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Anonymous
February 14, 2018
Question

Laptop for Editing in Premiere: Acer Predator Helios vs. Eluktronics N870HP6 (or PowerSpec, MSI)

  • February 14, 2018
  • 2 replies
  • 6760 views

Hello,

I am in the market for a laptop for editing on the go in Premiere (by "on the go"... I mean, plugged in at a desk while visiting other cities).

I am looking at:

  • Acer Predator Helios (Intel Core i7-7700HQ CPU, 16GB DDR4 RAM, 256GB SSD, GeForce GTX 1060-6GB)

       The 16.6" Predator is currently $1,049.

       Amazon.com: Acer Predator Helios 300 Gaming Laptop, 15.6" Full HD, Intel Core i7-7700HQ CPU, 16GB DDR4 RAM,  256GB SSD, G…

  • Eluktronics N870HP6 (Intel Core i7-7700HQ Quad Core  6GB GDDR5 NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 256GB PCIe NVMe SSD + 16GB DDR4 RAM) (or another Clevo laptop- the Eluktronics just happens to be cheaper than similar models from Sager or Prostar right now).

          The Eluktronics 17" is on sale for $1,094.

          Eluktronics N870HP6 Pro-X Premium VR Ready Gaming Laptop - Intel i7-7700HQ Quad Core Windows 10 Home 6GB GDDR5 NVIDIA Ge… (the 15" 850 is                  similarly priced).

There are many more reviews on the Predator for Premiere users and less info on Eluktronics, so I'm not sure if there are any unique performance or build issues or differences I should be aware of. I am new to laptops and Premiere issues with switchable graphics + need to disable on board GPU for better performance with dedicated graphics card. A friend who has a couple of Predators said one was great for editing and the other has some weird graphics card glitches. I will be working with a lot of effects that can be GPU accelerated with CUDA according to this list: Learn about effects in Premiere Pro.

I'm wondering if there will be a performance difference between these laptops while using Premiere or other things to consider? And secondly, if you would recommend one over the other for general quality/build, reliability, or customer service? Both have the same 1 year warranty.

I have also considered this PowerSpec 1510 from Microcenter: PowerSpec 1510 15.6" Gaming Laptop Computer - Black 348292 - Micro Center

And this MSI GL62VR: MSI GL62VR-NE1060 15.6" Intel Core i7 7th Gen 7700HQ (2.80 GHz) NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 VR Ready 16 GB Memory 512 GB M.2…

But, because my desktop will still be my main editing station, I'm not sure I need to spend $200 more for increased specs of the PowerSpec or that the MSI would offer that much more.

Thoughts?

Much Appreciated!

This topic has been closed for replies.

2 replies

S
ShamanicYogi
Inspiring
March 12, 2018

Has the issue regarding the HD 600 GOU on the i7 chip overriding the NVidia card been resolved?  I'm considering the Acer Predator 17" i7 GTX 1060 as well for my work in Premiere Pro and need to know if I will have access to the 1060.  

Thanks!

R
RjL190365
Legend
March 13, 2018

Actually, all Intel iGPs override the discrete GPU if the laptop (or desktop) manufacturer fails to provide any provision at all whatsoever in the UEFI to disable the iGP (specifically, the manufacturer permanently locked this setting to the "Always Enabled" position). It's that the OpenCL support in the currently available Intel drivers for the iGP does not work properly on any of the 600-series iGPs, effectively locking Premiere to the MPE software-only mode. And since CC 2015.3, Adobe had removed the switchable graphics support, permanently locking the GPU selection to whichever GPU is used for the primary display.

Bill Gehrke
Bill Gehrke
Inspiring
February 14, 2018

There is something very weird happening currently with the newer laptop that have two GPU's and specifically the built in HD 600 seiers GPU which is in the i7-7700HQ.  You no longer can disable the Intel to get at the nVidia (or even the AMD OpenCL) for Graphics acceleration in Premiere.  RJL​ is commenting on this problem.  We do not currently know the complete cause.

R
RjL190365
Legend
February 14, 2018

Actually, Bill, that issue is specific to certain OEMs, not the HD Graphics 600 series itself. It is, after all, up to the OEM to implement changes in the BIOS/EFI in such laptops. The problem is that most, if not all, big-name OEMs "permanently" lock the settings at BIOS/EFI level on at least some of their laptops and desktops so that one cannot change any GPU or power-saver settings whatsoever. All Microsoft Surface-branded laptops and some Dells and some HPs do that.

What's more unfortunate for Microsoft Surface is the reliability record: According to another magazine (the one whose name rhymes with Schmonsumer Schmeports), the Microsoft Surface laptops have had a much worse reliability record than any other brand of laptop, Windows or OSX.

Bill Gehrke
Bill Gehrke
Inspiring
February 14, 2018

Thanks Randall, I understand, but how can we suggest any specific computer model that happens to have a HD 630 equipped CPU without some user test data?  I doubt any OEM support people would even be able to answer that question.  I wonder if the BIOS manufacturer could give us any clues?

I did get a submission from a PPBM test on an i7-7700 desktop but the submission was invalid and I did not get any updates from that user.

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