Slic3r computer requirements - what to look for?

Just wondering what are the 'best' attributes to look for, in a computer who's main job will be slicing objects using Slic3r.

For example, is it better to have multiple cores that are slower, or a single very fast processor?

what sort/amount of RAM should I be looking for? is bigger RAM more favourable than having a fast processor?

64 bit compared to 32 bit...?

would a SSD hard drive improve the slicing time enough to go out and buy one?

I can't find a decent source to answer these questions, so maybe the answers from this topic could go into the reprap wiki


I'm just trying to find a decent motherboard bundle that will let slic3r run in a decent amount of time. my current computer is 14 years old and isn't up to the task.
I appreciate that the time it takes depends on the complexity of the model being sliced but I'd like to hear your opinions and experience!

personally I will be running Linux on the computer as I haven't got any windows licenses.

Cheers,
Tom

If your current computer is 14 years old then anything you upgrade to will feel so much faster that you wouldn't even notice any of those options. Spend $100 on a second hand laptop from this century (literally) and it'll be an improvement.

But that doesn't really answer your questions does it.

Slicer is at least partially multithreaded, so more cores is definitely better. The multithreading is supposedly improved in the latest RC release, but I haven't tried it myself. You don't need anything particularly high end unless you're slicing models with millions of polygons and hate waiting for a few minutes.

For RAM just get whatever is standard in the system you buy. Most machines come with about 8GB these days and that's plenty. If you have to choose between more RAM and a faster processor then definitely get the better processor.

Any CPU from the last 5 years will support a 64 bit OS, which you'll need in order to use more than ~3GB of RAM.

Most STL files are significantly smaller than 50MB, and the output g-code is even smaller. You won't notice any difference between an SSD and an HDD as far as slicing is concerned. If you can spare the extra money get an SSD anyway. Your computer will boot faster and programs will load faster.

You can buy an Intel Atom based machine that will do a really good job with Sic3r.