Using Blender on an old laptop or low-end PC can be really frustrating. If you've been struggling to run Blender on a low-end PC, you might be wondering how to optimize Blender for low-end PC setups to make Blender run smoother and faster. Long wait times, frozen frames, and crashes are part of your everyday life. But let me tell you, it doesn’t have to be like this. In the following paragraphs, I share a few tips and general principles to make your 3D work enjoyable on any machine.

One of my recent creations in Blender!

Optimize Viewport

There’s nothing more satisfying than a smooth and responsive viewport experience. It is just so much more fun to work in Blender when your edits update in real-time and animations can be played back fluently. If you are working on an outdated laptop or trying to use Blender on a low-end PC, you're probably used to long waiting times and lagging viewports. Adjusting your Blender settings for low-end PCs can significantly improve Blender performance. Here are a few tips to prevent these common issues and improve your 3D viewport performance:

• Keep the visible geometry light: Bring down the subdivision levels or turn them off completely for preview, hide objects you are currently not working on, and temporarily disable unnecessary modifiers. For those working on game development, learning how to optimize game assets in Blender can further enhance your viewport performance.

• Simplify viewport settings: You don’t need to have shadows, cavity, depth of field, or see the textures while modeling. Make use of the simplify tab in the render properties. This allows you to globally turn down subdivision levels, limit texture resolutions, and optimize volumetrics without having to adjust those settings for each object individually. This section is your best friend as a low-performance Blender user!

• Disable unused add-ons: Blender slows down significantly if you have many plugins enabled. Only turn those on that you are actually using for the current project.

Simplify, the key to smooth viewport performance.

Optimize Rendering

By far, the most performance-dependent task in any 3D software is rendering. With a slow PC or when running Blender on a low-end PC, you’ll never achieve stunning render times and can only dream of real-time rendering; however, there are still quite a few adjustments you can make to speed things up and optimize Blender performance. As this is a frequently discussed topic in 3D communities, there is a lot of content available. Here are a few videos that I found to be valuable for render optimization:

• 18 Ways to Speed Up Blender Cycles Rendering by Andrew Price: This fantastic tutorial was recorded a few years back with an outdated version of Blender; however, the same principles still apply. You can learn a lot about rendering and get speed improvements from those 18 tips in the video.

• Flowframes: An AI software that calculates interpolations between frames. In this tutorial, CGMatter demonstrates an interesting approach to use this and only render a fraction of the frames while letting the AI algorithm interpolate the rest. It gives astonishing results and can save you a lot of render time!

• Karim Joseph’s tutorial: Demonstrates a new feature in Blender 2.93 that drastically improves render times for animations. Persistent data caches the render data to speed up rerendering and animations.

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Speed Booster Eevee

When working on a slow computer or a low-end PC, I highly recommend using Eevee instead of Cycles. Eevee is a render engine that was introduced to Blender in version 2.8 with the goal of achieving real-time rendering. It’s way faster than Cycles and still leads to stunning results.

Go Low Poly

In most cases, the number of polygons in your scene is the number one factor dragging Blender performance down. Therefore, the best advice I can give you is to keep them as few as possible. The quality of your models and scenes doesn’t depend on the number of polygons you have in the scene. Reducing polygon count is a key step in optimizing Blender for low-end PC setups.

Creating compelling renders with as few vertices as possible is an art in itself that is highly valued in the 3D industry. In game design, this skill is essential, as it is extremely important to keep all the assets as light as possible to make real-time rendering possible. Just check out this compelling design by low poly artist @aronzblackz on Instagram. If you're new to Blender, understanding these fundamentals is crucial. You might want to explore our complete guide to Blender 3D for beginners to help you get started.

High Resolutions are Overrated

A common mistake is using high-resolution textures, which can drastically slow down Blender on a low-end PC. Oftentimes lower resolutions do the job just as fine, especially if the object is going to be placed in the background. I used to make this mistake for a long time and always opted for the highest resolution available until I realized that in most cases it only slows down my viewport performance and wastes memory without improving my work. Now my default is the lowest resolution, and if I feel that I need more resolution, I’ll upgrade it before the final render.

If you don’t believe me, you should take a look at Ian Hubert's work or explore some of the best Blender tutorials that showcase how pros achieve stunning results without relying on high-resolution textures.

Similarly, consider the resolution you use for rendering. There’s no need to render in 8K, as I’ve seen many beginners do! The render won’t get any better by choosing tremendously high resolutions. My personal default is 1080p, and I only go to 4K on special occasions. Sometimes I might even render at lower resolutions than FullHD.

Use Old Blender Versions

Naturally, the new Blender versions have higher system requirements than older ones. If you’re wondering which version of Blender is best for a low-end PC, consider trying an older Blender version for low-end PC setups, as they often run more smoothly on less powerful hardware. Blender 2.93 won’t even support Windows 7 anymore. So if Blender is running slowly on your setup, it might be worth trying an older version to see if it helps. All the Blender versions that ever existed are listed and can be downloaded here.

From what I’ve seen, there are still a lot of people using versions older than 2.8, and plenty of tutorials and add-ons for them are still around. You’ll have to get along without all the fancy new features, but you’ll still get a solid 3D software that is capable of creating remarkable renders.

Blender 2.79, still a viable alternative for low-performance Blender users.

FAQs:

1. What are the minimum system requirements for Blender?

   • Blender’s minimum system requirements can be found on the official Blender website. However, with appropriate optimizations, it may be possible to run Blender on devices that fall below these requirements.

2. Which version of Blender is best for a low-end PC?

   • Older versions of Blender, such as Blender 2.79, are often better suited for low-end PCs due to their lower system requirements. However, it's worth experimenting with different versions to see which one offers the best balance between features and performance for your specific setup.

3. Can I use cloud computing to improve Blender’s performance and rendering times on a low-end device?

   • Yes, cloud computing platforms like Vagon can provide a powerful workstation to run Blender smoothly on a low-end device.

4. How to speed up my computer when I run Blender?

   • There are several strategies to turbocharge your PC when operating demanding applications like Blender. Upgrading your existing hardware or investing in a new, more powerful machine are viable options. Besides tweaking the internal settings of the application, there are alternative approaches like using a Cloud PC to enhance your computer’s performance.

5. Can I improve Blender performance on a low-end PC without upgrading hardware?

   • You can optimize Blender for a low-end PC by simplifying viewport settings, reducing visible geometry, disabling unused add-ons, and using the Eevee render engine instead of Cycles. These adjustments can significantly improve performance and make Blender run smoother.

6. How does Blender compare to Unity, Unreal Engine, and Cinema 4D in terms of 3D creation?

   • Blender stands out as a comprehensive 3D creation suite offering modeling, animation, and rendering, while Unity and Unreal Engine are more geared towards game development with real-time rendering capabilities. Cinema 4D, on the other hand, excels in motion graphics and ease of use with a friendly interface. Blender, being free and open-source, is a budget-friendly choice for individuals and small studios. It may have a steeper learning curve compared to Cinema 4D but offers a wide range of tools for various 3D creation tasks. Unity and Unreal Engine, while having 3D modeling tools, are often chosen for their game development environments and real-time rendering, with Unreal Engine being known for its high-fidelity graphics.

7. Is there a Blender alternative for low-end PCs?

   • While Blender is highly versatile, alternatives like older versions of Blender, or lighter 3D software options like Tinkercad or SketchUp, might perform better on very low-end PCs. However, optimizing Blender itself is often the best approach.