Best Laptop for DaVinci Resolve 18

In the world of video editing and color grading, DaVinci Resolve 18 has emerged as an industry favorite, offering professionals and enthusiasts alike a comprehensive suite of tools for creating stunning visual content. With its growing popularity and powerful features, finding the best laptop for DaVinci Resolve 18 becomes a crucial decision for those looking to harness the full potential of this sophisticated software. As someone who has spent countless hours working with DaVinci Resolve, I understand the importance of a reliable and high-performance laptop to ensure a seamless editing experience.

When searching for the best laptop for DaVinci Resolve 18, there are several key factors to consider, such as processor speed, GPU capabilities, and sufficient memory to handle complex projects. To identify the top contenders in the market, I reviewed an extensive spreadsheet of recent laptop releases, comparing specs, professional and user-generated reviews, and evaluating each model's performance in relation to DaVinci Resolve's unique requirements. This process allowed me to narrow down the top laptops across various price ranges, ensuring that users from all backgrounds can find the perfect machine to meet their needs.

In addition to the technical specifications, it's essential to consider other factors like portability, build quality, and display quality, as these can greatly impact your overall experience when working with DaVinci Resolve 18. With the diverse range of laptops available today, there's no need to compromise on any aspect. By focusing on the specific demands of DaVinci Resolve users, this guide aims to help you find the best laptop for your editing and color grading projects, whether you're an established professional or an aspiring content creator.

Table of Contents

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

TL;DR

the best laptops for DaVinci Resolve 18 are based on Intel Core i7 H-series CPUs
if you're on a budget, go with AMD Ryzen 5 3500U or AMD Ryzen 3 3200U
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.

Graphics

Nvidia continues to dominate the laptop GPU market. Nvidia recently released a few RTX 40 series cards, but these are not yet available on laptops (expected in 2023). Nvidia's latest notebook cards are in RTX 30 series (such as RTX 3070 Ti). Desktop GPUs are now a lot more power-hungry; thus, the gap between power-limited notebook graphics and desktop graphics cards has widened in the past few years. Nvidia has discontinued the Max-Q label for its RTX graphics cards. Now, an exact GPU wattage is determined by a laptop manufacturer (OEM). Unfortunately, that results in a wide variance in graphics performance even in laptops with the same GPU chipset.

Fortunately, Blackmagic has made it easy to choose a laptop for Resolve by only supporting Nvidia graphics. So, you can ignore AMD GPUs completely. The GPU is essential for rendering video in real time. If you're working with 4K footage or 8K RED RAW – you'll need a high-end graphics card. You can also use the GPU for other tasks beyond just rendering video, such as encoding or machine learning (ML). I use 3DMark to compare different GPUs because it's an industry-standard benchmark that measures the entire spectrum of GPU performance, from single-core to multi-core performance.

If you're looking for a high-end laptop with a long battery life – look for one with an Nvidia Max-Q chip instead of a full power chip; these chips are designed to deliver better performance while maintaining battery life, but they come at the cost of some performance (though not nearly as much as regular Nvidia chips).

How to choose a graphics card based on laptop price range

Low-cost laptops (under $1,000)

For low-cost laptops, you'll have to make do with entry-level GPUs such as the GTX 1650 or the MX330. These chips will allow you to do basic tasks such as video editing and color grading, but won't be suitable for any serious professional work.

Mid-range laptops ($1,000-$2,000)

At this price range, you can start considering some of the more powerful GPUs such as the RTX 2060 or the RTX 2070. These chips are more than powerful enough for professional work, allowing you to edit and color grade in 4K without any issues.

High-end laptops ($2,000 and above)

If you're looking for the best performance for your money, then look for laptops with RTX 3070 or RTX 3080 GPUs. These GPUs offer unparalleled performance, allowing you to work in 8K resolution with ease. Additionally, these GPUs will be more than powerful enough for any machine learning tasks you might have.

Recommended GPUs for each price bracket

Minimum: GTX 1650

Recommended: RTX 2060

High-end: RTX 3070

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.

NVMe SSD

If you want to optimize performance, seek out an NVMe SSD which regularly far outperforms cheaper mechanical drives and SSDs.

NVMe SSDs are usually found in more expensive laptops, but they are becoming more commonplace. And it's a great idea to upgrade your laptop with an NVMe SSD if you can.

The good news is that NVMe SSDs are easy to upgrade. They come with their own slot, so all you need to do is remove a few screws and install the new one. It doesn't get much easier than that.

TL;DR

if you can afford it, buy an NVMe SSD for better performance
NVMe SSDs are typically found in more expensive laptops
upgrading an NVMe SSD is easy

5 Best Laptops for DaVinci Resolve 18

$880

1.HP Victus 15

HP Victus 15 provides budget gaming with an excellent price tag and decent multitasking, but subpar gaming performance may disappoint hardcore gamers.

Pros

Excellent price
Good multitasking capabilities
Solid port selection

Cons

Poor battery life
Average design
Weak GPU performance
Mediocre display quality

View on Amazon

Summary

HP Victus 15 is a budget gaming laptop designed for the price-conscious buyer, offering good gaming performance and multitasking capabilities at an affordable price. However, it falls short in terms of battery life and design, while the low-end GPU may not meet the expectations of hardcore gamers.

Reviews

TechRadar

4/5

HP Victus 15

PCMag

3.0/5

HP Victus 15 Review

Alternatives

$840

Dell Precision 7770

Pros

Great processor (i9-12950HX)
Terrific graphics card (RTX A4500)

Cons

No IPS Panel (limited viewing angles)

$1,600

2.Lenovo Legion 5 Pro

Lenovo Legion 5 Pro is a solid choice for gamers and creators.

Pros

Excellent gaming performance
Good build quality and battery life
Bright and color accurate display
Easy to upgrade and expand

Cons

Drab design
Limited storage
Heavy and bulky with large power brick
No biometrics

View on Amazon