I've done a lot of testing and spoken to the techs at DAZ.

Bryce can see only one CPU.  Dual CPU systems mean nothing to it. (I have a dual E5 system and the second CPU does not work for Bryce renders.)

Bryce sees up to 8 actual cores only.  If you have an Intel 4 core with 4 virtual, Bryce can use the 4 actual to about 85 percent and the four vritual to about 15 percent.  The faster the cores the better.

Formula ... cores x speed = index number.  The higher the number the faster the render.

For AMD just use the cores of the processor, so 8 cores at 4ghz is 32 for an index.  Pretty fast.  You will have to put Bryce on High priority render setting to get all 8 cores.  Medium is half of what you have, low is one core.  Priority is all you have up to 8.

For an Intel I7 6 core at 2.4ghz... 6x2.4 (cut it back a bit) plus 2 x 2.4 (and cut that back to ten percent).

So I think the fastest system for Bryce render is a high speed AMD 8 core.  Which is way cheaper than an Intel 8 core CPU (8 actual).

Don't go hog wild on the GPU.  Any modern GPU will work.

If you have win 7, 16g Ram is overkill, no need to go more.

 

Keep in mind that Poser PP2014 will take about all you can throw at it.  It loves Inel and will use dual E5 CPU's with QPI. 

Vue and TG2 and 3 use all you can throw at it.  TG1 is a single core app no matter what you have.

Autodesk takes whatever you can throw at it.

 

Keep in mind that bryce lightening can tap into multiple computers.  I have used it.  I can't tell you how many cores it uses over that bridge because I did not test.