Workstations for TouchDesigner
TouchDesigner’s main thread runs on one CPU core, so clock speed and the graphics card come first. For more outputs, we add GPUs and run one TouchDesigner process on each.
What matters for TouchDesigner
- High single-thread CPU speed for the main TouchDesigner thread
- An NVIDIA GPU with 8GB or more of memory
- RTX PRO cards for large-format playback from the GPU or SDI boards
- Fast NVMe storage for high-bitrate video
Derivative says the main TouchDesigner thread runs on a single core, so the fastest clock in your class matters more than core count (Derivative video server guide). TouchDesigner needs Vulkan 1.1 and at least 4GB of GPU memory, with 8GB or more recommended (Derivative system requirements). Derivative recommends NVIDIA, and a professional card when playing back large-format video directly from the graphics card or using SDI expansion boards. HAP video decodes on the GPU, while NotchLC leans more on the CPU, and NVMe storage keeps playback fed.
Standard and Heavy use one GPU: the NVIDIA RTX PRO 4500 32GB in the Electron, then the NVIDIA RTX PRO 5000 48GB in the Photon for touring installs. Studio moves to an Atom with two RTX PRO 6000 Max-Q cards. Since 2022.20000, GPU affinity binds each TouchDesigner process to one GPU, so two cards run two processes (Derivative multi-GPU guide). That adds outputs, not speed for a single process, and Mosaic does not add performance.
Recommended configurations
TouchDesigner – 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
TouchDesigner – Heavy
Photon · NVIDIA RTX PRO 5000 48GB
For professionals and freelancers
- CPU: AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D
- RAM: 128GB DDR5 6000 2x64GB
- PCIe Slot: Nvidia RTX Pro 5000 Blackwell 48GB
- NVMe Storage (Gen 5.0): Samsung 9100 Pro Gen 5 4TB
- Operating System: Microsoft Windows 11 Pro
£15,030.19 inc VAT
£12,525.16 ex VAT
Built to order · dispatched in 10 working days
TouchDesigner – Studio
Atom · 2x NVIDIA RTX PRO 6000 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 TouchDesigner
Share your TouchDesigner version, outputs, video formats and capture needs. We will review the right configuration and confirm availability before you order.
Frequently asked questions
Not for a single process. GPU affinity, available since 2022.20000, binds one TouchDesigner process to one GPU, so a second card lets you run a second process and drive more outputs (Derivative multi-GPU guide). A project that runs as one process gains nothing from extra GPUs, and Mosaic does not add performance.
Derivative recommends a professional card when you play back large-format video directly from the graphics card or use SDI expansion boards (Derivative video server guide). The NVIDIA RTX PRO 4500 32GB and NVIDIA RTX PRO 5000 48GB in Standard and Heavy are professional cards too, so every tier here meets that guidance.
Derivative describes the Blackmagic DeckLink 8K Pro as well tested, alongside cards from AJA, Bluefish444 and Datapath (Derivative video server guide). Tell us which inputs you need and we will confirm the card before you order.
HAP decodes on the GPU, while NotchLC relies more on the CPU (Derivative video server guide). Derivative recommends NVMe or NVMe RAID storage for playback.
Standard suits most single-process projects. Heavy raises the GPU memory to 48GB with the NVIDIA RTX PRO 5000 48GB in the Photon, for touring installs. Studio is for multi-output work you can split into two processes, one per GPU, and for large-format playback or SDI on RTX PRO cards.
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