What computer should I get to edit in After Effects?

Question

I haven't been using After Effects for very long and in the past had just used Premier Elements. I have a SUPER horrible $375 refurbished HP laptop that I got from a local PC shop and it is not working very well with after effects. When watching through the preview of my comp it NEVER plays the footage real time, some features like Adobe Character Animator CC I can't even use. So I definitely need an upgrade, however I don't have much of a budget, probably around $1000 would be the most i could spend. Now I'm not a professional film maker or anything I'm just making short films with friends and commercials for local businesses, but I NEED a better computer. I don't have a preference between Laptop/Desktop or Mac/PC, I just need something that can run After Effects fairly well at a good price. Any suggestions or thoughts would be highly appreciated.

Mylenium · Accepted Answer

Editing 4k smoothly has nothing to do with AE. Editing is done in Premiere. That said, you're not going to get far with an underpowered Mac if that is really what you want to do. That would require one of the core7i models at least and of course a bigger version that would be able to display the full 4k. You're also going to need much more storage, more RAM and all the good stuff. Based on what you said, it seems your budget and your dreams are mutually exclusive. I'm not saying that you couldn't work with 4k at all on your chosen Mac, but it's not going to be much fun. hardware acceleration features will work on the verge of their capabilities (if at all) and even simple things may come with delays and lag.

Mylenium

Mylenium · Answer

Nah. Tell us what models you have your eyes on and then we might be able to tell you how good or bad for AE they are. Everything else would only end up in an endless and equally useless and confusing thread. Refer to the system requirements and scour through the gigazillions of "How do I optimize performance?" threads here on this forum and elsewhere. This will give you enough info on what would be preferable. Also it might help to know which version of AE you are using.

Mylenium


Processor	Intel Core i5 Quad-Core
Base Clock Speed	3.0 GHz
Max Boost Speed	3.5 GHz
Total Installed Memory	8 GB
Maximum Memory Capacity	8 GB
Memory Type	DDR4 SDRAM
Memory Speed	2400 MHz
Onboard Memory	8 GB
Available Memory Slots	None
Graphics Type	Dedicated
Graphics Card	AMD Radeon Pro 555 with 2 GB

Display
Panel Type	IPS
Size	21.5"
Aspect Ratio	16:9
Native Resolution	4096 x 2304
Touchscreen	None
Brightness	500 cd/m²
External Resolution	Up to 5120 x 2880

Drives
Available Slots	None
Total Capacity	1 TB
Hard Disk Storage	1 x 1 TB 2.5" SATA (5400 rpm)
Optical Drive	None

Input/Output Connectors
Ports	2 x Thunderbolt 3 4 x USB 3.0 Type-A
Display	2 x DisplayPort via Thunderbolt port
Audio	2 x Integrated Speaker 1 x Integrated Microphone 1 x 1/8" (3.5 mm) Headphone Output
Expansion Slots	None
Media Card Slots	SD/SDHC/SDXC

Communications
Network	1 x 10/100/1000 Mbps Gigabit Ethernet (RJ-45)
Modem	None
Wi-Fi	802.11ac; Dual-Band
Bluetooth	Bluetooth 4.2
Mobile Broadband	None
GPS	None
NFC	None
Webcam	User-Facing: 720p Video

Battery
Power Requirements	100-240 VAC, 50-60 Hz
Power Supply	Not specified by manufacturer

General
Operating System	macOS Sierra
Security	Kensington Lock Slot
Dimensions (W x H x D)	20.8 x 17.7 x 6.9" / 52.8 x 45.0 x 17.5 cm
Weight	12.5 lb / 5.67 kg

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