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DaVinci Resolve High CPU Usage: How to Reduce It

Reduce Playback resolution if this issue occurs on your device

5 min. read

Updated onOctober 4, 2023

updated onOctober 4, 2023

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DaVinci Resolve is one of the mostpopular video editing softwareavailable today. However, users have experienced high CPU usage while using the app which can affect your PC’s health and performance.

If your experiencing high CPU usage in DaVinci Resolve, this article will provide you with steps to help you fix the error.

What causes DaVinci Resolve high CPU usage?

The following are some of the most common causes of high CPU usage in DaVinci Resolve:

How can I fix DaVinci Resolve high CPU usage?

Before we proceed with more advanced solutions, here are a couple of quick fixes you can attempt:

If the error persists after applying those quick fixes, here are a couple of advanced solutions you can attempt:

1. Check if your PC meets the Software Requirements

Like most modern software, DaVinci Resolve has a minimum system requirement that all PCs must meet to run the software efficiently. If your PC doesn’t meet the minimum system requirements for DaVinci Resolve, it can cause high CPU usage.

The minimum requirements for DaVinci Resolve to run smoothly on your PC are:

If your PC falls short in any of the above requirements, you’ll experience high CPU usage while using DaVinci Resolve.

2. Update DaVinci Resolve

Sometimes, you can experience high CPU usage due to bugs in the previous updates. In such a case, you’ll need to update DaVinci Resolve to fix the error.

You can update DaVinci Resolve by navigating to theBlackMagic Designwebsite, and check for the latest version of the program.

3. Close unnecessary background programs

4. Adjust GPU Settings

If your Graphics card isn’t as powerful as the ones needed to run maximum resolution, you’ll need to adjust your GPU settings to fix high CPU usage with DaVinci Resolve.

5. Reduce Playback resolution

In some cases, the Playback Resolution is set to High by default. For high-end PCs, this doesn’t affect the PC’s performance, but for lower PCs, you’ll need to reduce the Playback Resolution to fix high CPU usage.

6. Adjust the settings to Optimized Media

The media you import into DaVinci Resolve must support your PC’s specs and resources. Full HD is the recommended resolution for running DaVinci Resolve, but if you opt for 4K or higher resolutions, you’ll experience high CPU usage.

Therefore, you’ll need to convert the media to an optimized resolution that doesn’t affect your PC’s performance.

High CPU usage in most applications is triggered when your PC doesn’t meet the minimum system requirements. However, as we’ve seen in this article, it can also be triggered by other factors.

Nevertheless, you can fix the error by using the steps outlined in this article. If you’ve previously resolved the error using alternative methods, you can let us know in the comments below.

DaVinci Resolve High CPU Usage: How to Reduce It#

What causes DaVinci Resolve high CPU usage?#

How can I fix DaVinci Resolve high CPU usage?#

1. Check if your PC meets the Software Requirements#

2. Update DaVinci Resolve#

3. Close unnecessary background programs#

4. Adjust GPU Settings#

5. Reduce Playback resolution#

6. Adjust the settings to Optimized Media#