If you’re one of the many thinking about the upcoming DaVinci Resolve for Mac as a possible tool to add to your workflow, then you’ll probably be interested in the recently released DaVinci Resolve for Mac Configuration Guide (pdf link). It’s 20 pages of detailed information that should answer any lingering questions about exactly what is required in the way of Mac hardware (CPU, graphics cards, video capture cards, storage) to run DaVinci for Mac at optimal capacity to get the most realtime performance. The recommended system won’t be as simple as installing it on any MacPro sitting around — Blackmagic is recommending two graphics cards, a fast RAID, and DeckLink HD Extreme. Of course, one shouldn’t expect to be able to achieve real-time grading of HD material on a run-of-the-mill laptop. That said, one supported system is a 17-inch MacBook Pro, though it is marked “suitable for SD and SD/HD shot preview.”

Chances are you’ll be able to get some kind of performance out of an unsupported system. Walter Biscardi mentioned on his blog just today that he’ll only be running a single graphics card (the nVidia 4800 Quadro for Mac), saying, “I was told by BMD that the 4800 will fully support Resolve by itself. I’ll just be sacrificing some realtime functionality. For testing out and learning the software, that’s no biggie.” I like the idea that Resolve for Mac might run well enough on an unsupported system that editors and colorists can learn the interface and get up to speed on this new tool as it begins to ship. There’s also the full Resolve manual available for download at the DaVinci support website. I guess the question now is: will there be a demo or trial version of Resolve for Mac once it begins shipping?