MBP vs. Surface Book 2 vs. ? for rendering video?

[kat.hayes]

I am using a early 2015 MBP Intel Core i7 3.1 GHz 16GB RAM and recently started doing color grading with Premiere on it. It is painfully slow exporting and it is not able to play back 4K video in the timeline.

1. Are the new MBP models more capable of playing back 4K video in the timeline of Premiere in real time?
2. Will I notice much difference in speed with exporting from a new MBP?
3. I am a long time Mac user though open to other options. I've heard good things about the Surface Book 2, anyone know how much better in terms of performance they might result in?
4. Any other suggestions?

Thanks!

 

[Miltz]

I am using a early 2015 MBP Intel Core i7 3.1 GHz 16GB RAM and recently started doing color grading with Premiere on it. It is painfully slow exporting and it is not able to play back 4K video in the timeline.

1. Are the new MBP models more capable of playing back 4K video in the timeline of Premiere in real time?
2. Will I notice much difference in speed with exporting from a new MBP?
3. I am a long time Mac user though open to other options. I've heard good things about the Surface Book 2, anyone know how much better in terms of performance they might result in?
4. Any other suggestions?

Thanks!

You might already know this but Final Cut Pro Runs so much better on the Mac than Premiere. Windows does run premiere better than Mac OS. If you hate final cut pro and will only use Premiere the Surface 2 might be your best bet. That being said a 2017 MBP runs final cut amazing, faster than premiere on the Surface 2. Try the new version, you might like it.

 

[Poki]

The Surface Book 2 uses 15W 8th gen CPUs, which should be slightly slower than the 45W CPU in your MacBook Pro. Having said that, Premiere isn't very well optimized, on neither operating system. It runs a little better on Windows - but in that case, it would still be faster on your MacBook Pro running Windows via Bootcamp compared to the Surface Book 2.

As Miltz pointed out, Final Cut Pro should run it much better than any notebook running Premiere.

 

[kat.hayes]

I will try out FCPX, though I will still need to use Premiere and After Effects and soon DaVinci and Cinema 4D.

What do people who do lots of intense 3D graphics and video use for laptops when a MBP won't cut it? It seems like Apple doesn't really have a Pro model sufficiently capable of fast rendering for these types of things?

Thanks.

 

[William Payne]

I will try out FCPX, though I will still need to use Premiere and After Effects and soon DaVinci and Cinema 4D.

What do people who do lots of intense 3D graphics and video use for laptops when a MBP won't cut it? It seems like Apple doesn't really have a Pro model sufficiently capable of fast rendering for these types of things?

Thanks.

Its more a case of the software writers not really expecting people to do hardcore video work on a laptop.

 

[06tb06]

Final Cut Pro user here.

Unless you use several Adobe applications in conjunction with Premiere Pro (Photoshop, After Effects, etc.), you would probably be better off editing 4K footage on a MacBook Pro with FCPX. Adobe at one time regularly updated Premiere with stability and performance optimizations, but they've slacked off the past few years for whatever reason.

I used Premiere for about a year on a custom-built gaming PC and the performance was terrible. When I switched to Mac, I bit the bullet and upgraded to FCPX and have never looked back.

 

[Queen6]

Different horses for different courses, equally if you don't want to switch to FCPX the Surface Book 2 with GTX 1060 will be significantly faster.

Q-6
[doublepost=1513997465][/doublepost]

I will try out FCPX, though I will still need to use Premiere and After Effects and soon DaVinci and Cinema 4D.

What do people who do lots of intense 3D graphics and video use for laptops when a MBP won't cut it? It seems like Apple doesn't really have a Pro model sufficiently capable of fast rendering for these types of things?

Thanks.

No hard facts, likely iMac's or Windows based solutions for those that need a speedy portable solution. My own notebook being a 7700HQ & GTX 1070 solution as Apple doesn't produce anything with this level of performance with the scalability I want.

Q-6

 

[jeremiah256]

What do people who do lots of intense 3D graphics and video use for laptops when a MBP won't cut it? It seems like Apple doesn't really have a Pro model sufficientl

It runs a little better on Windows - but in that case, it would still be faster on your MacBook Pro running Windows via Bootcamp compared to the Surface Book 2.

I don’t know if it’s still true, but a few years ago, the best PC was a Mac (w/Bootcamp).

 

[leman]

According to tests I’ve seen, Surface Book 2 sustained performance is not too good, which would make it a poor choice for video editing. The 15” MBP with a “real” quad core is better suitable. Of course, the SB2 still has a faster GPU, so if your workflow can utilize the GPU very well, it could be a decent option.

 

[Queen6]

According to tests I’ve seen, Surface Book 2 sustained performance is not too good, which would make it a poor choice for video editing. The 15” MBP with a “real” quad core is better suitable. Of course, the SB2 still has a faster GPU, so if your workflow can utilize the GPU very well, it could be a decent option.

With Premier not at all, and this is with last years 13" Surface Book with the NVidia 965, 15" Surface Book with GTX 1060 will be significantly faster.

Source
Results (Less time is better)
1. Dell XPS 15 9550: 3:35
2. Dell Inspiron 15 7000: 3:44
3. HP Zbook Studio G4: 4:35
4. Surface Book: 5:01
5. MacBook Pro 15-Inch: 6:04

Worth noting that the tests were repeated without GPU acceleration, clearly Premiere is not well optimised for OS X, equally the processors are not as slow as some think in real world use. Only way I see the MBP performing better is with an eGPU if Premier is the application of choice.

Photographylife more of the same with direct comparison 15"Surface Book 2 to 15" MacBook Pro, seems the "imitation" CPU in the Surface Book 2 stands up rather well in the real world, even the 13" Surface Book 2 is snapping at the heels of the 15" MacBook Pro. There's no doubts that the CPU will roll back under high thermal load or more likely power demand, equally this is made up by the vastly more powerful dGPU that is thermally independent of the CPU.

Reality is one needs to try both notebooks with realistic workloads not benchmarks designed to bring any machine to it's knees, equally Microsoft should have done a better job with the new 15" Surface Book's power delivery...

Q-6

 

[maflynn]

Different horses for different courses, equally if you don't want to switch to FCPX the Surface Book 2 with GTX 1060 will be significantly faster.

I love MobileTech reviews, she's great and doesn't pull any punches.

I have the original SB and is a good machine, though a 15" laptop is something I think I need at this stage of my life. Anyways a couple of gripes I have with the SB. The more I use it when traveling the more it feels irksome.

The balance of the laptop: When using the SB on my lap, I get annoyed by how how it moves around because much of the weight is in the display portion.

I'm also bothered by the premium cost, year the MBP will be nearly the same price (its a hundred dollars cheaper), still I think its over priced (as I do the MBP).

I've run hot and cold over switching over to windows, my family enjoys the features and UX of macOS, and I found that I also prefer it over windows. It makes more sense for me to use windows for my work.

Right now its hard to justify or recommend the MBP because of the keyboard issues, the 2017 model seems to be a bit better then the 2016 in terms of the keyboard failing but it seems the problem isn't completely solved by Apple. Personally, I'm looking at waiting until Apple releases the 2018 model to decide which computer fits my needs.

 

[Queen6]

I love MobileTech reviews, she's great and doesn't pull any punches.

I have the original SB and is a good machine, though a 15" laptop is something I think I need at this stage of my life. Anyways a couple of gripes I have with the SB. The more I use it when traveling the more it feels irksome.

The balance of the laptop: When using the SB on my lap, I get annoyed by how how it moves around because much of the weight is in the display portion.

I'm also bothered by the premium cost, year the MBP will be nearly the same price (its a hundred dollars cheaper), still I think its over priced (as I do the MBP).

I've run hot and cold over switching over to windows, my family enjoys the features and UX of macOS, and I found that I also prefer it over windows. It makes more sense for me to use windows for my work.

Right now its hard to justify or recommend the MBP because of the keyboard issues, the 2017 model seems to be a bit better then the 2016 in terms of the keyboard failing but it seems the problem isn't completely solved by Apple. Personally, I'm looking at waiting until Apple releases the 2018 model to decide which computer fits my needs.

I really like Lisa's reviews as they are fair and unbiased, being also very much qualified to call it on the tech side. Surface Book is a solid performer, very much a premium product, equally it's not perfect (owning a 13" 2016 i7, 256, 8Gb, dGPU). Not had any issues traveling, although I can see that the point of balance is something to be mindful of. Pricing is what it is, for myself not such a drama as the hardware pays for itself rapidly. Again same as Apple the lack of scalability concerns and for a 15" class ports are limited, although being a 2 in 1 with full Touch & Pen are certainly positive aspects.

Similar quandary as yourself although, eventually I settled for a 17.3" desktop replacement basing my choice solely on my professional need for the present. For my use/workflow W10 is now far more stable than OS X. The 2016/17 MBP I don't care or remotely like the new keyboard, although I can adapt to, however the inherent unreliability absolutely unacceptable. Port solution makes little sense for many, requiring a myriad dongles & adaptors to regain basic connectivity required here and now. IMHO not at all what many professional users seek, equally not Apple's target audience these days.

Professionally I've ceased with Apple, home use the cast off's find their place For basic casual use Apple's uptrend in pricing very much works against it, with OEM's and Windows 10 ever improving. I rather fear that the Mac and the desktop OS will continue the trend of softening the platform, with Apple wanting to replicate it's IOS sales. Dumbing down both to the lowest common denominator, barring a few models as an exercise in Apple's technical prowess in an attempt to slow the current "reverse Halo effect" that's in full effect; the exodus of professional's from the platform...

Q-6

 

[Falhófnir]

The Surface Book 2 uses 15W 8th gen CPUs, which should be slightly slower than the 45W CPU in your MacBook Pro. Having said that, Premiere isn't very well optimized, on neither operating system. It runs a little better on Windows - but in that case, it would still be faster on your MacBook Pro running Windows via Bootcamp compared to the Surface Book 2.

As Miltz pointed out, Final Cut Pro should run it much better than any notebook running Premiere.

They are the 15W U series, but in the 15" at least it's actually configured to a TDP of ~25W which gives you a little more thermal headroom.

 

[Poki]

They are the 15W U series, but in the 15" at least it's actually configured to a TDP of ~25W which gives you a little more thermal headroom.

That should still be slower than the H-series 45W chips Apple uses, especially when they move to hexa-core ones next year. Also, the nTB MBP's 15W chip can run easily at around 25W too with its turbo boost, so MS isn't the only one utilizing these chips to it's full potential.

Having said that, the GPU acceleration could of course make the Surface Book faster than the MBP, depending on the application.

 

[Falhófnir]

That should still be slower than the H-series 45W chips Apple uses, especially when they move to hexa-core ones next year.

This is true, though the 8th gen U series are closer to a 7th gen H series than they are to the previous 7th gen U series according to what I've seen.

Also, the nTB MBP's 15W chip can run easily at around 25W too with its turbo boost, so MS isn't the only one utilizing these chips to it's full potential.

This isn't right though, the TDP is tied into the laptop’s cooling system - the TB requires two fans at 28W to allow it to run without throttling affecting its performance. The TDP also sets how much power the chip can draw, if Apple have set it at 15W, the chip will never draw more than 15W of power, no matter how high a clock speed it boosts to.

 

[Poki]

This isn't right though, the TDP is tied into the laptop’s cooling system - the TB requires two fans at 28W to allow it to run without throttling affecting its performance. The TDP also sets how much power the chip can draw, if Apple have set it at 15W, the chip will never draw more than 15W of power, no matter how high a clock speed it boosts to.

This used to be true, but it's no longer the case with Intel's mobile CPUs. An OEM could theoretically configure a CPU to never use more power than the 15W, or even the configurable TDP down. But if they don't do this, the CPU will run at the highest clock speeds it can while staying at safe temperatures.

Look here: https://www.intel.com/content/www/u...ology/turbo-boost/turbo-boost-technology.html

Quote: "Note: Intel® Turbo Boost Technology 2.0 allows the processor to operate at a power level that is higher than its TDP configuration and data sheet specified power for short durations to maximize performance."

However, I just looked again at the benchmarks I had in mind, and the cooling of the nTB model doesn't seem to be as good as I remember - I probably confused it with the tb model. Still, the TDP alone doesn't tell the whole story anymore.