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Build the best PC for DaVinci Resolve
- Thread starter dirk
- Start date
dirk
Founder DVRF
The first 20 minutes is about the normal content creator, who uses normal DSLRs or MLUs, shoot at 4k or max 6k, does not do a lot of noise reduction, fairlight, color grading etc. Just the normal editing stuff.
Most important is to get the studio version of DVR (around 300€/USD). Without it, you can not benefit from the speed optimization.
For this kind of user, the PC does NOT need to have the best/fastest graphic card with most RAM. 8GB RAM on that graphic card is enough, because DVR does not use the GP that much in this use case. NVidia is recommended for graphic cards.
What is far more important in this scenario is an Intel i core (i7 or i9) with integrated graphic card, because you need this for the decoding of the normal cameras. Intel has a special feature in these chips for this. Makes it way faster than the encoding over the graphic card. Make sure that the iCore graphic chip is enabled in your BIOS. Some PC disable it, when they detect an external graphic card
Use a fast M.2 SSD for the operating system. Samsung recommended. At keast 1TB to get the versions with reading/writing speed of 7GB. For storage, normal SSD are fine (non M.2 versions).
Get RAM for your PC. 64 GB RAM is enough for 4k/6k and this use case.
Buy quality parts. Nothing cheap from. AliExpress. Do not save on the wrong end. Here is the overview at around minute 20 in this video.
Next use case is the more demanding filmmaker. If you use a dedicated camera for filming like a RED and do more with fairlight, color grading, noise reduction, 8k videos etc., you only need to bump up the gear a little bit from the previous use case.
64GB-128GB RAM on the PC, more SSD storage and a better/faster graphic card with more RAM like a 4080. Explained in the video from minute 20-25.
Third use case: If you do the really crazy stuff in filmmaking, then you have to go crazy with the gear too. But do not make mistakes, which will at the end slow down your system. Explained after minute 25 in the video.
For Fusion you need a different focus. Since BlackMagic bought Fusion 8 years ago and just put it into DVR, it needs a different hardware to speed up. Talks about this from minute 26 on.
Single Core speed and PC RAM are the most important factors for Fusion. A fast graphic card does not help you with Fusion.
Most important is to get the studio version of DVR (around 300€/USD). Without it, you can not benefit from the speed optimization.
For this kind of user, the PC does NOT need to have the best/fastest graphic card with most RAM. 8GB RAM on that graphic card is enough, because DVR does not use the GP that much in this use case. NVidia is recommended for graphic cards.
What is far more important in this scenario is an Intel i core (i7 or i9) with integrated graphic card, because you need this for the decoding of the normal cameras. Intel has a special feature in these chips for this. Makes it way faster than the encoding over the graphic card. Make sure that the iCore graphic chip is enabled in your BIOS. Some PC disable it, when they detect an external graphic card
Use a fast M.2 SSD for the operating system. Samsung recommended. At keast 1TB to get the versions with reading/writing speed of 7GB. For storage, normal SSD are fine (non M.2 versions).
Get RAM for your PC. 64 GB RAM is enough for 4k/6k and this use case.
Buy quality parts. Nothing cheap from. AliExpress. Do not save on the wrong end. Here is the overview at around minute 20 in this video.
Next use case is the more demanding filmmaker. If you use a dedicated camera for filming like a RED and do more with fairlight, color grading, noise reduction, 8k videos etc., you only need to bump up the gear a little bit from the previous use case.
64GB-128GB RAM on the PC, more SSD storage and a better/faster graphic card with more RAM like a 4080. Explained in the video from minute 20-25.
Third use case: If you do the really crazy stuff in filmmaking, then you have to go crazy with the gear too. But do not make mistakes, which will at the end slow down your system. Explained after minute 25 in the video.
For Fusion you need a different focus. Since BlackMagic bought Fusion 8 years ago and just put it into DVR, it needs a different hardware to speed up. Talks about this from minute 26 on.
Single Core speed and PC RAM are the most important factors for Fusion. A fast graphic card does not help you with Fusion.
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oldschool47
Member
Or get a Mac with Apple Silicon and have everything optimized automatically jk, jk, I'm sure the PC is good too. But seriously even the M1's are killer with DR.
jk, jk, I'm sure the PC is good too. But seriously even the M1's are killer with DR.
dirk
Founder DVRF
They talk about Apple vs Windows too. More at the end of the video. There are some major advantages to use Windows machines instead of Mac (M1/M2/M3 chip). Starting minute 35.
Also laptop vs. desktop is discussed there. Minute 31. Even if you have the same name of the chip or graphic card in the laptop, the laptop chip/graphic card is weaker.
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oldschool47
Member
Sorry it took me a while to get back to this. So based on what he's saying Mac Silicon computers are more efficient, and process H.264 and HEVC media 10-20% faster than PC's, while PC's are faster with just about everything else in DR because they just have more "raw horsepower". But I like how he said: "it's more important that you are comfortable with the tool you are using, than that you're eking out every little bit of performance." Good stuff.
That's a good overview of Mac vs PC. I use a MacBook because of portability and battery power. I know I could build up a PC that would do a good job with DaVinci Resolve, but I wouldn't take it with me when I travel. This hit me last year, I was in Australia, way over on the west side and south on the Indian Ocean. I was shooting video of the beautiful coastline during the day, and sitting on the couch with my MacBook at night editing this stuff. With no worry about battery life or overheating - just editing. And of course the MacBook has an HDR screen, and if you are like me and edit in HDR it is a wonderful all in one solution. I also run PCs, am a big fan of NVIDIA, but my life changed with Apple Silicon.