Horrible performance fresh install on brand new Macbook Pro!

[_keyframer]

PP is a nightmare. I have a brand new MacBook Pro 2.3 GHzQuad-Core Intel i7 with 16 GB and Intel Iris Plus graphics card. Installed PP and it's almost unusable! I have 30 seconds of 4 Adobe Stock clips (preview) on the timeline and some text overlays. Playback is almost impossible. I press play and the playhead doesn't move for a few seconds and then when it does it skips through the entire sequence in about 1-2 seconds. I've restarted. I don't know what else to troubleshoot on such a new and clean machine. Wow. So bummed since this machine was purchased specifically to meet the demands of video editing.

[RjL190365 · Accepted solution]

Here is the big problem:

That MacBook Pro does not have a discrete GPU at all whatsoever. In fact, none of the 13-inch models are currently available with a discrete GPU at all. You will have to go all the way to a big 16-inch model just to even get a discrete GPU at all.

The big problem with an integrated on-CPU graphics processor is that it steals far too much system RAM for itself, leaving you with an insufficient amount of system RAM available to run everything else, including the OS and programs, whenever the iGPU is doing its video processing job. And the Iris Plus graphics, by default, steals more than 6 GB of system RAM for itself, and eats up even more system RAM as it is performing any sort of video processing. In fact, it eats up so much system RAM that you'd effectively be left with only 4 GB of system RAM available for macOS and Premiere Pro combined.

That is exactly why any computer system that has only integrated graphics should be avoided for video editing at all costs.

[_keyframer]

Thank you! That totally makes sense - I failed in my research.