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  Premiere Pro Benchmark--PPBM4
   Copyright By Bill Gehrke 2009 ©



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Hardware Characteristics
Conclusions
BENCHMARK RESULTS

Mac problems

This Premiere Pro Benchmark (PPBM4)  is a follow on to PPBM+.   It is designed to be a highly portable, easily reportable, hardware evaluation tool.  It will allow you to optimize your Premiere Pro hardware configuration and give you solid data for optimizing your existing system, upgrading your system, or for selecting a new cost effective configuration.

Backgound
  • The original PPBM+ benchmark was originally designed in 2005 with Premiere Pro 1.5 and was designed as a hardware evaluation tool for Standard Definition (DV NTSC format 720 x 480 pixel resolution).   It was very usable with Premiere Pro 2.0.   Here you can see the old results.
  • Now with the new CS4 version the benchmark had to be changed.   I have also incorporated more meaningful effects and allowed for recording the output files to a third location (disk drive) and the preview files to a fourth disk if you so desire.  Since the current release of Premiere is 4.1 it is assumed that you are using that or a later version.
  • There was an attempt to have this version also for CS3 but it complicated the problem and I gave up on that idea.
  • There is no HDV, AVCHD or any other format version experience has shown that for hardware evaluation that plain old SD is the best format.
  • There will be no Mac version, see my problems with a Mac version in the left column.
Instructions
  • By downloading PPBM4 (below) a 75 KB zipped file, you will get a Premiere Pro CS4 project file that can be used to measure the time it takes to:
    1. Render the PPBM4 project timeline.
    2. Export (render) the timeline to a DV AVI file.
    3. Export/encode/render the project to a DVD MPEG file.
  • The zip file also includes a timing/information gathering script which writes a simple text file which when emailed back will enable the addition of your data to a spreadsheet which will be published on this site for comparison purposes.
  • The project file utilizes features built into Premiere Pro like Color Bars and the Universal Counting Leader with the usual transitions, effects and transformations and a couple of included titles, by utilizing these built in functions, a very small (for easy downloading) complete project is available that anyone can readily use for optimizing your hardware, comparing and (hopefully) reporting back to this central database for the benefit of others.
  • Complete directions are included in the ZIP file.  Create a directory like PPBM on your Premiere project disk and download the PPBM4 file and unzip it in that directory.  Read or possibly better yet print out the included PPBM CS4.rtf file for further instructions.
  • The detailed results are published in the BENCHMARK RESULTS in the left column..
  • During the running of the timing/information gathering script you will be ask a series of 27 questions that may have a bearing on your performance.  Click on "Hardware Characteristics" in the left column to see what questions you will be asked to answer.
  • Yes you are running a script to answer a series of questions about your configuration and if you have an anti-virus program it will warn you against doing so.  But it is harmless as many people have looked at it and so should you.
Updated 9/11/2009