Fire Studio 7 needs solid hardware, especially for graphics. Buy the most capable setup your budget allows. The graphics card, system RAM and processor matter most. For the full list, see our System Requirements page.
Graphics card: A dedicated NVIDIA GeForce or AMD Radeon card. The minimum is 2 GB of video memory (VRAM) with DirectX 12 support; 4–8 GB of VRAM is recommended. Avoid the NVIDIA RTX 3060, which has had recurring issues with Fire Studio.
System RAM: 16 GB or more is recommended.
Processor (Windows): Intel i7 or higher. AMD Ryzen processors are not currently supported.
Mac: Apple silicon (M1 or newer) graphics, or an NVIDIA GeForce or AMD Radeon card with 2 GB+ VRAM on an Intel Mac. M2 or better is recommended.
DirectX: Fire Studio 6.5 and 7 use DirectX 12, so on Windows the graphics card must support DirectX 12.
Integrated graphics are not recommended
Integrated graphics chips (such as Intel HD/UHD or Radeon M) don't perform as well as dedicated cards. Heavier simulations, especially with many fire and smoke layers, can slow down or crash. Some newer integrated chips (such as Intel Xe) have run Fire Studio 6.5 and 7 acceptably for some users, but results vary and they haven't been fully tested, so they are not yet recommended.
Specs are subject to change. If you're choosing a new computer, email support@digitalcombustion.com for current recommendations.