Resolve Slow Loading, Crashing, Unreliable - need more VRAM?

Hey everyone.

I've been in Resolve 16 for 6 months or so, on a PC with an admittedly weak GPU (only 4GB of VRAM), but with otherwise fairly powerful components. I started using the software since buying a BMPCC6k.
I've had a lot of ups and downs with Resolve. Sometimes it runs perfectly on a 1080p timeline using all 6K BRAW footage with a million layers and nodes. Sometimes it crashes every 3 minutes in projects that use 1080p footage with one layer.

If the issues correlated with the footage resolution or the complexity of the grade, I would accept that I need a better GPU and move on. But I'm working in a project right now that has only HD footage and a few nodes, and the project takes literally 10 minutes to load each time, then crashes after 10 minutes or so of editing. It frequently crashes during auto-save, so I've disabled that, but then I'm prone to lose my work if I'm not always saving, which I obviously try to do.

I'm trying to get a 3080 GPU like everyone else on Earth, which would give me 10GB of RAM. Even that amount is questionable when dealing with 6k footage. My question is, has anyone experienced these issues and solved them with a better GPU? I would hate to spend a ton of money on this and be left with the same problems. As it is, work that sometimes takes me an hour can take 5 or 6 with all the crashing, slow-loading, etc.

Here's my PC:

PCPartPicker Part List: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/tttz9N

CPU: Intel Core i9-9900K (Standard Folding Box) 3.6 GHz 8-Core Processor ($373.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Scythe Mugen 5 Rev. B 51.17 CFM CPU Cooler ($49.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: MSI MPG Z390 GAMING EDGE AC ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($189.97 @ Walmart)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3200 CL16 Memory ($146.26)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3200 CL16 Memory ($129.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: PNY CS900 500 GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($59.80)
Storage: Samsung 970 EVO Plus 2 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive ($315.05 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda Compute 2 TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($52.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate BarraCuda Pro 10 TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($340.00 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 1650 SUPER 4 GB WINDFORCE OC Video Card ($173.99)
Case: NZXT H510i ATX Mid Tower Case ($99.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Corsair RM (2019) 750 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply ($124.99 @ Best Buy)
Custom: Elgato Game Capture HD60 Pro, stream and record in 1080p60, superior low latency technology, H.264 hardware encoding, PCIe ($144.94 @ Amazon)
Custom: Elgato Game Capture HD60 Pro, stream and record in 1080p60, superior low latency technology, H.264 hardware encoding, PCIe ($144.94 @ Amazon)
Total: $2346.89
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2021-02-14 14:02 EST-0500


Thanks so much.

I'm prone to lose my work if I'm not always saving

You should definitely enable Live Save under Preferences>User>Save and Load.

has anyone experienced these issues and solved them with a better GPU?

What you're reporting here doesn't sound like a GPU issue. While the 3080 is a nice upgrade, I wouldn't necessarily expect that to solve the 10 minute load or the crashes. My thinking is something else is the cause there.