Are you into video editing? Be it a professional venture or a personal hobby, video editing requires powerful hardware. How to do control alt delete on mac keyboard. Nowadays, advancements in technology also means the need to update oneself and one's devices with the changing times. Adobe Premiere Pro is a video editing software. It allows users to get excellent video editing and its latest version was released in 2020. What's more? Adobe Premiere Pro 2020 has some specific system requirements that need to be fulfilled in order to get good video editing performance. Among those requirements is a better graphics card. Your regular graphics card won't work that well, unless you are okay with your system lagging, slow speed and frequent system crashes. This article is here to offer you a glimpse at some of the best graphics card for video editing 2020.
But, nevertheless, that info does not actually answer my question; what to 'prioritise' specs-wise when it comes to buying (in this case) the new iMac Pro, in regards to Premiere Pro and After Effects. The Surface Studio 2 is well-equipped for all levels of Creative Cloud use, including Photoshop, After Effects, and Premiere Pro as it makes use of the latest NVIDIA graphics, with a choice of either the GeForce GTX 1070 that includes 8GB of dedicated graphics memory (GDDR5) or the GTX 1060 with 6GB of graphics memory. If you are someone who prefers a Mac or Windows machine, then the MacBook Pro 16 is probably the best choice for you when it comes to running Adobe Premiere Pro. This is probably the best laptop you can get from the Apple ecosystem and it does give a run for your money when it comes to performance. The Best Mac for Adobe Premiere Pro Popular with graphic designers, music producers, video editors and all other creatives, Apple's Macs have been leading the charge in high-powered and affordable computing for years.
Top 5 Best Graphics Cards Available in the Market
1. EVGA GeForce RTX 2080 Ti
NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 2080 Ti Founders Edition- 11GB GDDR6
- CUDA Cores: 4352
- Display Connectors: DisplayPort, HDMI, USB Type-C
- Maximum Digital Resolution: 7680x4320
Last update on 2021-02-22 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API How much is a mac desktop.
The EVGA GeForce RTX 2080 is a graphical processing unit released by Nvidia Turning Architecture. It is one of the more recent releases. This piece of tech is the updated and better version of its predecessor EVGA Precision XOC, which is also one of the best recommended graphics card for adobe premiere pro.
The EVGA GeForce RTX 2080 is considered by many tech experts to be the best video card for video editing because it has real time ray tracing ability and can be overclocked. The best thing about the EVGA GeForce RTX 2080 ti is that it has a powerful AI system that ensures top speed and rendering during video editing.
Pros:
- Can be overclocked and is capable of real-time ray tracing
- Excellent cooling system and is VR ready
- Best GPU for 4K video editing
- Adjustable RGB LED
- Less noisy than most other GPUs
- Best performance GPU acceleration during 3D modeling
Cons:
- It is a bit more expensive than other GPUs.
2. Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 Founders Edition:
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Super Founders Edition Graphics Card- Powered by the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 SUPER graphics processing unit (GPU) with a 1650 MHz clock speed and 1815 MHz boost clock speed
- 8GB GDDR6 (256-bit) on-board memory plus 3072 CUDA processing cores and up to 496 GB/sec. of memory bandwidth
- PCI Express 3.0 interface / Real-Time Ray Tracing / GeForce Experience / NVIDIA Shadowplay / NVIDIA Ansel.
- NVIDIA G-SYNC and HDR/ Microsoft DirectX 12 / OpenGL 4.5 Support/ Vulkan API / VR Ready.
- DisplayPort / HDMI / DVI-DL Support
Last update on 2021-02-22 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
The Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 is the flagship product released by Nvidia Turing Architecture. Now, you may wonder about what makes the Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 Founders Edition truly special. The Nvidia GeForce card is the factory version overclocked to 1800 Mhz. The power consumption is of 254 watts.
What truly makes the Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 Founders Edition truly great is the fact that it is the first Turing RTX architecture map that offers real time ray tracing feature. It is one of the best GPUs for 4K resolution video editing and has a high refresh rate. It uses the latest technology to allow best in class editing and also uses 8 GB of GDDR6 memory with higher memory bandwidth to enhance the video editing experience. It features a next-gen 8-phase power supply for maximum overclocking and it is one of the best graphics card for video editing 2020.
Pros:
- Can be efficiently overclocked and incorporate the latest technology
- Best GPU for 4K video editing
- Amazing gaming experience
- Less noisy than most other GPUs
- Incredible performance during video rendering
Cons:
- Cooling system is a bit on the down side.
3. XFX AMD Radeon VII:
XFX AMD Radeon VII 16GB HBM2, 1750 MHz Boost, 1801 MHz Peak, 3xDP 1xHDMI Pci-E 3.0- Chipset: AMD Radeon VII
- 16GB HBM2 memory
- Boost clock - 1750 MHz
- Peak clock - 1801 MHz
- Triple fan cooling. Stream processors - 3840
Last update on 2021-02-22 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
The XFX AMD Radeon VII is one of the best video card when it comes to video editing. The XFX AMD Radeon VII has a greater memory bandwidth, which makes it an ideal choice for extreme gaming and offers the best quality of video editing. Its 7nm processing technology is better than that of Nvidia Turing Architecture in terms of performance.
It works well with 4K and 8K monitors and it is VR ready. The best thing about the XFX AMD Radeon VII is the fact that it renders videos in real time without lags or drops in frame rates. What's more? It has a huge VRAM that allows it to run high end games and recommended graphics cards for adobe premiere pro.
Pros:
- Assured to receive the optimal gaming performance as well.
- Perfect GPU for 4K video editing
- Incredible gaming experience
- Very huge and powerful memory
- It has a memory clock speed of 1 GHz
Cons:
- Poor cooling system compared to other GPUs in the list
- Noisy fans
- Overheats quickly
4. Gigabyte Aorus GeForce RTX 2060:
ASUS ROG Strix GeForce RTX 2060 Super Advanced Overclocked EVO 8G GDDR6 HDMI DisplayPort USB Type-C Gaming Graphics Card (ROG-STRIX-RTX2060S-A8G-EVO-GAMING)- Powered by NVIDIA Turing with 1710 MHz Boost Clock, 2176 CUDA Cores and 8GB GDDR6 memory
- Supports up-to 4 Monitors with 2x DisplayPort 1. 4, 2x HDMI 2. 0 and a VR headset via USB Type C ports
- Auto Extreme and Max-Contact Technology deliver premium quality and reliability with aerospace-grade Super Alloy Power II components while maximizing heatsink contact
- ASUS Aura Sync RGB lighting features a nearly endless spectrum of colors with the ability to synchronize effects across an ever-expanding ecosystem of Aura Sync enabled products
- GPU Tweak II makes monitoring performance and streaming in real time easier than ever, and includes additional software like Game Booster, XSplit Gamecaster, WTFast and QuantumCloud
Last update on 2021-02-22 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
The Gigabyte Aorus GeForce RTX 2060 is one of the best video card available for video editing and extreme gaming. It allows live streaming in games and offers the best video editing and rendering performances. The Gigabyte Aorus GeForce RTX 2060 has a very powerful memory and high speed which makes it the ideal video editing GPU.
What's more? The Gigabyte Aorus GeForce RTX 2060 allows overclocking and real time ray tracing. It is VR ready. It works well with 4K monitors and has a high refresh rate. The Gigabyte Aorus GeForce RTX 2060 has an excellent cooling system that uses Windforce alternate spinning fans and hence does not overheat easily. It is also the perfect graphics card for adobe premiere pro.
Pros:
- Optimized performance gains
- Incredible GPU for 4K video editing
- Smooth and sharp gaming experience
- Powerful cooling system
- Less noisy
- A 240 Hz refresh rate
Cons:
- Low frame rate
- Drastically impact the gaming experience on high-end games.
5. Gigabyte Radeon RX 570:
Gigabyte Radeon RX 570 Gaming 4G Graphics Card, 3X WINDFORCE Fans, 8GB 256-Bit GDDR6, GV-RX570GAMING-4GD REV2.0 Video Card- Powered by Radeon RX 570
- Windforce 2x with 90mm blade Fan Design
- Ultra Durable materials
- Intuitive AORUS engine
- Oc Mode up to 1255 MHz
Last update on 2021-02-22 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
The Gigabyte Radeon RX 570 is the best budget-oriented graphics card for video editing. It is really great for HD gaming and its features include High Dynamic Range (HDR) and AMD FreeSync Technology. It offers a decent frame rate at medium graphics settings and great performance GPU accelerated CUDA when it comes to video editing.
The best thing about the Gigabyte Radeon RX 570 is that it is lag-free and offers real time video editing and multitasking. It can be overclocked and it has an excellent cooling system. It is also one of the highly recommended graphics cards for adobe premiere pro.
Pros:
- VR ready and overclocked
- Powerful cooling system
- Minimal noisy
- Decent refresh rate
- Impressive high-end gaming experience
- Super affordable
Cons:
- Lacks real-time ray tracing
- It does not possess dual link DVI and VGA
The above mentioned are the best graphics card for video editing 2020. These are the best choice to get a seamless experience.
Performance is important
At BIZON we often get many customers who want to switch from a Mac to a PC Workstation. While there are many reasons our customers want a change, it usually comes down to one major factor, performance.
Whatever you use your Mac or Workstation PC for, performance is important to help you manage your workflow, to ensure your game runs smoothly, for high-quality sound and graphics, and to edit videos efficiently.
The rise in 4K, 6K, and 8K workflows makes optimum performance a necessity for many people, so it is essential to make the right choice when considering a computer.
With performance being the most important factor when deciding between a PC or a Mac, we take a look at why a PC is a better option to use Adobe's Premiere Pro video editing application compared to a Mac or iMac Pro 2019.
To find out whether a PC or Mac is a best video editing workstation, we took three iMac systems and a PC workstation of a similar price and tested them across performance for live playback, render in to out, and export.
If you love data we're sure you'll enjoy looking at our charts, which show how the systems compare, but if charts aren't your thing you can always scroll past the data to read our conclusion.
To compare the iMac Pro and Mac Pro to our BIZON V5000 4K/6K/8K video editing workstation, we tested the following system configurations, using Premier Pro version 13.1:
1. BIZON V5000 14-Core 4K/6K/8K Video Editing Workstation Computer 2020
More details »
Price $5700 + $520 (4K monitor) = $6220 –> ~$6200
- Processor: 14-Core 3.30 GHz Intel Core i9-9940X (up to 18 cores)
- Memory: 64 GB DDR4 3200 MHz
- Graphics Card: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Ti 11GB
Note: With NVIDIA GPUs you get advantages of Adobe's Mercury Playback Engine acceleration and CUDA support. AMD that comes with Mac have no CUDA. - Hard Drive (Operating system): 1 TB PCI-E SSD (Up to 3500 Mb/s)
- Additional HDD (Storage): 2 TB HDD SATA
- Operating system: Windows 10 Pro
- Monitor: Dell U2718Q 27-Inch 4K UHD IPS Monitor
- Keyboard + Mouse: Logitech Wireless Mouse and Keyboard
- Warranty: Life-time Expert Care with 5 Year Limited Warranty (5 Year Labor & 3 Year Part Replacement)
- Software Premiere Pro CC 2019 (ver 13.1)
Price $7000 + $79 (mouse) + $129 (keyboard) + $520 (4K monitor) + $249 (Apple Care) = $7556 –> ~$7500
- Processor: 2.7GHz 12-core Xeon
Note: Old generation CPU (2013 Year) - Memory: 64GB 1866MHz DDR3
Note: Old DDR3 RAM - Graphics Card: Dual AMD FirePro D700 GPUs 6GB
- Hard Drive: 1TB PCIe-based SSD
- Additional HDD (Storage): Not available
- Operating System: macOS 10.13.4
- Monitor: Dell U2718Q 27-Inch 4K UHD IPS Monitor
- Keyboard + Mouse: Space Gray Magic Keyboard with Numeric Keypad + Magic Mouse 2
- Warranty: AppleCare+ for Mac (3 yr limited warranty & telephone technical support)
- Software: Premiere Pro CC 2019 (ver 13.1)
3. Apple iMac Pro 2019 (14-Core)
More details »
Price $8000 + $169 (Apple Care) = $8169 –> ~8200
- Processor: 2.5GHz 14-core Intel Xeon W processor
- Memory: 64GB 2666MHz DDR4 ECC
- Graphics Card: Radeon Pro Vega 64 16GB
- Hard Drive: 1TB PCIe SSD
- Additional HDD (Storage): Not available
- Operating System: macOS 10.13.4
- Monitor: 27-inch LED-backlit 5K display
- Keyboard + Mouse: Space Gray Magic Keyboard with Numeric Keypad + Magic Mouse 2
- Warranty: AppleCare+ for iMac (3 yr limited warranty & telephone technical support)
- Software: Premiere Pro CC 2019 (ver 13.1)
Price $7200 + $169 (Apple Care) = $7369 –> ~7400
- Processor: 3.0GHz 10-core Intel Xeon W processor
- Memory: 64GB 2666MHz DDR4 ECC
- Graphics Card: Radeon Pro Vega 64 with 16GB
- Hard Drive: 1TB PCIe SSD
- Additional HDD (Storage): Not available
- Operating System: macOS 10.13.4
- Monitor: 27-inch LED-backlit 5K display
- Keyboard + Mouse: Space Gray Magic Keyboard with Numeric Keypad + Magic Mouse 2
- Warranty: AppleCare+ for iMac (3 yr limited warranty & telephone technical support)
- Software: Premiere Pro CC 2019 (ver 13.1)
We used version 13.1 of Premiere Pro, as the latest version wasn't released at the time of this article. We also found major performance issues with Premiere Pro CC 2019 (ver 13.1), with performance drops in ProRes footage on the PC and RED footage on the Mac when using versions 13.1 and 13.1.1.
For a fair comparison we kept the specs and pricing as similar as possible. For example, as Mac systems only support a single internal drive, we used a single 1TB PCI-E SSD drive on our BIZON Workstation PC, rather than multiple storage drives, which improve performance when generating peak files and importing media. As the iMac Pro requires a keyboard and mouse, we also bought a monitor, keyboard, and mouse for the Mac Pro and PC.
To compare the systems, we tested three different functions in Premiere Pro: live playback, export, and render in to out.
Best Mac For Adobe Premiere Pro
Although we didn't cover every available codec, we covered a large number of RED clips so that we could really see how different compression levels impact performance. Our tests also used three different timelines to stimulate different types of workload.
Recording results
We recorded the export time from the moment the ‘Export' button was clicked until completion. We also measured Live playback FPS (frames per second) based on the number of dropped frames relative to the total number of frames in the sequence. For example, by dropping 100 frames in the 4K ProRes 422 HQ 'Basic' timeline (which has 579 frames), you will render 479 frames over 24 seconds for a result of ~20 FPS.
We used Lumetri effects from the 'Lumetri Presets –> Speedlooks –> Universal' effects folder. However, if you're using a Mac you'll probably need to delete and re-apply the Lumetri Color effects, as sometimes they don't translate properly from the PC to Mac.
It can be a challenge to accurately test live playback performance because performance depends on the codec and resolution of your media, as well as the playback resolution (full, half, etc.) and the effects you've applied.
At BIZON we often get asked about live playback performance, so we decided to test our media with three different timelines, as well as with a full and half playback resolution. We also decided to calculate the average performance of each system relative to the 10-core iMac Pro using OpenCL.
We found that using Metal with a Mac is a bad idea for playback performance and found a 20-30% drop in FPS with most of our test media, and a massive drop in FPS with RED footage when using Metal on the Mac system. For example, with 4K RED 11:1 footage the iMac Pro 14-core went from 24FPS to 6FPS without any effects being applied to the footage.
Top 5 Best Graphics Cards Available in the Market
1. EVGA GeForce RTX 2080 Ti
NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 2080 Ti Founders Edition- 11GB GDDR6
- CUDA Cores: 4352
- Display Connectors: DisplayPort, HDMI, USB Type-C
- Maximum Digital Resolution: 7680x4320
Last update on 2021-02-22 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API How much is a mac desktop.
The EVGA GeForce RTX 2080 is a graphical processing unit released by Nvidia Turning Architecture. It is one of the more recent releases. This piece of tech is the updated and better version of its predecessor EVGA Precision XOC, which is also one of the best recommended graphics card for adobe premiere pro.
The EVGA GeForce RTX 2080 is considered by many tech experts to be the best video card for video editing because it has real time ray tracing ability and can be overclocked. The best thing about the EVGA GeForce RTX 2080 ti is that it has a powerful AI system that ensures top speed and rendering during video editing.
Pros:
- Can be overclocked and is capable of real-time ray tracing
- Excellent cooling system and is VR ready
- Best GPU for 4K video editing
- Adjustable RGB LED
- Less noisy than most other GPUs
- Best performance GPU acceleration during 3D modeling
Cons:
- It is a bit more expensive than other GPUs.
2. Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 Founders Edition:
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Super Founders Edition Graphics Card- Powered by the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 SUPER graphics processing unit (GPU) with a 1650 MHz clock speed and 1815 MHz boost clock speed
- 8GB GDDR6 (256-bit) on-board memory plus 3072 CUDA processing cores and up to 496 GB/sec. of memory bandwidth
- PCI Express 3.0 interface / Real-Time Ray Tracing / GeForce Experience / NVIDIA Shadowplay / NVIDIA Ansel.
- NVIDIA G-SYNC and HDR/ Microsoft DirectX 12 / OpenGL 4.5 Support/ Vulkan API / VR Ready.
- DisplayPort / HDMI / DVI-DL Support
Last update on 2021-02-22 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
The Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 is the flagship product released by Nvidia Turing Architecture. Now, you may wonder about what makes the Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 Founders Edition truly special. The Nvidia GeForce card is the factory version overclocked to 1800 Mhz. The power consumption is of 254 watts.
What truly makes the Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 Founders Edition truly great is the fact that it is the first Turing RTX architecture map that offers real time ray tracing feature. It is one of the best GPUs for 4K resolution video editing and has a high refresh rate. It uses the latest technology to allow best in class editing and also uses 8 GB of GDDR6 memory with higher memory bandwidth to enhance the video editing experience. It features a next-gen 8-phase power supply for maximum overclocking and it is one of the best graphics card for video editing 2020.
Pros:
- Can be efficiently overclocked and incorporate the latest technology
- Best GPU for 4K video editing
- Amazing gaming experience
- Less noisy than most other GPUs
- Incredible performance during video rendering
Cons:
- Cooling system is a bit on the down side.
3. XFX AMD Radeon VII:
XFX AMD Radeon VII 16GB HBM2, 1750 MHz Boost, 1801 MHz Peak, 3xDP 1xHDMI Pci-E 3.0- Chipset: AMD Radeon VII
- 16GB HBM2 memory
- Boost clock - 1750 MHz
- Peak clock - 1801 MHz
- Triple fan cooling. Stream processors - 3840
Last update on 2021-02-22 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
The XFX AMD Radeon VII is one of the best video card when it comes to video editing. The XFX AMD Radeon VII has a greater memory bandwidth, which makes it an ideal choice for extreme gaming and offers the best quality of video editing. Its 7nm processing technology is better than that of Nvidia Turing Architecture in terms of performance.
It works well with 4K and 8K monitors and it is VR ready. The best thing about the XFX AMD Radeon VII is the fact that it renders videos in real time without lags or drops in frame rates. What's more? It has a huge VRAM that allows it to run high end games and recommended graphics cards for adobe premiere pro.
Pros:
- Assured to receive the optimal gaming performance as well.
- Perfect GPU for 4K video editing
- Incredible gaming experience
- Very huge and powerful memory
- It has a memory clock speed of 1 GHz
Cons:
- Poor cooling system compared to other GPUs in the list
- Noisy fans
- Overheats quickly
4. Gigabyte Aorus GeForce RTX 2060:
ASUS ROG Strix GeForce RTX 2060 Super Advanced Overclocked EVO 8G GDDR6 HDMI DisplayPort USB Type-C Gaming Graphics Card (ROG-STRIX-RTX2060S-A8G-EVO-GAMING)- Powered by NVIDIA Turing with 1710 MHz Boost Clock, 2176 CUDA Cores and 8GB GDDR6 memory
- Supports up-to 4 Monitors with 2x DisplayPort 1. 4, 2x HDMI 2. 0 and a VR headset via USB Type C ports
- Auto Extreme and Max-Contact Technology deliver premium quality and reliability with aerospace-grade Super Alloy Power II components while maximizing heatsink contact
- ASUS Aura Sync RGB lighting features a nearly endless spectrum of colors with the ability to synchronize effects across an ever-expanding ecosystem of Aura Sync enabled products
- GPU Tweak II makes monitoring performance and streaming in real time easier than ever, and includes additional software like Game Booster, XSplit Gamecaster, WTFast and QuantumCloud
Last update on 2021-02-22 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
The Gigabyte Aorus GeForce RTX 2060 is one of the best video card available for video editing and extreme gaming. It allows live streaming in games and offers the best video editing and rendering performances. The Gigabyte Aorus GeForce RTX 2060 has a very powerful memory and high speed which makes it the ideal video editing GPU.
What's more? The Gigabyte Aorus GeForce RTX 2060 allows overclocking and real time ray tracing. It is VR ready. It works well with 4K monitors and has a high refresh rate. The Gigabyte Aorus GeForce RTX 2060 has an excellent cooling system that uses Windforce alternate spinning fans and hence does not overheat easily. It is also the perfect graphics card for adobe premiere pro.
Pros:
- Optimized performance gains
- Incredible GPU for 4K video editing
- Smooth and sharp gaming experience
- Powerful cooling system
- Less noisy
- A 240 Hz refresh rate
Cons:
- Low frame rate
- Drastically impact the gaming experience on high-end games.
5. Gigabyte Radeon RX 570:
Gigabyte Radeon RX 570 Gaming 4G Graphics Card, 3X WINDFORCE Fans, 8GB 256-Bit GDDR6, GV-RX570GAMING-4GD REV2.0 Video Card- Powered by Radeon RX 570
- Windforce 2x with 90mm blade Fan Design
- Ultra Durable materials
- Intuitive AORUS engine
- Oc Mode up to 1255 MHz
Last update on 2021-02-22 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
The Gigabyte Radeon RX 570 is the best budget-oriented graphics card for video editing. It is really great for HD gaming and its features include High Dynamic Range (HDR) and AMD FreeSync Technology. It offers a decent frame rate at medium graphics settings and great performance GPU accelerated CUDA when it comes to video editing.
The best thing about the Gigabyte Radeon RX 570 is that it is lag-free and offers real time video editing and multitasking. It can be overclocked and it has an excellent cooling system. It is also one of the highly recommended graphics cards for adobe premiere pro.
Pros:
- VR ready and overclocked
- Powerful cooling system
- Minimal noisy
- Decent refresh rate
- Impressive high-end gaming experience
- Super affordable
Cons:
- Lacks real-time ray tracing
- It does not possess dual link DVI and VGA
The above mentioned are the best graphics card for video editing 2020. These are the best choice to get a seamless experience.
Performance is important
At BIZON we often get many customers who want to switch from a Mac to a PC Workstation. While there are many reasons our customers want a change, it usually comes down to one major factor, performance.
Whatever you use your Mac or Workstation PC for, performance is important to help you manage your workflow, to ensure your game runs smoothly, for high-quality sound and graphics, and to edit videos efficiently.
The rise in 4K, 6K, and 8K workflows makes optimum performance a necessity for many people, so it is essential to make the right choice when considering a computer.
With performance being the most important factor when deciding between a PC or a Mac, we take a look at why a PC is a better option to use Adobe's Premiere Pro video editing application compared to a Mac or iMac Pro 2019.
To find out whether a PC or Mac is a best video editing workstation, we took three iMac systems and a PC workstation of a similar price and tested them across performance for live playback, render in to out, and export.
If you love data we're sure you'll enjoy looking at our charts, which show how the systems compare, but if charts aren't your thing you can always scroll past the data to read our conclusion.
To compare the iMac Pro and Mac Pro to our BIZON V5000 4K/6K/8K video editing workstation, we tested the following system configurations, using Premier Pro version 13.1:
1. BIZON V5000 14-Core 4K/6K/8K Video Editing Workstation Computer 2020
More details »
Price $5700 + $520 (4K monitor) = $6220 –> ~$6200
- Processor: 14-Core 3.30 GHz Intel Core i9-9940X (up to 18 cores)
- Memory: 64 GB DDR4 3200 MHz
- Graphics Card: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Ti 11GB
Note: With NVIDIA GPUs you get advantages of Adobe's Mercury Playback Engine acceleration and CUDA support. AMD that comes with Mac have no CUDA. - Hard Drive (Operating system): 1 TB PCI-E SSD (Up to 3500 Mb/s)
- Additional HDD (Storage): 2 TB HDD SATA
- Operating system: Windows 10 Pro
- Monitor: Dell U2718Q 27-Inch 4K UHD IPS Monitor
- Keyboard + Mouse: Logitech Wireless Mouse and Keyboard
- Warranty: Life-time Expert Care with 5 Year Limited Warranty (5 Year Labor & 3 Year Part Replacement)
- Software Premiere Pro CC 2019 (ver 13.1)
Price $7000 + $79 (mouse) + $129 (keyboard) + $520 (4K monitor) + $249 (Apple Care) = $7556 –> ~$7500
- Processor: 2.7GHz 12-core Xeon
Note: Old generation CPU (2013 Year) - Memory: 64GB 1866MHz DDR3
Note: Old DDR3 RAM - Graphics Card: Dual AMD FirePro D700 GPUs 6GB
- Hard Drive: 1TB PCIe-based SSD
- Additional HDD (Storage): Not available
- Operating System: macOS 10.13.4
- Monitor: Dell U2718Q 27-Inch 4K UHD IPS Monitor
- Keyboard + Mouse: Space Gray Magic Keyboard with Numeric Keypad + Magic Mouse 2
- Warranty: AppleCare+ for Mac (3 yr limited warranty & telephone technical support)
- Software: Premiere Pro CC 2019 (ver 13.1)
3. Apple iMac Pro 2019 (14-Core)
More details »
Price $8000 + $169 (Apple Care) = $8169 –> ~8200
- Processor: 2.5GHz 14-core Intel Xeon W processor
- Memory: 64GB 2666MHz DDR4 ECC
- Graphics Card: Radeon Pro Vega 64 16GB
- Hard Drive: 1TB PCIe SSD
- Additional HDD (Storage): Not available
- Operating System: macOS 10.13.4
- Monitor: 27-inch LED-backlit 5K display
- Keyboard + Mouse: Space Gray Magic Keyboard with Numeric Keypad + Magic Mouse 2
- Warranty: AppleCare+ for iMac (3 yr limited warranty & telephone technical support)
- Software: Premiere Pro CC 2019 (ver 13.1)
Price $7200 + $169 (Apple Care) = $7369 –> ~7400
- Processor: 3.0GHz 10-core Intel Xeon W processor
- Memory: 64GB 2666MHz DDR4 ECC
- Graphics Card: Radeon Pro Vega 64 with 16GB
- Hard Drive: 1TB PCIe SSD
- Additional HDD (Storage): Not available
- Operating System: macOS 10.13.4
- Monitor: 27-inch LED-backlit 5K display
- Keyboard + Mouse: Space Gray Magic Keyboard with Numeric Keypad + Magic Mouse 2
- Warranty: AppleCare+ for iMac (3 yr limited warranty & telephone technical support)
- Software: Premiere Pro CC 2019 (ver 13.1)
We used version 13.1 of Premiere Pro, as the latest version wasn't released at the time of this article. We also found major performance issues with Premiere Pro CC 2019 (ver 13.1), with performance drops in ProRes footage on the PC and RED footage on the Mac when using versions 13.1 and 13.1.1.
For a fair comparison we kept the specs and pricing as similar as possible. For example, as Mac systems only support a single internal drive, we used a single 1TB PCI-E SSD drive on our BIZON Workstation PC, rather than multiple storage drives, which improve performance when generating peak files and importing media. As the iMac Pro requires a keyboard and mouse, we also bought a monitor, keyboard, and mouse for the Mac Pro and PC.
To compare the systems, we tested three different functions in Premiere Pro: live playback, export, and render in to out.
Best Mac For Adobe Premiere Pro
Although we didn't cover every available codec, we covered a large number of RED clips so that we could really see how different compression levels impact performance. Our tests also used three different timelines to stimulate different types of workload.
Recording results
We recorded the export time from the moment the ‘Export' button was clicked until completion. We also measured Live playback FPS (frames per second) based on the number of dropped frames relative to the total number of frames in the sequence. For example, by dropping 100 frames in the 4K ProRes 422 HQ 'Basic' timeline (which has 579 frames), you will render 479 frames over 24 seconds for a result of ~20 FPS.
We used Lumetri effects from the 'Lumetri Presets –> Speedlooks –> Universal' effects folder. However, if you're using a Mac you'll probably need to delete and re-apply the Lumetri Color effects, as sometimes they don't translate properly from the PC to Mac.
It can be a challenge to accurately test live playback performance because performance depends on the codec and resolution of your media, as well as the playback resolution (full, half, etc.) and the effects you've applied.
At BIZON we often get asked about live playback performance, so we decided to test our media with three different timelines, as well as with a full and half playback resolution. We also decided to calculate the average performance of each system relative to the 10-core iMac Pro using OpenCL.
We found that using Metal with a Mac is a bad idea for playback performance and found a 20-30% drop in FPS with most of our test media, and a massive drop in FPS with RED footage when using Metal on the Mac system. For example, with 4K RED 11:1 footage the iMac Pro 14-core went from 24FPS to 6FPS without any effects being applied to the footage.
Even when using OpenCL you will get a bump in FPS with a PC. However, compared to the iMac-Pro 10-core, our PC workstation gave 25% higher FPS with ProRes media, 30% higher with DNxHR HQ/H.264/ARRIRAW, and almost 75% higher FPS with RED footage, and was 94% faster on average in our ‘Heavy Effects' test.
In comparison, the 14-core iMac Pro did slightly better with RED footage and was about 10% faster than the 10-core iMac Pro. However, the PC workstation was the clear winner for playback performance and was 25-60% faster depending on the type of footage used; making our PC workstation a better option for FPS as well as better value for money.
8K Footage
It takes time to export on Premiere Pro and export time is often used to measure performance. Taking 4K, 6K, and 8K projects using the different codecs listed in the Test Hardware & Methodology section we measured export performance on all the systems.
Latest version of chrome for mac 10 6 8. With our export tests we found using Metal on a Mac, rather than OpenCL often resulted in a decent performance gain. RED footage was an exception, usually taking twice as long or longer to export with Metal. However, as our findings in the Live Playback test show, Metal was significantly worse than OpenCL, so keeping Premiere Pro in OpenCL mode will be the best option for most Mac users.
If you do decide to stick with OpenCL a PC is your best option, as our Custom workstation computer exported projects approximately 40% faster than the iMac Pro 2019 10–Core. The performance gap closed by a small amount with the 14-core iMac, but the PC still had a 30–40% performance lead. Surprisingly, the Mac Pro managed to keep up with the newer iMac Pro systems with ProRes footage, but fell behind with other types of media, making our PC workstation 40% to 60% faster, as well as saving you a whopping $2,000 on price.
If you're willing to switch between Metal for exporting non-RED footage and OpenCL for live playback, the Mac systems do better. However, the iMac Pro systems were still around 15% slower with DNxHR, H.264, and ARRIRAW footage, although the 14-core iMac Pro was able to pull slightly ahead of our BIZON V5000 PC with ProRes footage.
8K Footage
Rendering previews are sometimes a necessity, so we tested the ability to render in to out on all the systems for 4K, 6K, and 8K projects using the different codecs listed in the Test Hardware & Methodology section.
Using Metal on the Mac caused another performance problem, with RED footage dropping to 15-20%. However, due to the lower live playback performance with Metal across the media tested, we feel OpenCL offers the most valid comparison across the PC and Mac systems.
With ProRes media, there was around a 40% performance gain with the PC compared to iMac and Mac Pro. This reduces slightly with DNxHR HQ, H.264, and ARRIRAW media, but our PC was still faster and outperformed the Mac by around 35%.
Surprisingly, our PC had a smaller performance gain in RED media compared to the other tests, however, the PC was still around 20% faster than the 14-core iMac Pro.
Impressively, PC performance was also 30% faster than the 10-core iMac Pro and 40% faster compared to the Mac Pro.
8K Footage
Best Video Editing Workstation. Conclusion: iMac, Mac Pro, or PC?
Cost wise the BIZON V5000 Workstations is already a winner, with a $6200 price tag compared to a $8,200 iMac Pro 2019 (14-Core) or $7,500 Mac Pro system.
It's also worth keeping in mind that we paid $420 for a 4K monitor, keyboard, and mouse, so if you already have them you would reduce the costs even more.
In terms of performance the PC Custom Workstation also comes out on top, with a 35-45% performance gain.
What was surprising was that the iMac Pro 2019 14-Core wasn't that much faster than the 10-core version and only increased in performance by around 5%. However, live playback performance was usually twice as good on the PC, with tendering and exporting being 40-50% better.
Therefore, our BIZON V5000 video editing workstation PC is the clear winner on both cost and performance.
However, if you're already stuck with a Mac and want to increase your performance, our findings indicate that OpenCL is a better choice for the majority of Mac users, who want better live playback performance, but Metal was faster with non-RED media for exporting and rendering.
For more information on PC performance compared to Mac systems, you can check out our other articles here.
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You can also take a look at our Recommended Workstation PC for Premiere Pro and contact us if you have any questions about making the move to PC workstation.