Best Laptop for running Premiere Pro

[dhruvs85863305]

Hey Guys,

I want to purchase a new laptop, looking for something value for money which is future proof (4K, 5K videos) for at least 4-5 years. I am currently using Premiere Pro and these are my options from the leading companies -

Apple -

Amazon.com: Apple 15" MacBook Pro, Retina, Touch Bar, 2.9GHz Intel Core i7 Quad Core, 16GB RAM, 512G...

Microsoft -

Amazon.com: Microsoft Surface Book 2 (Intel Core i7, 16GB RAM, 256GB) - 15": Computers & Accessories

Am also open to Lenovo, ASUS and HP. My brother would also be using this laptop for his development work occasionally, he is a full stack developer. Please help, this is all very confusing and I don't want to buy something that costs a bomb for no reason.

Thanks.

D

[Moderator note: moved to best forum]

[Peru Bob]

dhruvs85863305  wrote

Hey Guys,

looking for something... which is future proof ...for at least 4-5 years.

I don't think that's possible.

[RjL190365]

If you're going to run Premiere Pro CC 2017 or 2018, forget about either of those two: These newer versions of Premiere Pro no longer support switchable graphics (or specifically, have the within-Premiere GPU selector disabled at executable level to the point where any attempt to modify the file to enable it will render the program completely unusable). And if those two laptops provide no provision at all whatsoever in the BIOS/EFI to disable the Intel graphics, the Premiere Pro renderer will become "permanently" locked to the integrated on-CPU Intel graphics, which may use either OpenCL or software-only MPE. And the integrated Intel graphics, especially in these laptops, will be excruciatingly sluggish even in OpenCL mode.

And Peru Bob is correct that it's impossible to "future-proof" any PC that long, in light of the fact that hardware and software companies do not like to support anything that's more than three years old.

Randall

[dhruvs85863305]

Then what do you suggest I should buy?

Best,

Dhruv

[RjL190365]

Whichever laptop you buy, ensure that it does not list both the Intel HD or UHD Graphics and a discrete GPU as included in the same unit. If it does, then that's a giveaway that it uses switchable graphics - and the laptop manufacturer may not offer any provision at all whatsoever in the BIOS or EFI to disable the Intel graphics and thus force everything to use only the discrete GPU. (To be sure, all recent Intel mobile CPUs include some form of integrated HD graphics, but it's up to the laptop manufacturer to disable this integrated IGP or leave it enabled if the company adds a discrete GPU chip on to the laptop's system board.)

And software switches do not work at all for Premiere; Premiere will simply ignore the manual software GPU selector and will use only the primary graphics chip (the one used to boot the laptop into Windows, which in every case is the vastly inferior-performing Intel HD graphics).

[dhruvs85863305]

Thanks, but how do I check Intel HD or UHD Graphics, most manufactures don't mention this separately, can you please help me pick one, am more confused about choice now, does Apple macbooks also have this issue? How about ACER Predator Helios - Amazon.com: Acer Predator Helios 300 Gaming Laptop, 15.6" Full HD, Intel Core i7-7700HQ CPU, 16GB DD...

Thanks, am sure this will help a lot of people.

[RjL190365]

You have to look at those features on a model-by-model basis.

And I made comments in my first post in this thread to save you the headaches of why Premiere isn't running as smoothly or as snappily as it should. Do a forum search for problems in Premiere that are caused by the use of switchable graphics (those laptops that use both the Intel graphics and a discrete GPU). You will find that there are many users that have the same problem that I described: The Premiere MPE renderer is locked to the integrated Intel IGP and unable to even select, let alone use, the discrete GPU for GPU acceleration. As such, the discrete GPUs go completely unused in those laptops in question when running Premiere Pro.

And yes, all Apple MacBooks with discrete GPUs also have the integrated Intel graphics enabled, with absolutely no provision at all whatsoever to completely disable the Intel graphics.

And most but not all gaming laptops have the Intel graphics disabled on the laptops' manufacture.

[mikeklar]

RJL

Guess I’m dreaming in Technicolor in the hope a truly portable (not luggable) laptop will be available for relatively serious video editing ☹

I’m not saying or even thinking about a replacement of a workstation.  One of the laptops that has caught my interest is recently released Microsoft Surface Book 2 with the 1 TB drive.

There is one question based on your comment regarding setting the computer’s bios to use only GPU settings, when both OpenGL and GPU such as NVIDIA’s is available.  Assuming the NVIDIA control panel can be loaded, is it not possible to simply select the GPU under the “Global Settings” tab?

Ps. This was accidentally posted under the wrong thread...  and has been moved here...

[RjL190365]

Many people have tried that, and discovered that the current versions of Premiere will simply ignore the Nvidia global settings for GPU selection. In other words, Adobe now requires a hardware or firmware based switch to even select the GPU in Premiere Pro. This means that the selection is made only when Premiere is launched, and you cannot change it. And the Nvidia global selector is entirely software-based, which will not work at all for Premiere: The MPE renderer will still detect only the inferior Intel graphics.

What happens there became painfully clear after running the GPUsniffer.exe program in a command prompt or PowerShell window, and while the program detected two GPU-acceleratable devices, the query on the discrete GPU invariably fails with the response "* Not chosen because of initialization failure." This occurs on all laptops with switchable graphics regardless of the setting of the Nvidia "global settings" GPU selection. As a result, only the Intel HD Graphics is used for MPE GPU acceleration on such laptops.

[mikeklar]

RjL

All of this still would apply even if one opens the Project Settings tab and selects the “Renderer” to the GPU? 

[RjL190365]

mikeklar  wrote

RjL

All of this still would apply even if one opens the Project Settings tab and selects the “Renderer” to the GPU? 

Yes. All of that would still apply. In the case of the Surface Pro 2, you will notice in the MPE GPU renderer that in this particular instance OpenCL or software only are the only available options, and that Adobe disabled OpenCL support for Nvidia GPUs in Windows versions of Premiere Pro CC. This signifies that only the Intel HD Graphics is used for GPU acceleration.

[Mariano_Puppo]

I'm on the same boat, searching for a new laptop. Does it make sense to buy a new macbook pro? Will Premiere take advantage of the Radeon GPU ?

[Bill Gehrke]

I like that Acer,  It is a great CPU and GPU.  I just looked at Xotic PC and they can customize that model which means there is some upgradability to it.  It can support 32 GB and it has an internal connector for a 2.5-inch (SSD preferably) drive for future upgrades.  But right now I would suggest when you buy it also buy a Samsung T5 portable USB 3.1 SSD as Premiere only works good if you have a second storage device and that T5 is my favorite.  On my laptop even though it has a second internal SSD I prefer having all my Project files and Media on it so I can simply and instantly walk my project from my easy chair laptop to my computer room desktop and back to the laptop at any time. The price is slightly high to start at Xotic but they indicate the match prices.  I hope you know that you have to have any laptop plugged into AC power to edit as on battery power they slow everything down to make it unusable while on just the battery.

[mikeklar]

Bill

Thank you for your suggestion. 

I fully understand the need to have the laptop plugged into an AC power source while editing.  FYI, recently working on friends Mac Book Pro (two generations old) while transcoding a 15 minute video the power plug actually got so hot that it was painful to the touch and the plastic started to become soft.  Have you experienced a similar issue with your Acer?  Also how heavy is your laptop?

Cheers  

[Bill Gehrke]

My 3+ year old laptop is an ASUS and weighs 9 pounds but it is a 17" screen for my old eyes but the brick never has felt the least bit uncomfortable.

[mikeklar]

Thanks for responding Bill

Let's not speak of "old eyes" it's too close to home

The main reason for looking into a portable device capable of video editing is portability during travels.  As well to show clients working results.  In no way is it intended to replace my workstation. 

Presently I'm using Microsoft's Surface Pro 3, with a Samsung T3 and that's spoiled me when it comes to portability, but other than the lightest of video work, it's only good for showing edited clips.  Also,  I have a four year old Sony VAIO with an I7 four core CPU, NVIDIA GPU and 500GB SSD, which is surprisingly snappy when compared to more recent laptops, however, I don't plan on buying something equally heavy.

My dream would be the size of (preferably 15 inch screen) and weight of the Surface Pro, which can be used for light video edting.  I did say DREAM

[RjL190365]

I just posted my updated opinion of the 15-inch Surface Book 2, after reading professional reviews on it. What I stated assumed the presence of both implied a switchable graphics configuration when in fact the smaller model offers a choice between the two at the time of ordering.

I apologize for all the misleading statements about the Surface Book 2.

Randall

[mikeklar]

Randall

I appreciate your input. 

At the moment the 15 inch Surface Book 2 is not available in Canada, so hopefully there will be someone in the US that gives us a heads up on how it will work with the latest PR before I get carried away and buy one ...

Of concern is the fact the GPU is a custom version.  It'll take time to find out what that really means.

Cheers

[Bill Gehrke]

mikeklar  wrote

Randall

I appreciate your input. 

At the moment the 15 inch Surface Book 2 is not available in Canada, so hopefully there will be someone in the US that gives us a heads up on how it will work with the latest PR before I get carried away and buy one ...

Of concern is the fact the GPU is a custom version.  It'll take time to find out what that really means.

Cheers

Here is a preorder site in the US that show a 15" model with a very standard GTX 1060 6GB GPU for $3300 USD.for that 4.2 pound computer. with 16 GB of RAM and a single unspecified 1TB PCIe SSD    I just went to XoticPC and  configured a custom MSI GF62VR 7RF-877. This is a 15.6" screen and when configured with 32 GB of RAM, one 250 GB SATA III SSD plus one 1 TB PCIe M.2 NVME (Read 3500MB/s - Write 2100MB/s)  at only 4.8 pounds for $2300 (only a 1920 x 1080 screen which is perfectly adequate in 15.6 size) I think I would have to chose the MSI

[mikeklar]

Bill

You're right,

[wkutu]

Randall,

This is all very interesting, confusing and frustrating.  There are so many variable to performance that aren't immediately clear to even experienced users.  I purchased a SB2 and am still deciding if it is worth keeping.  There are problems such as 4k scaling, precision trackpad not working with multitouch gestures, etc.  This one is a new issue for me. How can I test to make sure Premiere is utilizing the GTX and not the integrated Intel?

[Bill Gehrke]

wkutu  wrote

How can I test to make sure Premiere is utilizing the GTX and not the integrated Intel?

Download, unzip and run my Premiere Pro Benchmark (PPBM) and run the four exported tests.  These test are specially designed tests that testyour hardware by using Premiere Pro. 

1. The first timeline that when exported tests the write rate of the export disk.
2. The second timeline is run twice once with GPU acceleration and once with CPU only.  When this test is run with GPU acceleration you will see 100% GPU usage and of course the CPU only you 100% CPU utilization
3. The third timeline is a very complex mixture of media types, effects and it has 7-layers, it is both GPU intensive and CPU intensive.

The scores on these four tests can then be compared to many other systems scores to see how well your computer performs, If you Submit the results with the Speccy file I will try to give you feedback.

[RjL190365]

All right, I am taking back everything that I stated about the Surface Book 2: The 15-inch model is available only with the discrete Nvidia GPU, and should already have had the integrated Intel HD Graphics disabled at the factory. It's only the 13-inch model that could be ordered with the integrated Intel HD Graphics enabled or a discrete Nvidia GPU.

With that now said and done, the 15-inch Surface Book 2 should suffice for Premiere Pro - as long as you keep an eye on the lousy AC plug-in power supply unit which comes with that PC. That PSU could barely handle the load demands of running higher-end programs on this "maxed-out" configuration.

Hope this helps,

Randall

[wkutu]

As I understand it, the GPU is in the keyboard base, so when you detatch the screen and go into tablet mode, the Intel takes over.  Does this mean Premiere utilizes the GTX?   There is an option when you right click the program icon to "Run with Graphics Processor" --> "High-Performance NVIDIA processor (default)" or "Integrated graphics".

[tharidup70485176]

Hey friend I am tharindu

I hope get MacBook Air laptop I want editing videos, photos and any design. But I have some problem its, MacBook Air is matching for my work area ??