iMac or MacBook Pro

[Gooze]

I'm going to buy a mac, the most important thing is that it should have no problems with editing in FCP in high definition! And other programs like shake and motion should work well and smooth.
My price range is 2000,- so it's either the 2,8-GHz iMac (with 24" screen, 2 gb RAM, 500 gb HD ...) or the 2,4-GHz MacBook Pro (with 15" screen, 2 gb RAM, 160 gb HD...).
Thanks anyway.

I know Mac Pro is the best choice, but that's too expensive. It's my first mac also.

 

[Blue Velvet]

Those are pretty demanding pro apps and demands, and most people would say you really need a MacPro. I wouldn't get the MBP unless you get fast drives in it or use FW800 external drives... so if it came down to the two, I'd go for the iMac but with 4gb of RAM. Best not to skimp on the RAM if this is your bread and butter work.

 

[Gooze]

Ok thanks... but i can't afford a mac pro... only the 2,00-GHz model and maybe the 2,66-GHz model, and both with only 1 gig RAM (but you can always upgrade RAM later).
It's pretty expensive, still a student here you know .

 

[vendettabass]

I'd go for a max'ed out iMac. Although if you're a student its always helpful to go mobile, but yeh, still an iMac I think! Bigger screen for your HD stuff

 

[kwfl]

drive spin speed in MBP is 5400rpm while it is 7200rpm in the iMac
u are gonna break the hard drive if u try to run final cut pro in MBP.
go for iMac, better drive and large hard drive and 24'', 30'' is actually recommended for PRO Apps, but 24'' is far better than 15'' or 17''

 

[Gooze]

Allright thanks for the replies so far! It's probably going to be an iMac then... .

 

[DHagan4755]

First of all it depends on the type of video you're going to edit. The 5,400 rpm drives are OK if it's HDV or AVCHD, even P2. But it's a general rule of thumb that video is edited on a separate drive from the OS. So technically you could get a MacBook Pro and an external Firewire 800 drive and have no problems. Overall the the iMac is cheaper, but the MBP allows you edit anywhere.

 

[Gooze]

Yeah i know, it's tempting to buy a MBP, but then i have to buy a bigger screen too... .
Is there a notable difference in speed between the iMac and MBP? (2,4 GHz vs the 2,8 GHz)
And between the GPU's?

 

[MacinDoc]

It seems that for pro apps, the iMac is the way to go. Although the new iMac is slower than the previous iMac for some 3D games, according to Barefeats, the new iMac is faster than the old one and the MBP for Apple and Adobe pro apps.

Also, RAM is very important for pro apps. Check out this link from macsales.com (which is also a good source for affordable quality RAM and other upgrades).