There is no single set of CBCT computer requirements: each imaging vendor publishes its own, and they differ by a wide margin. The short answer is that a 2D-only workstation runs on an ordinary office PC, while a 3D viewing station needs a 6th-generation Intel Core i5 or better (Planmeca) or a dedicated NVIDIA graphics card (VATECH), plus 8 to 32 GB of RAM depending on the scanner and features. Servers and database machines have their own lists. This page collects the figures the vendors publish today and shows where each one comes from, so you can check them before you buy a PC.
All figures below were read from the vendors’ own pages on 26 October 2026. Specifications change without notice, so treat this as a reference and confirm with your vendor for your exact software version. Status: Not tested yet — we have not benchmarked these machines ourselves.
Requirements by vendor at a glance
| Software | Role | CPU | RAM | Graphics | OS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Planmeca Romexis 6.5.2+ (2D) | Client | Core i3 (6th gen.) or Apple Silicon | 4 GB (8 GB for large colour photos) | Any | Windows 11 Pro, macOS Sequoia/Tahoe |
| Planmeca Romexis 6.5.2+ (3D) | Client | Core i5 (6th gen.), i7 desktop recommended, or Apple Silicon | 8, 16 or 32 GB by scanner model | NVIDIA/AMD dedicated, or Intel UHD 630 or better | Same |
| VATECH EzDent-i | Viewing PC | Intel i5-7600 @ 3.50 GHz or higher | 4 GB or more | Not listed | Windows 10 Professional or later, 64-bit |
| VATECH EzSeries 3D | Workstation | See vendor guide | See vendor guide | NVIDIA only; reference card has 6 GB+ video memory | Windows |
| Open Dental | Server / workstation | No figures on the web page | 4–8 GB | Most modern GPUs | Windows 11, Server 2016–2025; Linux/macOS server |
Planmeca Romexis
Planmeca publishes the most detailed public table. Its page covers Romexis 6.5.2 and newer. For 2D work, client and server both need an Intel Core i3 (6th generation) or equivalent, or Apple Silicon; the client needs 4 GB of RAM and 120 GB of disk, the server 6 GB and two 500 GB drives in RAID1 mirroring (recommended).
For 3D, the client CPU rises to a Core i5 (6th generation), with an i7 desktop recommended. RAM depends on the scanner: 8 GB for ProMax 3D S and ProMax 3D Classic, 16 GB for ProMax 3D Plus, Mid and Max and for Viso G1 and G3, and 32 GB for Viso G5 and G7. Planmeca adds that 20 GB is recommended for the Implant Guide and Superimpose features and 32 GB for Surgery Module features. The 3D server needs 16 GB (plus 16 GB for Romexis Smart Lite) and two 1 TB drives in RAID1. The client graphics card can be a dedicated NVIDIA or AMD card or an Intel UHD 630 or better.
The CAD/CAM client is a different class: Intel i7 13th generation or newer, 32 GB RAM, a 512 GB SSD and an NVIDIA RTX 3000 Blackwell card with 12 GB or better. Two other notes matter for planning: the Cephalometric Analysis module is not supported on macOS, and the page estimates about 9 MB per 2D image and 50 MB to 1 GB per 3D image, which is the number to use when you size storage.
If you only need to open scans that Planmeca users send you, the free Planmeca Romexis Viewer runs on Windows and macOS without a full Romexis install.
VATECH EzDent-i and Ez3D-i
VATECH America’s EzDent-i product page lists the viewing computer as an Intel i5-7600 @ 3.50 GHz or higher, 4 GB of RAM or more, a 512 GB 7,500 RPM SATA drive or faster, and Windows 10 Professional or later (64-bit). The page gives no graphics card and says specifications are subject to change without notice.
3D is stricter. VATECH’s workstation guide (written 9 July 2021, with no revision date) says users who work only in 2D can skip the GPU requirements. For 3D, the reference is a Quadro RTX 4000 or equivalent with 6 GB of video memory or higher, the card must support NVIDIA driver version 550, and AMD/ATI and Intel integrated graphics are not supported. Terminal Services are not supported either. The guide lists an RTX 2070 and an RTX 5070 as meeting the requirement, and an RTX PRO 500 Blackwell Mobile as not meeting it — so a laptop GPU needs checking card by card. The CPU, RAM and storage figures for 3D are not in the page text, so read them in the guide itself rather than from a summary.
For the server, VATECH’s EzServer guide (written 8 June 2022) maps Windows versions to EzServer releases: Windows Server 2025 needs v6.2.3, while Windows Server 2022, 2019 and 2016 and Windows 11 Pro need v5.5.3 as a minimum. It also warns that Windows 11 24H2 and later no longer include WMIC, which EzServer relies on, and that Windows Server 2016 support ends on 12 January 2027. Site-to-site VPNs work but may be slower and get limited support.
Open Dental server and workstations
Open Dental is practice management rather than imaging, but the question “what server do we need?” is usually asked together with CBCT. Its computer requirements page recommends a dedicated server running MySQL or MariaDB, 4–8 GB of memory on both server and workstations (8 GB optimal for workstations, more for the server especially with InnoDB), and SSD or NVMe storage, which is recommended but not required. Supported systems are Windows 11 and Windows Server 2016, 2019, 2022 and 2025; Linux or macOS can host the server. The server name should be under 15 characters, and Windows 10 and 11 file shares are limited to 20 connections. A UPS is optional but recommended. The page says nothing about CBCT or image storage, and it refers to a separate hardware PDF for CPU guidance, so size image storage from your imaging vendor’s figures above.
Free viewers: much lighter
Viewers are not the same as capture or planning software. The official RadiAnt page says it will run on an old single-core machine with 1 GB of RAM, and lists Windows 7 to 11; our page covers the RadiAnt DICOM Viewer, which is shareware (conditionally free) and not certified for diagnostic use. Weasis is free and open source; its Windows installer requires Windows 10 or higher, the Apple Silicon package macOS 12 or higher, and the Intel package macOS 11 or higher. Weasis states no RAM figure and notes that volume rendering needs certain graphics capabilities. On Mac, Horos is the free option. These are for reviewing studies, not a substitute for the vendor’s own planning software.
How to size a CBCT workstation
- Find your exact scanner and software version and open that vendor’s current requirements page, not an older reseller sheet.
- Decide 2D or 3D. 2D stations can be modest; 3D stations are driven by RAM and the graphics card.
- Check the graphics card by name. VATECH rejects integrated and AMD graphics; Planmeca accepts Intel UHD 630 or better on the client.
- Plan storage from the vendor’s per-study sizes (Planmeca: 50 MB to 1 GB per 3D image) and add mirrored disks for the server.
- Keep the OS supported. Windows 10 reached end of support on 14 October 2025, and several vendors already list Windows 11 only.
- Back up the server — see our DICOM backup plan.
A clinic that wants a vendor-neutral image store can look at Orthanc and our Orthanc setup guide; more tools are on the free dental imaging software hub.
Limitations
- Vendor pages age. VATECH’s GPU guide dates from 2021 and its server guide from 2022, so confirm them against current software.
- Some figures sit in images or PDFs that we could not read; we left them out instead of guessing.
- We did not cover Dentsply Sirona, Carestream or other vendors, and we have not benchmarked any hardware.
- This is general information, not purchasing or compliance advice.
FAQ
What are the CBCT computer requirements?
They depend on the vendor. Planmeca lists a 6th-generation Core i5 and 8–32 GB RAM for 3D clients; VATECH requires an NVIDIA card for Ez3D-i, with a 6 GB reference.
What are the VATECH CBCT computer requirements?
For EzDent-i, VATECH America lists an Intel i5-7600 @ 3.50 GHz or higher, 4 GB RAM, a 512 GB drive and Windows 10 Professional or later. For 3D, it recommends an NVIDIA GPU and does not support Intel integrated or AMD graphics.
Can I open CBCT scans on a Mac?
Yes. Planmeca Romexis supports Apple Silicon and recent macOS, but not its Cephalometric Analysis module. Free options are the Romexis Viewer, Weasis and Horos.
What server does Open Dental need?
Open Dental recommends a dedicated server with MySQL or MariaDB, 4–8 GB of memory and Windows Server 2016–2025 (or Linux/macOS). It publishes no CBCT figures.
Do I need a dedicated graphics card for CBCT?
For 2D, no. For 3D it depends on the vendor: VATECH requires NVIDIA, while Planmeca accepts Intel UHD 630 or better on the client.
Last updated: 26 October 2026 · DentIIT editorial team. Licence, version and platform details are checked against each developer's official documentation; none of the tools listed here should be treated as a certified medical device unless its vendor says so.
