Graphics Workstations for Rhino

Understand Rhino’s hardware requirements and pick the perfect 3XS Systems graphics workstation for your project

What is Rhino?

Rhino, also known as Rhinoceros or Rhino3D, is a 3D Computer Aided Design (CAD) modeling software package that enables you to accurately model your designs ready for rendering, animation, drafting, engineering, analysis and manufacturing.

What makes the best workstation for Rhino?

Although there is no one ideal workstation for Rhino, this page will guide you through the most important factors to consider. The best place to start is your intended usage - designing and modelling will work well on a lower powered workstation whereas rendering and simulation will require more powerful hardware. Similarly you should also consider whether Rhino will be used standalone or whether other design or rendering packages will be used in your workflow - the below recommendations and guidance focus primarily on the requirements for Rhino software alone, so you may want to read other application pages to understand how systems specifications may be impacted if multiple software applications are used together.

What CPU should I choose for Rhino?

Whether you work with 2D or 3D models, Rhino will benefit from CPUs with a high frequency and high IPC, so CPUs with lots of cores will have little impact as the application is predominantly single-threaded. Considering these parameters we recommend AMD Ryzen 5 or Intel Core i5 CPUs for entry-level Rhino systems, Ryzen 7 and Core i7 for mid-range systems and Ryzen 9 or Core i9 CPUs for high-end systems.

With larger 3D models and if CPU rendering is intended you may want to consider an AMD Ryzen Threadripper or Intel Xeon W CPU with a higher core count as this does involve multi-threading.

What GPU do I need for Rhino?

Rhino is a software application that relies on GPU for the majority of tasks so a basic GPU will suffice if working with 2D models - such as an NVIDIA T-series GPU. When using 3D models, especially larger ones we would recommend a higher specification GPU, such as an NVIDIA RTX A-series GPU card, to cope with the more complex graphics.

In both cases, we would recommend a professional-grade GPU card, as although their consumer counterparts may offer similar performance on paper, they will not be officially certified for Rhino usage, so you may struggle to get support from the GPU manufacturer or Rhino should you encounter a software issue.

How much RAM is recommended for Rhino?

The minimum RAM that we recommend for Rhino is 32GB. If your Rhino usage is heavier than average or if you require several models open alongside each other, or other applications open together then increasing the memory to 64GB is probablywise.

What storage does Rhino need?

We always recommend using an SSD for the boot drive that will host your OS, Rhino itself, and any active projects you are working on. The high speed of SSDs allows your system to boot, launch applications, and load files many times faster than any traditional hard drive. Alternatively, as your work projects increase you may want to consider a second SSD or higher capacity HDD - depending on your budget - so your OS, Rhino and live projects benefit from SSD speed, but your archived work uses the HDD where speed isn’t a necessity and costs can be lowered. Another archive solution could be to employ an external NAS device allowing sharing and RAID protection.

When it comes to deciding on drive capacity, this will very much depend on your number of files and the model sizes. You should also consider the space required by other applications and their associated files too.

Recommended Rhino Workstation Specifications

Workstation specifications
	High-End	Mid-Range	Entry-Level
CPU	AMD Ryzen 9 / Intel Core i9	AMD Ryzen 7 / Intel Core i7	AMD Ryzen 5 / Intel Core i5
RAM	64GB	32GB	32GB
GPU	NVIDIA RTX	NVIDIA RTX	NVIDIA T-series