Recommended Hardware (Guidelines)

CPU (Processor)

• High clock speeds drive snappy UI, quick script evaluation, and fast single-threaded nodes.
• Moderate core counts help with background renders and multi-tasking without sacrificing frequency.
• For studios juggling comps, rendering, and other tools, consider a higher-core workstation platform for concurrency.

GPU (Graphics & VRAM)

• Nuke leverages the GPU for many operations; more VRAM helps with 4K/6K/8K plates, deep data, and ML-powered tools.
• Favor professional-grade stability and driver support when your pipeline includes SDI monitoring or color-critical stages.
• For GPU renderers (e.g., Redshift/Octane) used alongside Nuke, size VRAM accordingly and consider multi-GPU designs.

Memory (RAM)

• Compositing with high-bit-depth EXRs and many layers eats memory; 32–64GB is a strong baseline for most artists.
• Large shows, deep comp, or multi-app pipelines benefit from 96–128GB+ to avoid paging and cache thrash.

Storage (Scratch, Cache, Project)

• Use a fast NVMe SSD as your Nuke cache/scratch for responsive scrubbing and previewing.
• Keep a separate NVMe for OS/apps and another for active projects; archive to large SATA SSD/HDD or NAS.
• Adopt a tiered storage approach with regular backups. We can integrate NAS or cloud workflows.

Monitoring, I/O, and Thermals

• For broadcast/film review, add SDI/HDMI I/O and calibrated reference displays.
• Quiet, cool chassis keeps clocks high and sessions comfortable during long render days.