Coming to Mac, need some help

[Surpher]

Hey all,

I am just about to jump over to the Mac camp from Windows/SGI and would like to know a few things before I buy. I am looking at buying a iMAC 20" (before I go all out and get a PM) I run a small company in the video editing business (I know Mac's are the end all and be all)

At this stage I'll be only editing DV and some Photoshop work on it (going to HD soon) I am looking at 2 gig ram (can I use after market RAM ?? Like I'd buy for my windows PC ? and can I goto more than 2 gig ?) I'll also just be getting Final Cut Express (or Pro) I noticed the Apple charge a lot for RAM what's with that ??

I also want to use the iSight camera (should not affect anything except ports) Shuttle Pro and the Griffin PowerMate USB Volume Control

Last question, is there much of a difference from a Mac Mini to a iMAC ?? (I think yes) as if you work out a monitor and so on for the Mini there is not much difference between them in price.

Thanks in advance

Soon to be Mac user

Surpher

[dswoodley]

Congrats on your soon to be Mac. i think if you are doing some intensive video editing, then you may as well jump straight to a PM - from what I have seen the performance gains are considerable.

[devilot]

Originally Posted by Surpher

I am looking at 2 gig ram (can I use after market RAM ?? Like I'd buy for my windows PC ? and can I goto more than 2 gig ?) I'll also just be getting Final Cut Express (or Pro) I noticed the Apple charge a lot for RAM what's with that ??

Yes you can use 3rd party RAM; however, Macs tend to get a little picky about the RAM so you'd want to buy from a company that guarantees compatibility w/ Macs such as
DMS or Crucial RAM (a link is provided near the top of each MR page). And no, the iMac only has 2 RAM slots so I believe that it only supports up to 2GB of RAM. Apple is known to charge a lot for their RAM and the installation of it-- the only pros to going w/ Apple RAM is 1) if you're not comfortable adding RAM yourself, or 2) you want that RAM covered by Apple's original warranty.

Originally Posted by Surpher

Last question, is there much of a difference from a Mac Mini to a iMAC ?? (I think yes) as if you work out a monitor and so on for the Mini there is not much difference between them in price.

Yes there is quite a difference between the Mac Mini and the iMac... the mini has a G4 processor while the iMac has the faster/more powerful G5 processor. Also, both are not able to upgrade the VRAM/video card at all. The mini comes w/ 32MB while the iMac has 128MB. This means that for video/graphic work the iMac would be much more suitable.

[Surpher]

Originally Posted by dswoodley

Congrats on your soon to be Mac. i think if you are doing some intensive video editing, then you may as well jump straight to a PM - from what I have seen the performance gains are considerable.

I think you are right, but I have never used a Mac before and I can always use the iMac for DV or Photoshop if I don't like it or if I get a Power Mac, I want to tread water first before I jump righ on in. I have quite a few Windows PC's that I want to upgrade in the near future and that is one reason I want to try out Apple (and I need to save some space right now too)

One other thing I am going to need it to be able to display video to an external video monitor, currently I display via Component to a refference Sony monitor and would like to keep that feature. And can I have 2 displays with Apple ? (I must sound SOOO windows to you guys )

I am going to be going in and having a look/play in a Apple store soon to try and get a feel for them.

Thanks for the quick reply too

Steve
(Sydney Australia)

[CanadaRAM]

Err... It's spelled Mac.

MAC is a specific networking term definition -- your Mac has a unique MAC address.

If you want the option of 2 displays, component video output, etc. you may be best to look at a PowerMac G5 tower. The Mini is right off the table for you.

[Surpher]

Originally Posted by CanadaRAM

Err... It's spelled Mac.

MAC is a specific networking term definition -- your Mac has a unique MAC address.

So it's true what they say about Mac users then ????

[CanadaRAM]

Originally Posted by Surpher

So it's true what they say about Mac users then ????

What, that we're Mac-obsessed and absurdly defensive?

Well it's not true -- and who the %#$$^ are you and what the %#*) are you saying about my preciouss Mac anyway?

[Surpher]

Originally Posted by CanadaRAM

What, that we're Mac-obsessed and absurdly defensive?

Well it's not true -- and who the %#$$^ are you and what the %#*) are you saying about my preciouss Mac anyway?

That's GOLD, I can see I am going to fit right in with 'Your kind of people'

Hahahaha

Steve

[chucknorris]

Originally Posted by Surpher

That's GOLD, I can see I am going to fit right in with 'Your kind of people'

Hahahaha

Steve

iMacs are AWESOME machines right now. They are the best value that Apple offers.

Get one, fall in love, decide you need the PowerMac, and send the iMac to me.

[stubeeef]

Originally Posted by Surpher

That's GOLD, I can see I am going to fit right in with 'Your kind of people'

Hahahaha

Steve

You have been assimilated.

[Surpher]

Hi again,

I am still 'looking' I am stuck (wanting a G5 Powermac)

All I want it for is Final Cut Pro. I'll be using it for MiniDV footage only at this stage. So the iMac 20" is the one I am thinking of getting (or a 2.3 GHz Power mac)

I'd love the Power Mac, but not having used a Mac before I am unsure......

Will the iMac be okay ?? I am going to bump up the ram and HD.

How bad will rendering time be ? (based on 2 video tracks and a few transitions) ball park guess.

I might look at hiring them both so I know what might be the best option for me.

Any help would be great (looking at buying ASAP)

Thanks all

Steve

[CanadaRAM]

Originally Posted by Surpher

I am still 'looking' I am stuck (wanting a G5 Powermac)
All I want it for is Final Cut Pro. I'll be using it for MiniDV footage only at this stage. So the iMac 20" is the one I am thinking of getting (or a 2.3 GHz Power mac)
I'd love the Power Mac, but not having used a Mac before I am unsure......
Will the iMac be okay ?? I am going to bump up the ram and HD.
How bad will rendering time be ? (based on 2 video tracks and a few transitions) ball park guess.
I might look at hiring them both so I know what might be the best option for me.
Any help would be great (looking at buying ASAP)

Hi Steve
Well, there's no point jumping at it until after the Mac World in San Francisco in (counts on fingers, mumbles) .. a few days. Traditionally, Apple makes their first product announcements of the (calendar) year at MWSF. They probably won't announce new iMacs or PowerMacs, as they have just upgraded them but ya never know...

Just be prepared cash in hand to jump immediately thereafter IF there are any price drops on the existing models. Remaining stocks sell out within hours or days if they make a good discount.

The thing is: any current iMac or PowerMac will work for you, it's just a matter of degree. The PM will be faster, and you'll have more room for expansion internally. The iMac is a fantastic power/$ ratio, but less flexible.

Don't buy a build-to-order though. Buy a stock configuration and upgrade the RAM yourself, and add your own hard drive (SATA internal in the PowerMac, Firewire external in the iMac).

The one thing that has changed since your original post (congratulations on getting the MAC-Mac thing sorted, by the way) is that the new iMac G5 model has only one memory socket. It can go to 2.5 Gb RAM, but the 2 Gb DDR-2 533 MHz module required is pretty expensive at the moment probably AU$600-800. This make the iMac less attractive than it was for someone needing the full load.

Thanks
Trevor
CanadaRAM.com

[Nermal]

Originally Posted by Surpher

That's GOLD, I can see I am going to fit right in with 'Your kind of people'

Um, it's "gold". "GOLD" is a Giga-Octet Large Disk.

[howesey]

Originally Posted by devilot

And no, the iMac only has 2 RAM slots so I believe that it only supports up to 2GB of RAM.

It has one RAM slot (iMac with iSight), it can hold a max capacity of 2GB, 512MB is built into the main board.

[SmurfBoxMasta]

Originally Posted by stubeeef

You have been assimilated.

in other words:

ALL your Gold are belong to US !
ALL your peoples are belong to US too !