Best iMac for video edting

[Heisenbill]

I'm looking into purchasing a new iMac. Currently running on a Late 09 iMac 27". I am a video editor for a company and I need to be able to have a quick rate of completion on the videos. They're usually no more than 5 minutes in length. My current iMac takes about 25-40 minutes to export (share) a video from FCPX. Low end being if I stop working on my computer completely, high end if I continue to edit other projects.

I am looking at three options; the 27" with the 3.2ghz processor and the GT755m graphics (1GB), the 27" 3.4ghz processor with the GTX775M (2GB) and the 27" 3.4ghz with the GTX780m (4GB).

I've almost completely ruled out the first one I mentioned. However, I'm looking for some opinions of people who know more than me and have possibly used two or all three of these computers and can weigh on the benefits of upgrading from each level. I would not exactly say money is not an issue. Anytime you can save $200-$300 is nice. But if I will see a significant upgrade from the gtx775 to the gtx780, I feel as though an extra $150 is well worth it.

Thank you

 

[robgendreau]

The fastest iMacs right now are the retina ones. And they have some benefits for editing 4k video if you plan to do that. I've heard that reducing the display resolution when rendering can speed up times.

But check this thread: http://www.fcp.co/forum/hardware/18250-brucex-try-this-new-final-cut-pro-x-benchmark

 

[joema2]

...Currently running on a Late 09 iMac 27". I am a video editor for a company and I need to be able to have a quick rate of completion on the videos....My current iMac takes about 25-40 minutes to export (share) a video from FCPX....I am looking at three options; the 27" with the 3.2ghz processor and the GT755m graphics (1GB), the 27" 3.4ghz processor with the GTX775M (2GB) and the 27" 3.4ghz with the GTX780m (4GB)....if I will see a significant upgrade from the gtx775 to the gtx780, I feel as though an extra $150 is well worth it....

You won't see much difference between the last two you mentioned in editing or export. You will potentially see a huge improvement from your 2009 iMac since its CPU doesn't have Quick Sync. Quick Sync is used by FCP X and some other software when transcoding or exporting to single-pass MPEG-2 or H.264. It is about 5x faster than most other methods. I'm not sure if Premiere cc uses it -- as of CS6 it did not.

For video export, the i7 CPU with hyperthreading makes a significant improvement. I have tested that myself on the same 2013 iMac 27 with 3.5Ghz i7 by disabling HT. It's about a 30% difference.

If possible I'd get one with Fusion Drive or SSD -- that makes a big difference. There are usually various iMac 27s available on the Apple refurbished site. Many of these are actually brand new with all the stickers in place: http://store.apple.com/us/browse/home/specialdeals/mac