for build times and nDisplay.
What matters for Unreal Engine
- GPU speed for viewport and game frame rate
- CPU cores for code and shader compiling
- GPU memory for large scenes
- A second GPU only for nDisplay work
In Unreal Engine the GPU drives the viewport and game frame rate. Mainstream processors score similarly for frame rate, but compiling code and shaders is different: the 32-core Threadripper 9970X is about twice as fast as Core Ultra. Standard pairs the Ryzen 9 9950X3D with an NVIDIA RTX PRO 4500 32GB, a strong value choice. Heavy moves to the Threadripper 9970X with 256GB and two NVIDIA RTX PRO 5000 48GB cards, with 48GB per card for virtual production, archviz and VR. For memory, 32GB suits most users, with 64GB or more when lighting builds take hours. A second GPU helps in one case: nDisplay can render the inner frustum entirely on a second GPU for in-camera VFX (Epic nDisplay). Without NVLink, data moves between the cards over PCIe, which may be slower. The path tracer’s multi-GPU mode requires NVLink (Epic path tracer), which RTX PRO Blackwell cards do not have, so a second card will not speed up path tracing. Heavy and Studio both have that second GPU, and Studio moves to two RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell Max-Q 96GB cards.
Recommended configurations
Unreal Engine – 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
Unreal Engine – Heavy
Atom · 2× NVIDIA RTX PRO 5000 48GB
For professionals and freelancers
- CPU: AMD Ryzen Threadripper 9970X 32 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
£35,963.07 inc VAT
£29,969.24 ex VAT
Built to order · dispatched in 11 working days
Unreal Engine – Studio
Atom · 2x NVIDIA RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell Max-Q 96GB
For studios and small teams
- CPU: AMD Ryzen Threadripper 9970X 32 Core
- RAM: 4 × 64GB RDIMM ECC DDR5 6400
- PCIe slots (16x): 2 × Nvidia RTX Pro 6000 Blackwell Max-Q 96GB
- NVMe M.2 Drives (Gen 5): Samsung 9100 Pro Gen 5 4TB
- Operating System: Microsoft Windows 11 Pro
£51,056.95 inc VAT
£42,547.48 ex VAT
Built to order · dispatched in 11 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 Unreal Engine
Share your Unreal Engine version, whether you work in games, archviz or virtual production, your current hardware and what slows you down. We will review the right configuration and confirm availability before you order.
Frequently asked questions
Not with current cards. Epic says multi-GPU path tracing requires NVLink (Epic path tracer), and RTX 50 Series and RTX PRO Blackwell cards do not have it. A single strong card is the better choice for path tracing.
nDisplay. Epic says the inner frustum can be rendered entirely on a second GPU for in-camera VFX (Epic nDisplay). Without NVLink, transfers between cards go over PCIe, which may be slower.
Some virtual production work needs GPUs that can sync several systems, video walls and certain cameras. The RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell Workstation Edition can do this. If your stage needs sync, tell us and we will confirm the right card.
For frame rate, mainstream processors perform similarly. For compiling code and shaders, the 32-core Threadripper 9970X is about twice as fast as Core Ultra, which is why Heavy and Studio use it.
Standard suits a single developer or artist on a budget. Heavy suits a professional or freelancer working in virtual production, archviz or VR, or anyone who compiles often. Studio is for a studio or team running nDisplay, with a second GPU for the inner frustum.
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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