Introduction
Software updates can introduce new features, tools, and performance enhancements, generally elevating the user experience. However, sometimes they may also bring unexpected issues. Therefore, we regularly test and evaluate hardware performance to identify any changes—positive or negative—and share our findings with readers and the larger creative community.
Last month, Adobe released version 26.2 of After Effects, featuring a few new additions and routine bug fixes, but without any mention of performance enhancements. Nonetheless, our routine testing indicated a performance boost when comparing versions 26.0 and 26.2 for 3D compositions using the Advanced 3D Renderer.
It’s important to note that performance improvements in 26.2 vary by GPU brand, with Apple (Metal) seeing the biggest gain, followed by AMD and Intel (OpenCL), while NVIDIA (CUDA) showed the smallest improvement. This doesn’t imply that Apple outperforms NVIDIA with the Advanced 3D Renderer. Instead, it suggests that Apple system users will experience better performance after upgrading to version 26.2.
For After Effects users aiming to optimize performance or considering a GPU or system upgrade, this article offers metrics indicating the performance increase they can expect with various video cards by updating to the latest version.
Test Setup (Expandable)
Our aim is to expand on the initial testing when version 26.2 was released, focusing on modern hardware. We’ve tested several current-generation system configurations to illustrate the performance differences users can anticipate when updating to 26.2. We ran Puget Bench for After Effects v1.1 on ten hardware combinations—four video cards across two desktop workstations, as well as two laptops—in both After Effects 26.0 and 26.2.
For desktop systems, we tested AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT, Intel Arc B580, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080, and GeForce RTX 5090 video cards. Each card was tested on two workstations: one with an Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus processor and another with AMD’s Ryzen 9950X CPU.
Results
Here are the Puget Bench 3D Scores for each set of hardware tested with the new After Effects 26.2 update:
It’s evident that NVIDIA’s GeForce cards continue to rank highest for 3D performance within After Effects, but if you’ve seen similar charts from earlier articles, you’ll note how much higher the Apple M5, Intel Arc B580, and AMD Radeon RX 9070XT appear now compared to before.
Analysis
To delve deeper into improvements seen by each hardware brand, the next chart displays the relative 3D performance of each system between After Effects versions 26.0 and 26.2. It’s crucial to highlight that this chart doesn’t compare each system’s performance against another, like the previous one, but rather compares each system’s performance in version 26.2 to its baseline in version 26.0. The vertical axis shows different configurations tested, while the horizontal axis indicates relative performance, with version 26.0 indexed to 100%. A score above 100% reflects a performance gain; for example, 262% denotes a 162% performance boost.
According to these Puget Bench 3D Score (Extended) results, upgrading to version 26.2 offered a significant 278% performance gain on the Apple MacBook Pro M5 Max system. An AMD Radeon RX 9070XT showed a 170% increase, while Intel’s Arc B580 observed a 162% boost. NVIDIA’s GeForce RTX video cards exhibited minimal gains, with the RTX 5090 showing a 5-10% boost and the RTX 5080 showing no change—but these figures fall within the margin of error. Lastly, the Puget Mobile 16” laptop with an Intel Core Ultra 9 275 HX and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 Mobile GPU saw a 2% performance drop, which also lies within the margin of error.
Conclusion
These results aim to give Adobe After Effects users added context in optimizing system performance, whether by enhancing their current setup or investing in new hardware. While Apple, AMD, and Intel video cards showcased the highest performance improvements in Adobe After Effects 3D workloads with version 26.2, NVIDIA GPUs remain the top choice for workloads utilizing the Advanced 3D Renderer. Yet, improvements observed in AMD and Intel graphics cards may make them viable cost-effective alternatives to Apple or NVIDIA graphics.
For those seeking to upgrade their video card or invest in a new After Effects