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What’s best: a MacBook Pro with a slightly better processor or one with discrete GPU
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Well, as I said I have that model, so if you want me to test anything for you, I can. Rendering a minute or two faster on something that isn’t terribly long (like a ten minute video popular in the vlogging community) is pretty good gain between computer models. Most of your speed in a new computer would be tied to performance while working—which I can’t really test for you. Well, I guess I could screen capture me dragging through a project or something. I would imagine the video card would probably help in performance while working in AE since the GPU is used in rendering the interface as well.
You could also upgrade the processor to the same, so there won’t be any negatives to getting the upper model. The only downside is that that’s a build to order option so you might not be able to just waltz into the Apple store and find that model. Of course to be fair, you probably won’t be strolling into the one at the Louvre anyway due to all the people. The one near Opéra might be ok. 🙂
Again, let me know if you want me to test something. And otherwise, good luck!
Joe Clay
Workbench.tv -
Oh you must’ve typed this while I was responding. I’ll give it a go and see what happens
Joe Clay
Workbench.tv -
Actually I guess I just missed your comments. Well, I opened up the Premiere Project. I rendered the timeline as you said. When there was a minute left on the timer, it just played. Thankfully, I was using the stopwatch on my phone and I hit it quickly. It took 5:45 to render. That’s a pretty intensive comp, haha.
This machine is the Mid 2015 Retina model. I believe it’s the latest one. I don’t know if you’re following macrumors at all, but they might release a new model in the fall with Skylake chips. How that will affect performance, I can’t really say. Anyway my specs are:
2.5GHz core i7
16GB 1600 MHz DDR3
AMD Radeon R9 M370X 2GBOn the 512GB SSD, I have 16GB available. I ran the test with Safari still open and Spotify is also open but not playing anything. Airmail is also open. I didn’t really use the computer other than having those things open while it rendered. Safari has been open for a few days and it can be a memory hog so it might’ve been slightly faster with it closed. But I figured this was more real-world.
And now I’m doing even more real-world and leaving that stuff open, rendering, and finishing my reply. Not that there’s anything much more than to tell you what is the result. So I’ll go and check responses in other threads and come back. I also did that on battery power. I know the older machines used to throttle more when unplugged. I don’t believe this one does. Now I’m plugged in. I also assumed you were rendering h.264. It looks like I’m going to fall between the models. It is possible, and probable with Adobe, that the Windows version is more optimized than the Mac version.
So the results:
- Timeline render: 5:45 minutes
- Media Export: 13:36 minutes
- Media Export (Vimeo 1080p preset): 6:54
So both are faster than the MBP you have currently. I don’t know how Premiere Handles rendering AE comps. I know AE doesn’t use the GPU as intensely as Premiere does in general. But I’d imagine that dynamic link wouldn’t make Premiere render aeps faster than AE. But maybe it does. Considering that I was browsing and replying to email, and switching between apps, being 13 seconds slower than your older machine isn’t bad. That said, I’d just render using the vimeo export in AME. It’s quick and does the job quite well. I’ve put both renders in a dropbox folder for you to check out. I’ll leave it in there for a few days at least. The difference is negligible but it renders MUCH quicker, and it results in a slightly smaller file.
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/q6cw5cixyajantf/AAD0xTvtg83DwSJFXIZYDJjha?dl=0
So I’d conclude that it might not be a bad idea to swap the computers. But it’s up to you. I would say that if it renders faster, it should be a lot easier to work with in the timeline. I hope this helps you!
Joe Clay
Workbench.tv -
You’re awesome, Joe! It’s been very kind of you to take the time to help me out with this!
And I’m glad I got your data from your MBPro because I’ve just ordered the same one and will be replacing this one. I’m sure the discrete graphics card has much to do with the taste performance; but from the beginning I also had a nagging feeling that I had gotten a lemon. Ever since I heard the right speaker buzzing with relatively normal volume music I got that feeling.
It is an intensive comp! I don’t always have such intensive comps but it’s good to know you computer won’t cut out on you if you need to have one or two! This one just doesn’t get the job done well enough!
My old PC apparently is not so close from the tomb as I thought it was, but it is a hassle while editing, because it lags and becomes very slow, very quickly, and also Adobe often crashes on it. But apparently it still has some life in it as a rendering machine.
I do follow Macrumors but very loosely, to be honest. I’ve worked with Macs while all the time but have never been a Mac owner up to now. But they’ve been rumouring the new Macs will be announced this date and that date and it isn’t happening. 🙁 I’ve been waiting since around Feb. or March, and was promised they would be announced at the WWDC a couple of weeks ago but it wasn’t. According to the guys at the Apple Store in Paris, new MBPros won’t be coming out until next year. They probably know as much as anybody else about it, but, really, the workload has been starting to come in and I couldn’t wait any longer. I am aware that probably once I got the MBPro the new ones would come out a month after! So I’m prepared for that and won’t feel so bad!
Finally, yes, I’m exporting in H.264. That was a big oversight on my part not to clarify it in my post. I’ve downloaded your exports and at first glance I can’t see the difference between the Vimeo setting export and the one I’m using. I’m going to test it out a little but you may have changed my life with that tip, Joe! If I can export at virtually the same quality but at half the time… wow! In the end, the vlogs at least (which are the ones I have to export daily and they’re a real pain when I have to wait 30-45 mins for them to export), will be compressed with YouTube’s compression algorithms that often mess up rather good quality footage. So I really don’t know why I’m cracking my skull with this one.
Anyway, thanks a million! You’ve really help me a lot! -
No problem! I’m glad it helped! Good luck with the new machine!
Joe Clay
Workbench.tv
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