[pablotn]

I am looking for recommendations for Windows based hardware solutions capable of managing Premier Pro workloads. I would not consider the workloads to be hardcore, but day to day editing and other basic video editing functions. The potential user is a recent graduate of the Vancouver School of Film and is just starting out on his own. He currently has a 4-5 year old MacBook Air and would like to get him a upgrade for Christmas. He has also indicated he would like to move to a Windows based device.

I was looking at a Surface Pro 6, perhaps based on the i5 core? What do we think of it’s capability of handing those workloads?

Any other thoughts?

Thanks /paul

[HeyCori]

Yes. the Pro 6 would be a substantial upgrade over an older MacBook Air. That said, given that he's a recent grad, film editing may grow to become a major part of his career so it might not hurt to get something a little more futureproof. I would recommend a desktop, but if he's determined to stay mobile, then look for these bare minimums,

Intel Core i7
16GB of Ram (8GB if the budget is tight)
A screen with great color accuracy
A GPU that is better than the Intel 620 (again, if the budget allows it)
A solid state drive - the larger the better but eventually he'll have to get an additional external drive anyway

I know there are many great products out that, all at varying price points. Many of them likely to drop in price with the holidays coming up. Hopefully, some of the more educated bunch around here can recommend some contenders.

And if all else fails, the Pro 6 still isn't a bad choice at all. :)

[pablotn]

Great information Cori. Thank you!

[Qoheleth]

I am currently using Premier Pro (CS6) on a Lenovo Yoga Book C930 for the times when I have to work in the field. It can be a bit slow on the rendering and I had to use a trick (external manifest file) to size the dialog elements to make it readable on the high resolution, but small screen. I had been using the larger Lenovo Yoga C920 with a full i7 processor and 4K display and it worked very well indeed. It was just a little too big to tote easily. In the change to the Yoga Book C930, I went for portability over power, however, I think most other folks would prefer the other way.