I have noticed too that an initial takes longer than a subsequent render. It seems DS needs to do an initial Getting It's S**t Together thing and then runs with it. That's been my experience. BTW- More RAM will speed things up TREMENDOUSLY! Recommend AT LEAST 512 MB to be a Happy Camper! One hiddening trick is go into the MAT editor (Surfaces Dialog Tab) and make the part invisible. Select the part first and then go into the dialog.