Video Editing. Surface Book & Macbook Pro.

[Andy_Elvis11]

Hi guys!

I'm really interested in the SB (particularly the top-end model), and very conveniently I'm looking to replace my Macbook Pro (screen / battery / gpu problems). The model MBP I have, is the first gen retina, with an i7 - 4th gen (quad) and an Nvidia 650m dGPU with 8GB RAM.

Looking at the alleged specs of the SB, the i7 skylake processors are only dual core. It's a bit unfortunate that we don't know the specific processor & dGPU.

Comparatively (spec wise), what kind of performance differences are we looking at more + then - should the SB processor be a dual core chip?

I usually get footage from everywhere (everything from DSLR to RED) and I tend to do a lot of after effects work, the RAM might help me there, along with the newer gpu, but if it's a 4th gen quad vs 6th gen dual i7 i'm just wondering about the differences the CPU would make. I also have an external display I'm likely to connect to (Full HD)

I've not used any Windows system to edit on for years! I've been using premiere on my past 2 macs, so in terms of stability can anyone help me out there aswell? How does it all fare?

I've recently got a Surface 3 and loving it. I'm Really enjoying Windows 10 :grin:

If anyone with a little more idea than myself can help that'd be great :amaze:

 

[Jas00555]

I don't know a ton about video editing, but when they debuted the Surface Book, they edited a few clips together and added transitions and didn't suffer any framerate drop, so it is capable of handling it.

For the GPU, there is no 950m/960m/970m etc.... because it's a custom made chip. Supposedly it had 1GB of RAM in it, but just like how the iPhone is only dual-core yet outperforms 8-core Androids, I would bet that this custom chip does more than your average 1GB RAM GPU.

 

[AbsoluteZerow]

Core count is core count, and thread count is thread count. Latest gen or not, dual core i7 will get out performed by a quad core i7 in every way when it comes to processor intensive workloads. If I were you, I would get a quad core macbook pro 15", and boot camp to windows if you need it. The only laptops/tablets I would purchase in today's day and age, is a surface, surface book, and a macbook. For video editing, you want the most cores you can get, it makes a huge difference.

Posted via the Windows Central App for Android

 

[Andy_Elvis11]

according to a PC world article : It's a dual core in the end, which is a real shame. At least from this perspective, still a pretty rad machine.

I can't post links because of my post count, which is unfortunate. I'm sure a search will find it for you =)

Apart from this, what would the performance of the book compare to my current system? Noticeable? Unnoticeable? A step backwards perhaps?

 

[realwarder]

Given that most video editing tools also use the graphics card for offloading effects and encoding, that is just as important.

When Microsoft says the Surface Book I twice as fast as the Macbook Pro, the choice is simple if you want mobile video editing.

 

[Rooks308]

Given that most video editing tools also use the graphics card for offloading effects and encoding, that is just as important.

When Microsoft says the Surface Book I twice as fast as the Macbook Pro, the choice is simple if you want mobile video editing.

I'd really like to see this thing reviewed and benchmarked rather than take it on faith that it truly is 2x faster. Not to take away from the product, but consider that it is Microsoft saying this at the launch event. Let's see how it does in the real world to be sure.

 

[CygnusOrion]

I'd really like to see this thing reviewed and benchmarked rather than take it on faith that it truly is 2x faster. Not to take away from the product, but consider that it is Microsoft saying this at the launch event. Let's see how it does in the real world to be sure.

Even if it is 2x faster, it won't be for long. Apple will refresh their MBPr with Skylakes in a few months. They will probably be even faster then Surface Books.

 

[realwarder]

Even if it is 2x faster, it won't be for long. Apple will refresh their MBPr with Skylakes in a few months. They will probably be even faster then Surface Books.

You can life in that Apple alternative universe. In the meantime this is something to order now.

And any MBP will not have a tablet based option. The presentation value of the Surface Book alone is massive.

 

[Rooks308]

Well he does have a point though in that they are comparing this to Apple's laptops running the last gen chipsets. Apple sometimes does refreshes/upgrades around January so it may not be long until we can compare the two more evenly.

That aside I find it unlikely that they will change their format and include a good GPU in the 13 inch model. So the Surface Book is likely to rein supreme in the graphics department. Also I also doubt they will start having detachable screens just to compete with the surface book. Like I said before though, i'd like to see a full review prior to declaring it a winner. It certainly DOES seem pretty great though, but I'll wait till I get a chance to see one in person and read some of the reviews.

 

[Andy_Elvis11]

I'd be amazed if the GPU in the SB isn't all that it's cracked upto be.

I mean, lets face it, in that base you have keyboard / battery / graphics chip. Surely there's got to be some pro of having less major components in there in terms of cooling and how much you can push?

It did have Auto CAD running with 2 x 4k screens at one time (The Verge preview).

 

[Rooks308]

Yeah, although I was surprised that it is dual core CPU based on the way Panos described it when comparing it to the MacBook Pro 13. He said with "two extra cores". He couldn't have meant the GPU, so I'm guessing he was just excited and made an error.

 

[Gken]

This depends largely on what kind of codecs you are using. If they take advantage of the multi cores then yes it will be faster, how many of them use multi cores is the real question. I was extremely impressed by the speed at which panos was editing and creating transitions in premiere. But again, it depends on the type of stuff you are doing.

 

[Andy_Elvis11]

If it handles After Effects / Rendering in premiere at least the similar speeds, that would keep me happy. I know at some point it'd be great to have a new system with the S-Book's awesome features and not have to worry about performance. I am due an upgrade - my Mac has a broken display & my GPU is messing up - it works but having burn in when you're editing images just isn't the way to go. (For now I use an external monitor, does the job but it's not ideal if i'm without it)

However, if it shows better performance than what i'm using now it'd be a lot more tempting. After effects can be quite RAM hungry, so going from 8gb to 16gb would definitely help out there, the GPU is likely to be better in the SB than the 650m in my current machine (won't make judgement 'till it's out however....) it's just the cpu really.

But as I mentioned before, running CAD with 2x 4k displays has got to mean there's some magic in it lurking around somewhere, right?

The reviews I think will be very interesting!

 

[Cain69]

Every use case is different. Just because it works for someone - doesn't mean it will work for you.
Buy it, use it as you would - with all the programs you use daily - and see if it's any good. If so, keep it. If not, return it within 30 days and get something else - maybe, Razer Blade.

 

[ytrewq]

He said with "two extra cores". He couldn't have meant the GPU, so I'm guessing he was just excited and made an error.

I just went back and listened to it again, because your description sounded wrong to me. He did not say "two extra cores." His exact words (which I type as I'm listening again):

"By adding the discrete GPU, two extra processors, it fundamentally makes Surface Book two times faster than the MacBook Pro."

On the one hand, he was clearly referring to the GPU, because that's how he started the sentence. On the other hand, I would agree he must have spoken inaccurately when he said "two extra processors." I suspect he meant to say, "By adding the discrete GPU, TWO TIMES AS MANY PROCESSORS, it makes Surface Book fundamentally two times faster than the MacBook Pro." That would have been more accurate.

Either way, adding a discrete GPU is an awesome surprise that will be a great option for many users. I suspect that with the kinds of applications he specifically mentioned -- gaming and CAD -- the GPU and latest generation Skylake processors will cause the Surface Book to run twice as fast as the top-end 13" MacBook Pro. I'm skeptical that it doubles the power of the top-end 15" MacBook Pro, which also has a discrete GPU and a 4-core i7 processor. However, it would be meaningless to compare the power you can fit into a 3.5 lb 13" device to the power you can fit into a 4.5 lb 15" device. If you're willing to carry around that large of a device, then of course you can get more power.

 

[Rooks308]

Yeah sorry I heard cores when he said processors then because few people these days talk about multiple CPU computers and instead count the cores. :grin: