Bad performance on Lenovo Thinkpad T16 AI PC and external GPU

Here’s the deal:

Premiere and all other NLE software performs poorly on Windows PCs with only integrated graphics to begin with. And even if you add an eGPU, it will not improve overall performance much because the eGPU is hamstrung by what’s effectively PCIe 4.0 x1 throughput. As such, even a monster GPU in an external enclosure would be severely bottlenecked by the Thunderbolt 4 connection.

I used an external GPU several years ago, when I had a Core i5 laptop that only had weak Intel integrated graphics. The 8GB Radeon graphics card I used in the external GPU enclosure did speed up graphics operations in Adobe applications because it was clearly superior to Intel integrated graphics. However, I hesitate to recommend an eGPU today because the cost/benefit equation has changed.

For example, after you price an eGPU enclosure plus a suitable GPU, because of the recent dramatic price spikes for memory and GPUs, today the total cost may approach or exceed the cost of an entirely new laptop. If I was to try and put together the same eGPU now, at today’s prices I think it would be a much worse value and more difficult to justify than it was 7 years ago. 

So you might be happier replacing the T16. Start by referring to the recommended GPU types for the applications you use (Premiere? After Effects?), because that’s going to constrain which GPUs you can choose from. Then be aware that a Thunderbolt 3 or 4 external GPU is limited to Thunderbolt bandwidth, which seemed like a lot 10 years ago but now can be a bottleneck for the latest and most powerful GPUs as PC motherboards and interconnect protocols have gotten faster. That means a given high performance GPU might not be able to achieve the same performance in a Thunderbolt eGPU compared to plugging it directly into the internal motherboard, as in a desktop PC.

There is a newer eGPU standard called Oculink that might perform better than Thunderbolt, but I don’t know how well it’s supported by Adobe software, and a quick glance at the T16 specs indicate there might be no way for the T16 to connect to Oculink.

If you must use a Windows PC, first look at PC laptops with a built-in discrete GPU that exceeds your Adobe software’s GPU requirements. If your company is open to other platforms, I’ve been satisfied editing raw photos and video on a MacBook Pro with an M1 Pro CPU with a 14-core GPU (a 2021 model), however my video editing is relatively simple 2K/4K, not a lot of tracks and effects. The midrange MacBook Pro models in the M4 and current M5 range are several times faster than my M1 and are very capable laptops for Premiere and After Effects. 

All of the models mentioned in the previous paragraph are a far superior overall Premiere/After Effects experience compared to adding a bulky, AC-powered eGPU to my old Core i5 laptop. One reason is an eGPU helps only graphics, but an integrated system optimized for performance and efficiency helps everything.

What Adobe apps do you use?

What are the complete computer specs, including hard drives (how many, what kind, what is on each, what capacity, and how full)?

I don’t use a laptop, but this link has information on what works

Puget page has desktop and laptop computers... expensive, but at least some good ideas
https://www.pugetsystems.com/solutions/video-editing-workstations/adobe-premiere-pro/hardware-recommendations/