i7 vs i5 processor for Adobe Premiere

[xalexsky]

Hi guys, so I got some option on which I would use either Adobe Premiere or Final Cut:

Laptop with i7-8550u and MX150

Laptop with i7-8750h and GTX1050

MacBook Air with i5-8210Y (possibly I would use Final Cut on this one)

I don't have the opportunity to make some comparison neither I found anything on youtube about their performance on the PLAYBACK, which is the thing that worry me the most, not the Rendering.

So which one of those should perform the best PLAYBACK with footage of 4k 60fps?

[RjL190365]

I would recommend skipping the MacBook Air entirely for video editing: Its CPU is far weaker than either of the two Windows options (all Y-series CPUs are only dual-core and extremely low sustainable CPU clock speeds, versus the eighth-generation U-series CPUs that are at least quad-core and modest sustainable clock speeds, and the 8750H is a 6-core CPU), and it does not have a GPU that's at all suitable for Premiere Pro. In fact, that MacBook Air relies solely on its extremely weak integrated Intel HD or UHD Graphics that's not even at GT2 level - it has too few processing units to even enable OpenCL or Metal GPU acceleration at all! As a result, Premiere will be permanently locked to the software-only mode for renders, which would then fall back entirely to the underpowered CPU for those tasks. This will, in turn, cause the exports, especially those with even a single nominally GPU-accelerated effect, to be slowed down substantially. As a matter of fact, it is barely suitable for even 720p, let alone 4k, video work.

And that's not to mention that there have been more issues (at least in these forums) between Adobe and Apple than between Adobe and Microsoft when it comes to program stability.

Between the other two options, go with the 8750H. You will want the most powerful CPU you can afford if you're planning to work with 4k/60 videos.

[Peru Bob]

moved from Premiere Pro to Hardware Forum

[Warren Heaton]

While the MacBook Air isn't powerful, it is indeed capable and (as to be expected) exceptionally portable.

I have the 2015 11-inch MacBook Air.  If I could change anything, it would have more RAM (the current MacBook Airs support up to 16GB, the model I have only allowed for up to 8GB).  While it doesn't win any render races (even my 2010 27-inch iMac i5 - now retired - would render effects heavy After Effects Comps faster than my MacBook Air) it works really well for 1080p High Resolution edits and also very well for 2160p Proxy workflows (but again, due to the processor speed limit, transcoding is - as expected - much slower than what it would be with a laptop or desktop with a higher clock speed).  If there's a tight deadline, I might start on the MacBook Air and finish on my MacPro.  Another important note: some features of Premiere Pro, like Morph Cut, produce better results if more RAM is available (for Morph Cut, it seems to be 32GB of RAM for better results).  That said, if I always had tight deadlines and needed a laptop, I would opt for a MacBook Pro over a MacBook Air.  If I need portability while still wanting the ability to run whichever Adobe application I need (Premiere Pro, After Effects, Photoshop, Illustrator, Audition), a MacBook Air works.

Playback from the internal Flash storage, external Thunderbolt SSD drives or external USB3 SSD drives is smooth.  An important note:  I almost always transcode everything to Apple ProRes422 HQ, LT or Proxy depending on the needs of the project for editing.

Both OpenCL and Metal are available (see screenshot below) as well as the Intel CPU acceleration for H264 encoding if running macOS High Sierra or newer.  That said, there are some 3rd party effects that simply won't run if a qualified GPU is not present.  For example, Mettle FLUX for 3D volumetric fractal flames for After Effects and Premiere Pro will report that the required GPU is missing.

A drawback of any laptop with low built-in display resolution is that not all of Premiere Pro's windows and dialog boxes can be resized.    The 1366 x 768 that I'm stuck with is really the bare minimum for using Premiere Pro.  Of course, the MacBook Air drives an external display just fine.  However, this isn't an issue with the latest MacBook Air as Apple updated it to have a Hi-DPI display.

If you're making a hardware choice based on issues that may or may not come up between your hardware and Adobe software, I'd opt for Apple or HP for some degree of assuredness that the software will run as expected and that known issues will get resolved quickly.  If you're making hardware choices to save on what you're spending, you'll want to build your own machine and hope you've made the right hardware choices.

If you go with Final Cut Pro X (as well or instead of Premiere Pro), it runs extremely well on just about any Mac (no surprises there).

Premiere Pro project settings window showing Renderer options on  2015 11-inch MacBook Air, including Metal and OpenCL.

So, I recommend the MacBook Air for serious consideration.  If you're really not sure, purchase it from a retailer with a good return policy.  The Apple Store is likely to charge a restocking fee.  Many Apple value-added resellers (like Melrose Mac in Los Angeles) will not charge the restocking fee if you exchange the Mac you purchased for another one.  If you purchase from B&H Photo Video (where you're likely to get the best price), you'll be looking at selling the unit used if you decide you want or need better performance.

-Warren

[RjL190365]

Actually, Warren, the MacBook Air that the thread starter is considering is of a newer architecture than yours. Since you have success running Premiere Pro on your 2015 MacBook Air with its now-aged i5-5250U, the new 2018 model with its Kaby Lake R-derived i5-8210Y should be an improvement although other factors may diminish that performance advantage. Also, the 2.5k (2560 x 1440) display in the new MacBook Air should be better for video editing than your model's 1366 x 768 display.

But the thread starter must make a decision on how big of an SSD from 128 GB all the way to a whopping 1.5 TB) and how much RAM (8 or 16 GB) his planned MacBook Air will have, because Apple in the Air has permanently soldered both of those components directly onto its motherboard, making that machine completely non-upgradeable.

[Warren Heaton]

Yes, the newer model should outperform mine.

And, yes, regardless of which platform you go with, get the most RAM and internal storage that fits your budget.

I’d opt to 16GB of RAM and 500GB internal Flash storage, but would hope to make the 16/1.5TB work.

For what it’s worth, the 2015 11-inch MacBook Air drives a 2560 by 1440 external display just fine.  Also, ScreenResX or Parallels Toolbox allow a user to scale 1920 by 1080 and 2560 by 1440 (among other resolutions) to that tiny screen (you have to be ready to squint).  It’s close to what 3840 by 2150 looks like on a 15-inch laptop screen.  I usually use the native resolution and switch to 1920 by 1080 at times, using Accessibility Zoom when using a dialog box that I don’t know by heart.

-Warren