Surface Book 2 Adobe Premiere Poor Performance

Report · Jan 10, 2018

I just got my new surface book 2 yesterday.. I have been doing all my video editing on my desktop for the past while, so I was quite excited when my new laptop came in and I could finally be mobile. In fact I was planning on using my laptop as my main system for video editing as my desktop is usually used as a system for gaming.

Anyway so the laptop is performing like shit, I hope this is not the laptop but maybe a problem with the adobe software (I just dropped $2,600 on this seemingly piece of crap and I don't want to lose my money). For the first bit that I was using it, premiere was working just fine albeit with some stuttering which was surprising because I was working with 1080p footage and never had problems with 1080p previously. Now when I use Premiere, it opens regularly but once I load my project the gates of lag swing wide open, the program doesn't fully load, the slider at the bottom of the video timeline doesn't respond, I can't get through 5 seconds of video without heavy lag. Essentially all the systems in premiere are lagging, I can't even open the different tabs (Graphics, Effect, Audio, Color, etc.) because the program won't respond (And not in a "Not Responding" kind of may, more of a lag way). I don't really know how to describe my problem other than just a huge lag fest.

This is extremely disappointing because not only was this laptop very expensive but it is marketed as one of the best pieces of hardware for creatives, and it is advertised specifically with adobe products. If there is any advice for me I will gladly take it, otherwise I think I am going to have to return this computer because it has only been one day and I am already massively disappointed with its performance.

I have tried switching my computer to use Nvidia's high performance processor rather than the integrated graphics but that changed nothing. And for some reason windows made it so I can't choose a performance mode for my PC rather than a energy conservation or balanced setting.

If nothing can be done, my advice to anyone looking at the surface book 2 for video editing would be stay as far away as you can, its a nightmare trying to edit on this thing.

Thanks.

Report · Feb 11, 2018

HI Bill,

It was worth a shot, but the registry tweak was unsuccessful on my SB2 15. I restarted twice and Premiere Pro CC 2018 still gives priority to the iGPU after a few seconds (the dGPU peaks at 44-45%, then lulls to 2-5% and the 4k playback get choppy. I even played with the Nvidia control panel settings (adaptive/prefer maximum performance/Nvidia driver-controller/perfer consistent performance)...as well as power modes in Windows - PP CC 2018 is still choppy with 4k playback.

Report · Feb 12, 2018

Oh, well...

That's the problem that I'm afraid of when dealing with anything that has two dissimilar GPUs with absolutely no way at all whatsoever to disable the integrated Intel HD or UHD Graphics. In this case, this behavior (when the CPU is used very little, the system automatically switches back to the integrated Intel graphics with absolutely no way at all to override that behavior) is permanently locked in at EFI level. And then, once the Intel graphics kicks in, the MPE renderer will switch completely to the software-only mode.

Of course, if OpenCL support for the Intel graphics is enabled, and GPUSniffer throws out a warning "Not chosen because of initialization failure.", then Premiere will use only the software-only mode for rendering, with no GPU acceleration.

Report · Feb 13, 2018

My experience as well. The other frustration I have with SB2 is the new Power Profile you create to max out internal graphics, made possible by CsEnabled reg edit, vanishes the moment you switch back to Power Saver profile for operating on battery. You have to redo the reg edit, restart the SB2 to get it back

Report · Feb 14, 2018

Same deal here, but with a Surface Book i7 (Nov 2016 vintage). PP CC 2017 worked fine through summer of 2017, but I haven't used it in many months.

When I did so earlier today for a project (now v12.0.1 build 66), it refused to rely on the nVidia, even when I enabled GPU acceleration and disabled the integrated graphics (i.e., slow) GPU in device manager. Rendering and many operations were unbearably slow, rendering PP pretty much useless. I tried a bunch of workarounds (updated drivers, rebooted machine, reboot PP a few times, etc.), but nothing worked. I validated that all other apps were relying on the nVidia GPU, so it seems like an Adobe, not Microsoft problem.

My machine is top of the line (16GB RAM, 512GB SSD, running on wall current). Really disappointing as I've been using PP for a decade now and can't continue until they fix this problem or I buy a different machine.

Report · Feb 19, 2018

Has anyone had problems with charging while premiere pro is open? When I am video editing the battery seems to drain fast and it will not charge even though the charger is plugged in.

Report · Feb 20, 2018

I also bought the surface book 2 and was not able to edit videos efficiently. Scrubbing through the timeline was a nightmare and replaying video was possible for the first couple of minutes and afterwards there was severe lag.

After reading on the forum I disabled the Intel grafic cards and also optimized the power option for my grafic card. Now premiere is running smoothly and editing makes fun again. This means tough, that I'm no not able to use the front camera on the surface and face recognition isn't working anymore which is a real pitty but at least it is working now...

Please Adobe: fix this isue when a laptop has to grafic cards. Give us the choice with which grafic cards we want to work with. This fix would help a lot of other users as well!!

Report · Feb 20, 2018

patrickn87233678 wrote
Please Adobe: fix this isue when a laptop has to grafic cards. Give us the choice with which grafic cards we want to work with. This fix would help a lot of other users as well!!

Talk directly to Adobe here:

Feature Request/Bug Report Form

Report · Mar 02, 2018

I’m using the Surface Book 2 for video editing and can say without reservation it works as expected. Granted, this SB2 has only been in my possession for two weeks and comparison tests are limited at this time. However, I’ve done a few as can be seen below.

This SB2 is an i7/15/1TB and used with an external Samsung T3 1TB drive to edit videos and then only when plugged into an A/C power source.

Having had the SB2 i7/13/1TB for five weeks prior to the above I found, while usable, it slowed down significantly after the first 30 seconds (during rendering). This was due to the processor heating up and slowing down, and caused by the fact there is not fan in the tablet section of the computer and was the reason for exchanging it to the 15 inch version.

The comparison tests conducted were of a video which had been stabilized and requires rendering every time it is opened. The rendering time on my Work Station lasted 1 minute and four seconds. On the 15 inch SB2 it takes 2 minutes 21 seconds.

This doesn’t look good unless you compare this with other laptop computers… Also, the above noted test were done with the computer out of the box and has not yet been adjusted. I.e. NVIDIA drivers can be adjusted to work primarily with PR, this has yet to be done.

Report · Mar 07, 2018

Bump

Report · Mar 12, 2018

Quick update

First, with basic use of PR on the SB2, scrubbing is relatively smooth, i.e. not much different to on my workstation. This can become an issue by screwing up on effects. In my case this was due to using the stabilizer twice and paused half way through one. Then scrubbing became a severe issue. It is the same on my workstation, but to a lesser degree.

However, screen capturing has been disappointing, i.e. very jerky captures… The latter is a requirement of mine due to instruction purposes. This issue could be caused by my existing “capture” program not allowing the use of NVIDIA’s GPU.

Rendering has been surprisingly good with no signs of dropped frames.

The reason for not yet having run PPBM is due to NVIDIA’s program, there appear to be different versions and not all work with SB2. Still checking them all out… although, the one presently in use looks like the correct version 8.1.940.0, the GTX 1060 driver version 388.8

Originally, I had an issue with using NVIDIA’s GPU when setting its use to Global, in that it caused the Windows magnifier to black-out and some anomalies. This was finally solved by selectively setting the magnifier to use only Intel’s GPU.

Just comparing crunching speeds to my existing laptop (which is modified and exceeds all of last year’s top models), using AIDA64’s Benchmark, the SB2 averaged more than 80% better performance. Note; AIDA64 benchmark does not appear to use the GPUs.

It will take at least another week before I will run the PPBM tests, at that time will let you know of any changes to the above observations.

Cheers

Report · Mar 12, 2018

A couple of observations: Reference to PR not allowing selecting the GPU for performance, please see the window pasted below… this was taken off the latest version of PR

Of interest in SB2 both GPUs are being used and I've not been able to disable Intel's GPU

Report · Mar 13, 2018

I like this positive news.

Sure would like to see your GPRSniffer output on those Surface Book 2 units. I tried to get access to a demo unit to try it out but no luck.locally.

Report · Mar 13, 2018

Bill

I'd like to give GPUSniffer results to you, but the DOS window (windows powershell) shuts down before I'm able to capture it it's content

Regarding getting a SB2 you can order one and return it within 30 days for a full refund.

Here, in Canada, the SB2 15 inch was not available until the 15th of February and I acquired the 13 inch unit 45 days before that date. When I returned it to the Microsoft store there was no issue to get my money back, indeed when I told them to place me on the list to get the first 15 inch model when it arrives they allowed me to keep the 13 model during the interim.

Report · Mar 13, 2018

Go to your Cortana and type in cmd Enter and you should get a CMD window that stays up

Here is a Google technique

"One of the quickest ways to launch the Command Prompt, in any modern version of Windows, is to use the Run window. A fast way to launch this window is to press the Win + R keys on your keyboard. Then, type cmd or cmd.exe and press Enter or click/tap OK"

Report · Mar 14, 2018

Bill

The reason for not getting this done sooner was due to my horrible typing skills, as well the fact that "Premiere" has an "e" at the end... 🙂

Let me know what you think?

Report · Mar 14, 2018

Well that is exactly what you would want to see.

You stated above that ""Of interest in SB2 both GPUs are being used and I've not been able to disable Intel's GPU"

Is this still the case, that you did not have to disable the Intel GPU but that Premiere automatically did it for you?

Report · Mar 15, 2018

Bill

To date I've not been able to disable the Intel GPU... Both are working in conjunction with each other and the intensity for each varies.

However, it's easy to disable the NVIDIA's GPU for specific programs.

Once I get past the project I'm working on right now I'll contact Microsoft about this issue...

FYI, through a MS senior tech he's been able to get the attention of Redmond's SB2 tech team regarding another NVIDIA GPU issue, causing the magnifier to turn black and make it unreadable when NVIDA GPU is set as the "Preferred graphics Processor" in NVIDIA's control panel.

Just one more comment; I own and have access to numerous computers, the SB2 while not without its flaws, has performed better than any laptop with which I've pushed the limits. Over the past three weeks this unit has only crashed once and that was with Corel's Painter 2018 and then only when a difficult brush was used at it's maximum setting with an extremely high resolution sketch.

As you may have noticed, in my case I like the ability to use the screen for sketching and architectural work. Due to this the SB2 is a bargain, when compared to the cost of WACOM's tablet computer that costs the same as the SB2 15.

For those who don't need touchable screens or removable tablets there are of course less expensive solutions. As well If one only need a laptop for video editing there are computers more suited at a lesser cost.

That brings up a point which I will test in the next couple of days, that being the screen resolution which I will lower to see how it performs.

Report · Mar 15, 2018

Bill

Just for you, I'm still testing the NVIDIA GPU issue...

First the existing settings in the NVDIA Control Panel - the Global Settings are set to "High-performance NVIDIA Processor"
The Program Settings Adobe Premiere is set to "high-performance NVIDIA Processor"
Editing in PR scrubbing RAW video files the previews are smooth without any visible frame losses
Rendering RAW video files uses the NVIDIA GPU, with a little of Intel's GPU
Stabilizing RAW video files does not use either GPUs

When opening older stabilized PR files with a "red line" scrubbing is very bad, less though on my workstation, but still not good. Once said file is rendered scrubbing is as smooth as expected (note; finally the latest PR version now prevents loss of rendering when reopening)

One issue I have is capturing videos off the WEB, today I found a possible solution, Movavi Screen Recorder. It allows selecting NVIDIA's GPU. There is a downside, but the captured videos have almost no dropped frames...

Yes Bill, I will keep my promise and run your PPMB

Cheers

Report · Mar 15, 2018

Thanks much so for Adobe Premiere with the right settings it get a green light, hope that stays that way whem we get your results with the PPBM testing.

Report · Apr 15, 2018

Surface Book 2 i7/15/1TB

Experience Summary after two months of use

This laptop’s primary use is for assembling and editing video clips for educational purposes. Its secondary use is for editing photos, architectural drawing and sketching.

Since video editing is the most demanding use, the following is based on this.

One issue most confusing is the dual graphics processors, i.e. Intel’s UHD 620 and NVIDIA’s GTX 1060. For reasons not clear, with my unit, Microsoft did not include NVIDIA’s GPU driver and it is incumbent to load it before one can properly render most video clips.

Setting up or updating NVIDIA’s GPU driver is best done by using the “Device Manager” and selecting NVIDIA GTX 1060 under the Display Adapters tab. It’s less confusing than trying to select the proper driver directly from NVIDIA’s site.

Once this is done you may have to open the Control Panel to access NVIDIA’s driver, and it will require two to three more steps before NVIDIA’s 1060 will be used by Adobe’s Premier Pro, or any other software that is D3 capable.

In my case the following settings seem to work best: - Under the “Global Settings” tab select “High-performance NVIDIA Processor”; under the “Program Settings” tab, item 1, click on the “Add” tab and select “Adobe Premiere…” then “Add Selected Program”, then under item 2 select “High-performance NVIDIA processor”.

You will now see the NVIDIA 1060 (GPU 1) actually being used Although, at first it seems disappointing since NVIDIA 1060’s use is often only 1/3^rd of Intel’s 620.

After two lengthy sessions with Microsoft technicians the following was determined:

- NVIDIA 1060 is only used for 3D capable software

- Intel’s 620 is more powerful than was initially perceived.

FYI, disabling Intel’s 620 causes poor performance, i.e. scrubbing and even viewing videos is very poor.

In summary, I am satisfied with the video editing performance of this laptop.

Cheers

Report · Apr 25, 2018

i have all the same headaches as you!

and i really wish it would be a more fluent experience.

right now this brand new SB 2, that i thought would be an absolute beast in terms of edting, has proven completely otherwise.

RED-Cine X for RED footage is not working with it either... and lumetri color make the graphic card crash all the time, almost as getting confused on what card to choose and it all just crashes.

Report · Apr 25, 2018

Victor

I cannot comment on your disappointing experience with RED-Cine X editing software. What I've observed so far is the SB2 as being somewhat fickle to which editing software is used.

With both PR and Vegas my editing experience has been satisfactory. However, I would not refer to the SB2 as a "Beast", in fact I've never found a portable laptops equal a proper work station when it comes to video editing. Scrubbing has not been an issue with the SB2 as long the footage is not "red-lined".

With those limitations taken in consideration, I've been more than satisfied with SB's performance.

Once my workload lessens I plan to run PPBM's tests and post them for here critique which hopefully will be next week...

Cheers

Report · May 03, 2018

Update on my similar issue: The Windows Spring Creators Update fixed my problem 100%. Now, my SB2 15in runs better than ever!

Report · May 03, 2018

Please tell us more

Did you simply download a "Spring Creator" version or is there a special version for SB2?

Also, are additional steps needed to updating?

Report · May 03, 2018

I got the notification via Windows Update that it was time for the big update (The Creators should come out to the newest Windows machines first so I would check windows update), and I installed and updated my system. Then I launched PP, Photoshop, and After Effects and watched for any of the errors I have experienced earlier and none were present. The programs did not crash at all, and overall everything about my machine runs smoother.

Before the update (about two weeks ago) I had a Microsoft tech aid remote into my computer, she said that my issue was stemming from a previous update back in December that was not allowing the duel GPUs to function together. So after hearing that, I crossed my fingers and waited on the Creators update and sure enough, my problems were fixed. My SB2 15in is media producing beast now!