Redshift Benchmark 2026: Cinema 4D Render Times on 2x, 4x and 8x RTX 5090 / RTX 4090
Most Redshift benchmark charts show a score for one test scene. That helps you compare GPUs, but it does not tell you how long your Cinema 4D animation will take or what it will cost. This page collects real render times recorded in iRender’s own videos, on 2x, 4x and 8x RTX 4090 and RTX 5090 servers, and prices each job at our list rate.
Every number below comes from a video you can watch, and each test used its own scene. Where we estimate something, we say so.
Redshift benchmark results on iRender servers
The table lists five Cinema 4D + Redshift jobs. Four ran on multi-GPU servers and one on a single RTX 5090 as a reference. Cost is the render time multiplied by the per-minute price of that server.
Real Redshift render times on iRender servers
Render time as shown in each video, priced at the list rate of the server used (per minute, setup time not included).
| Test (iRender video) | Server | Frames & render time | Cost at list price |
|---|---|---|---|
| C4D Redshift render farm benchmarkCinema 4D animation, 1920x1080 | 5i4x RTX 5090 | 150 frames 1h 42m · 40.84 s/frame | about $64.66 |
| Fluid and particle motion paintingCinema 4D 2025.3.3, 1920x1080 | 9S8x RTX 4090 | 360 frames 1h 18m 13s · 1h 21m billed | $70.20 about $0.20 per frame |
| Cinema 4D animation, 30 fpsDual RTX 4090 test, 1920x1080 | 4S2x RTX 4090 | 300 frames about 2h 50m · 33.95 s/frame | about $42.44 |
| Sailboat animationRedshift run of an Octane vs Redshift test | 5i4x RTX 5090 | 120 frames 3h 19m | about $113.43 after the 10% discount for 3h+ sessions |
| Cloth simulation renderSingle-GPU reference, 1920x1080 | 3i1x RTX 5090 | 301 frames 1h 46m 30s · 21.3 s/frame | about $19.17 |
The fastest way to use these numbers is to compare seconds per frame with your own scene. If a test frame of yours renders in a similar time on the same server, the cost per frame will be close to the one in the table.
The video below shows the first test: 150 frames on a 5i server with 4x RTX 5090.
Redshift vs Octane on the same 4x RTX 5090 server
Two of our videos rendered the same project in both engines on a 5i server. They are useful if you are choosing an engine for a new project, or if you already use both.
Redshift and Octane on the same 5i server
Times from two iRender comparison videos. Cost is render time at the 5i list price of $38/hour.
| Test (iRender video) | Redshift | Octane |
|---|---|---|
| Sailboat animation, 120 frames4x RTX 5090 (5i) | 3h 19m about $113.43 after 10% off | 2h 01m about $76.63 |
| Octane vs Redshift test4x RTX 5090 (5i) | 27m 57s about $17.70 | 18m 13s about $11.54 |
Why a benchmark score is not your render time
Maxon ships a benchmark with Redshift: the redshiftBenchmark tool renders the “Vultures” scene and reports the time. By default it uses all GPUs in the machine, and you can limit it to some GPUs with the -gpu parameter. Cinebench 2024 also uses Redshift for its GPU test, and Maxon notes that for very large GPU setups the Redshift benchmark gives a more demanding workload.
- Your scene is different. Geometry, textures, volumes, motion blur and sampling settings change render time far more than a benchmark scene shows.
- VRAM is per GPU. Redshift does not pool memory across cards, so each GPU must hold the scene: 24 GB on an RTX 4090, 32 GB on an RTX 5090. Data that does not fit goes out-of-core and renders slower.
- Each job has fixed time. Loading the scene and preparing the first frame takes time on every server, which matters more for short jobs.
So use benchmark scores to compare hardware, and use a few test frames of your own scene to plan a real job.
How to benchmark your own Cinema 4D scene on iRender
- Upload first. Put your project on iRender Drive before you start a server. Upload and storage are free, and no machine time is billed while you upload.
- Start a 4i or 5i server. Cinema 4D and Redshift are pre-installed. Prime members get activated Cinema 4D and Redshift licenses; other users sign in with their own Maxon license.
- Render 3–5 frames from different parts of the animation and note the seconds per frame. Ignore the first frame if it includes scene preparation.
- Optional: run RunBenchmark.bat from the Redshift bin folder to compare the server with your own machine on the same Vultures scene.
Then estimate the full job: frames × seconds per frame ÷ 3,600 × hourly price. Example: 1,000 frames at the 40.84 s/frame measured in the 5i test is about 11.3 hours, or about $431 at $38/hour, and about $388 after the 10% discount for sessions of 3 hours or more.
Long animation? Split the frames across servers
You can run several servers at the same time and give each one a frame range. Total machine time stays about the same because billing is per minute, while the waiting time is divided by the number of servers. Each server adds a few minutes of setup.
The figure shows the idea with three 8x servers. The table below applies it to the 360-frame 9S test from the benchmark table; the three-server row is an estimate.
One 8x server vs. three 8x servers for the same animation
The single-server row is measured. The three-server row is an estimate that adds setup and first-frame compile time to each server.
| Setup | Time until all frames are done | Machine time billed | Cost at list price ($52/hour per 9S) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1x 9S serverMeasured | about 81 min | 81 min | $70.20 |
| 3x 9S servers, 120 frames eachEstimate | about 30 min | about 3 x 29 min | about $76 |
Which server to choose for Redshift
Redshift uses all GPUs in a server for each frame, so a multi-GPU server shortens every frame. Start with a 4x server for most jobs and move to 8x, or to several servers, when the deadline is tight.
Which iRender server to use for Redshift
All plans: AMD Threadripper PRO, 256 GB ECC RAM, 2 TB NVMe, Cinema 4D and Redshift pre-installed.
| Plan | List price | Good fit for |
|---|---|---|
| 4S / 4i2x RTX 4090 / 2x RTX 5090 | $15 / $20 per hour | Look-dev, test frames, short animations and stills |
| 5S / 5i4x RTX 4090 / 4x RTX 5090 | $30 / $38 per hour | Most Cinema 4D animation jobs; the server used in the 5i tests above |
| 9S / 9i8x RTX 4090 / 8x RTX 5090 | $52 / $62 per hour | Long sequences on a deadline; combine several servers to split frame ranges |
Read more about the plans, licensing and setup on our Cinema 4D Redshift render farm page.
FAQ: Redshift benchmark and render times
Are these benchmark numbers from a synthetic test?
No. They are render times of real Cinema 4D animations recorded in iRender videos. Each row links to its video.
Can I compare the 2x, 4x and 8x rows directly?
No. Each test used a different scene and settings. To compare GPU counts, render the same frames of your scene on two servers, or run the redshiftBenchmark tool with the -gpu parameter.
Does 8x RTX 5090 give 256 GB of VRAM for one scene?
No. Redshift does not pool VRAM. Each GPU holds the scene, so the limit per card is 32 GB on an RTX 5090 and 24 GB on an RTX 4090.
Do I need my own Redshift license on iRender?
Cinema 4D and Redshift are pre-installed. Prime members (total top-ups above $3,000) get activated licenses for every server they run at the same time. Other users sign in with their own Maxon license, one Redshift license per server.
How is the cost calculated?
Multi-GPU servers are billed per minute. Sessions of 3 hours or more get 10% off the whole session, and the first top-up of $50 or more gets a 100% bonus.
