Allowed artists to use more than 4GB of RAM, essential for complex scenes.
Because version 9 is nearly two decades old, it can run on virtually any modern hardware, making it a favorite for "portable" setups on older laptops. Intel or AMD processor (SSE2 support required).
Introduced Physical Sun and Sky shaders for realistic lighting.
Approximately 500MB to 2GB depending on the version's "weight". Risks and Legal Considerations