While Blackmagic maintains a Hardware Selection and Configuration Guide for DaVinci Resolve that is much better than the simple “Hardware Requirements” list most developers provide, it contains some information that in our experience is either dated or simply not the best practice for a solid and reliable workstation. In addition, it lacks specific information on performance between different hardware options such as what the benefit actually is between different models or numbers of GPUs.
To offset this missing information, we’ve taken the time to perform our own testing to determine both what hardware runs DaVinci Resolve the best and exactly what kind of performance you can expect from different hardware options.
While DaVinci Resolve heavily relies on the performance of your GPU (especially when using OpenFX or noise reduction), the processor (or CPU) is still a critical component in your system. While many other parts of the system impact performance to some degree, the CPU is the core piece of hardware that is a part of absolutely anything and everything you do. Note that while Dual Xeon workstations used to be ideal for DaVinci Resolve in the past as they were often required for higher GPU counts, recent changes in both hardware and software make this no longer the case. In nearly every instance, a single CPU workstation should easily match a Dual Xeon system at a much lower cost.
What CPU is best for color grading and editing in DaVinci Resolve?
The best CPU for Resolve depends primarily on your budget and how much GPU power you plan to have in your system. If you have a single GPU , then a high clock speed CPU with a moderate core count, like Intel’s Core 14th Gen or AMD’s Ryzen 7000 series, is going to be optimal. Intel’s Core line is particularly well suited for working with H.264 and H.265 (HEVC) footage, thanks to their Quick Sync technology.
On the other hand, if you have multiple GPUs or work with RAW video codecs then you will see a performance boost when using a processor with more cores. AMD’s Threadripper 7000 Series is especially good in those situations.
What CPU is best for Fusion in Resolve?
Fusion was integrated into DaVinci Resolve relatively recently and currently is quite a bit different than the rest of Resolve. Here, you are better off with a CPU that has a high frequency than one with a lot of cores.
Do more CPU cores make DaVinci Resolve faster?
To a certain extent, more cores should improve performance, although more complex projects with OpenFX and noise reduction will often be influenced more by the performance of your GPU(s) than your processor. In addition, Resolve is in many ways a collection of different software packages combined together and some (like Fusion) much prefer a CPU with higher per-core performance than one with a lot of cores.
Keep in mind that core count is just one of many different specifications that affect performance. Because of this, we highly recommend that you look at straight benchmark performance for different CPUs rather than trying to pick a CPU based on core count (or any other specification) alone.
Does Intel Quick Sync benefit DaVinci Resolve?
Some Intel processors feature on-board graphics chips with enhanced video encoding and decoding capabilities, a feature known as Quick Sync. Most modern video cards offer similar functionality, but Intel’s Core processors have additional levels of hardware decoding for H.265 footage that aren’t available from contemporary GPUs. The downside is that those mainstream CPUs are limited in terms of core count and support for multiple video cards, so higher-end processors will still offer better overall performance, but models like the Intel Core i9 14900K and i7 14700K can be good price:performance options for those working with H.265 in DaVinci Resolve.
DaVinci Resolve has a unique set of hardware requirements that you will not find on most standard PC. Our custom built workstations have been designed and optimized specifically for Resolve to give you the best possible performance.
