Best Laptop for DaVinci Resolve 18 – Specifications & Reviews (2022)

DaVinci Resolve is the world’s only solution that combines editing, color correction, visual effects, motion graphics and audio post production all in one software tool! DaVinci Resolve lets you work faster and at a higher quality because you don’t have to learn multiple apps or switch software for different tasks. That means you can work with camera original quality images throughout the entire process.

DaVinci Resolve was always pretty GPU-intensive. Recent developments in 18 seem to confirm that the app doesn’t perform well on low-end hardware, especially when using GPU acceleration. That said, choosing the right laptop isn’t that hard and you don’t have to break the bank either. Let’s dive into DaVinci Resolve laptop requirements!

Requirements for a DaVinci Resolve 18 laptop

Major Processor for DaVinci Resolve 18

Processor is not the most important spec for DaVinci Resolve 18. The most significant factor is RAM, and the second one is GPU. For the processor, you should only consider the latest Intel H-series CPUs or Ryzen processors if you have a professional laptop.

Requirements

In terms of processor, the best DaVinci Resolve 18 laptops are based on Intel Core i7 H-series CPUs. But they are more expensive and they are not necessary. If you’re in a budget, then I recommend AMD Ryzen 7 processors or AMD Ryzen 5/6 processors.

Recommendations

For budget laptops – I would go with AMD Ryzen 5 3500U or AMD Ryzen 3 3200U as the minimum requirement for DaVinci Resolve 18. If you’re on a really tight budget – an Intel Core i3-8100U might be a good choice as well (not recommended).

If you want to use DaVinci Resolve 18 on high-end workstation laptops, then go with any of these three:

• Intel Core i5-10300H
• Intel Core i7-10750H
• Intel Core i7-11800H

Major Picking a good graphics card

Laptop graphics card

This section is going to focus on the best laptop graphics for DaVinci Resolve 18. In order to do that, we’re going to first have to look at what kind of graphics cards are compatible with the software. As it turns out, there are two main options: integrated and discrete.

Most laptops come with integrated graphics, but these chips can be a pain if you want to edit videos or play games. Discrete graphics cards are a better option for that, but they usually cost more than integrated ones. If you’re not a gamer and want to edit videos – get an integrated chip. If you want the freedom of being able to play games as well as editing videos – get a discrete chip with at least 2GB of VRAM and supports OpenCL 1.2 or CUDA 11.

Recommended GPU

Based on this criteria, the recommended GPU for DaVinci Resolve 18 is RTX 2060, followed by RTX 3070 and RTX 1650 (if your budget is tight).

Major How to choose the right memory for DaVinci Resolve 18?

Minimum (16 GB)

Just like in the case of FL Studio, DaVinci Resolve 18 needs at least 16 GB of RAM. It doesn’t work on 8 GB and it’s not a future-proof choice, even though it’ll be more than enough for most applications.

Recommended (32 GB)

The best option for DaVinci Resolve 18 is 32 GB of RAM. The reason for that is because the professional software requires a lot of memory to run smoothly. Even with 16 GB, you might find yourself running out of RAM when you’re working on a complicated project.

Plus, DaVinci Resolve 18 doesn’t seem to perform well on anything less than 16 GB.

Best (64 GB)

If you’re going for the best laptop for DaVinci Resolve 18, go for 64 GB of RAM. 64 GB laptops are usually in the range between $2500 – $5000, but they’ll have a big boost in performance and will allow you to work on even more complex projects without worrying about an empty RAM.

Optional requirements for a DaVinci Resolve 18 laptop

Optional Choosing the right storage for DaVinci Resolve 18

Different types of SSDs

In general, most laptops come with an SSD nowadays. The only time you’ll find a hard drive is on budget laptops. And, even then, it’s a rarity.

Laptops with SSDs offer an improved experience in many ways – like booting up and launching applications more quickly. And if you’re into photography or video editing, then you should know that SSDs make those operations much faster too.

How much storage do I need?

Storage requirements depend on what type of work you’ll be doing with your laptop. For example, DaVinci Resolve 18 requires at least 256 GB of free disk space to install and run properly. This would leave little to no room for any other software or personal files.

I’d recommend getting at least 512 GB of free disk space (0.5 TB) for your laptop if you’re planning on using it for DaVinci Resolve 18 – or anything related to video editing, photography, or even gaming, for that matter.

Some laptops offer 1 TB (1 TB) of storage capacity – this should be enough for all but the most serious video editors and photographers in the world. That said, 2 TB is always better and will not cost too much more when compared to 1 TB options. Plus, there’s nothing stopping you from using external drives if you really need more space than what your laptop offers out-of-the-box.

5 Best Laptops for DaVinci Resolve 18

Table of Best Laptops for DaVinci Resolve 18

Laptop	Price (approx)
HP Pavilion 16 PC	$740
Acer Nitro 5	$1800
Acer Predator Helios 300	$2070
Eluktronics MECH-15	$3200
MSI GE66 Raider	$8850