How to fix DaVinci Resolve No OpenCL Capable GPU Found Error

OpenCL is needed to run DaVinci Resolve, but what happens if it can't find it?

Joel Loynds

Joel Loynds

Last Updated on

Loading up DaVinci Resolve only to be met with an error stating that there’s no OpenCL GPU? This might be a harsh thing to know, but it might potentially be time to upgrade.

OpenCL is the alternative to NVIDIA’s CUDA, a system designed to support other graphics cards from AMD or Intel.

NVIDIA cards can do OpenCL, but it’s always just best to choose CUDA.

OpenCL is a framework developed and maintained by Khronos Group. It’s intended for use in multiple applications to use the computing power available in a graphics card.

Most commonly, it’s found in various video and graphics software, or 3D programs like Blender.

NVIDIA’s CUDA is simply an alternative, but the proprietary version of it with its own benefits.

But what do you do if you see DaVinci Resolve to throw up an error about not finding a card?

DaVinci Resolve requires OpenCL 1.2 minimum, meaning that if you don’t have hardware that’s from at least 2012, you’re probably out of luck.

The earliest date and hardware that supported OpenCL 1.2 is AMD’s A-5 Series APUs from 2012, which, if you do still run these and are currently trying to load up Resolve, please just stop and look at our specifications page for our recommendations for whole upgrades.

This is the main issue with a lot of hardware that is currently trying to load up Resolve. Just because it’s free, a lot of people assume it’s going to be easy to run and that’s far from the truth.

Though, what happens if you have a compatible system? Here are some steps to take:

1

What GPU do I have?

If you’re unsure what GPU you’re currently running, you can go into Windows to check. Head to the Start Menu and navigate to Device Management. Here, we’re going to click ‘Display Adapters’ and see what the name of your card is called.

There’s no real better way to do this than a quick Google.

STEP
2

What GPU do I have? GPU-Z

If you want to see more in-depth information without searching, GPU-Z from TechPowerUp is a great way to quickly see what’s actually running. At the bottom there’s a few check boxes to indicate what it can and can’t do.

Hovering over the check box will give you a more detailed breakdown.

If you don’t have this, it’s time to upgrade.

1

No Capable OpenCL GPU with Right Graphics Card

So what if your card supports it, but won’t load?

First things, let’s update your drivers. Back in Device Manager, locate your graphics card through Display Adapters and then right-click.

Choose update drivers and have Windows automatically search for the right drivers needed for your card. Once updated, try Resolve again.

STEP
2

Update Drivers for DaVinci Resolve

Sometimes Windows won’t find the driver, so you can always head to Intel or AMD’s website for the most up-to-date drivers if need be.

If you happen to have a laptop from HP, for example, you might need to browse their website for the specific driver implemented for that laptop.

You might even need an alternate driver, so try a couple of others if available.

1

Use Old Versions of DaVinci Resolve

If you happen to still run into issues related to DaVinci Resolve not detecting an OpenCL GPU, you’ll want to uninstall Resolve and roll back to a previous version.

To do this, simply uninstall the program as you would any other by heading to Control Panel, then Program and Features, and finally, uninstall.

Then, head to Blackmagic Design’s website in their support and locate a prior version to the current version of Resolve. That or you might need to update it, so do that instead.

Blackmagic has stored all the way back to Resolve 10 in 2014.

1

DDU and DaVinci Resolve

Another method before you begin installing drivers is to use DDU, Display Driver Uninstaller. There’s a very detailed thread for both AMD and NVIDIA cards, but to summarise:

Download the application and extract the file. DDU recommends you uninstall with Safe Mode, so before you reboot, download the drivers you want to reinstall. Keep them on the Desktop for now in a folder.

STEP
2

Setup DDU

Following that, restart your PC into Safe Mode by holding shift while you press restart to be brought into the blue screen menu and choose Troubleshoot and Safe Mode in the Advanced Options and Start-Up Settings.

Safe Mode reboots your PC into a clean environment with no network connectivity. For more, you can follow our guides about it.

Once it loads up and you’ve launched DDU, you’ll want to head to the drop-down menu on the side and select your matching GPU.

STEP
3

Restart with DDU

There are three options for how you want to shut down the PC, but for now, we’re going to choose Clean and Restart, to prevent any black screen issues that might occur.

Windows will reboot and you’ll be met with an extra chunky-looking screen. This is because we’ve removed the drivers and Windows hasn’t reinstalled them.

Now choose the drivers you downloaded beforehand and install them.

STEP
4

Reboot and Relaunch Resolve

Go through the process and your PC will deal with the rest, don’t panic if it looks like it is about to go haywire.

Relaunch DaVinci Resolve and you should now be able to get through.

Again, if this issue still isn’t resolved after all of this, you will absolutely need to get in touch with the people at Blackmagic Design, who have a well-versed tech support team and forums.