buying my first mac

[utl768]

im a longtime pc user but being that im trying to get into the video production field, i feel a mac is a much better way to go on my new computer

right now im really choosing between a mac mini, a 13 inch macbook, and a 13 inch macbook pro.

im leaning towards the 13 inch macbook right now because i dont see much of a difference besides a little speed upgrade in the macbook to the pro.

also im not sure if any of these machines have it but a firewire port is a must for me

 

[jmann]

You will love the aluminum and the beautiful trackpad and screen. Go with the pro. I have the silver macbook, and it's great.

 

[macrumorsMaster]

im a longtime pc user but being that im trying to get into the video production field, i feel a mac is a much better way to go on my new computer

right now im really choosing between a mac mini, a 13 inch macbook, and a 13 inch macbook pro.

im leaning towards the 13 inch macbook right now because i dont see much of a difference besides a little speed upgrade in the macbook to the pro.

also im not sure if any of these machines have it but a firewire port is a must for me

All have firewire(except the 1st gen unibody(alumnium) macbook).
The mini is good unless you're doing motion or after effects heavily, the 4gb limit may hinder you. The mb and mbp have 8gb limit. The more ram, the better for these.

 

[NathanCH]

You really wont want to use a Mac Mini for video editing. So scratch the Mac Mini out of the question. I realize they have the same graphics chips as the macbook, but the Mini will also have to power the screen you buy for it, chances are it will be a 20" at least.

Go with Macbook Pro with 4GB of ram but order the ram from another place.

 

[Genghis Khan]

base iMac surely? mac mini's and base laptops are not high up in my list for a video editing machine

also...if this were not your first mac, i would strongly recommend going refurb (they're exactly the same, just not in a shiny box)

 

[HBOC]

i wouldn't get the 20" iMac for video editing. I believe the screen on the 20" is far inferior to the 24" iMac, plus there is alot more real estate on that monster!

 

[lrvv]

it is so good!thx

 

[jjhoekstra]

The mini is fine

I have 3 minis, a 20" iMac and a MacPro at home (3 kids, a wife and my video-edit station), they are all 2009 models. My conclusion personally is that for non-professional video-editing the mini is more than enough. It is a bit slower, BUT only a bit. The 4 Gb limit is no problem, contrary to popular believe, FCP does not need a lot of memory, and is is very green using only 22 watts or so. The large Apples are only better if you are willing to invest a lot of time and effort in Qmaster settings to get the most out of the many cores. If you need more screen-space, just add a second monitor.

 

[mmulin]

im a longtime pc user but being that im trying to get into the video production field, i feel a mac is a much better way to go on my new computer

right now im really choosing between a mac mini, a 13 inch macbook, and a 13 inch macbook pro.

im leaning towards the 13 inch macbook right now because i dont see much of a difference besides a little speed upgrade in the macbook to the pro.

also im not sure if any of these machines have it but a firewire port is a must for me

Both should be fine as long you stick to light editing work. For professional aspirations, I would recommend neither. Then go for models with discrete GPU, at least.

 

[borntomac448]

Macbook Pro 15

You will never look back if you go with the macbook pro. I have had a bunch of different laptops and desktops and this new unibody design is fantastic. It is the perfect marriage between functionality and design.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

You will never look back if you go with the macbook pro. I have had a bunch of different laptops and desktops and this new unibody design is fantastic. It is the perfect marriage between functionality and design.

I pretty much agree with that assessment. Go for the pro; I have a 15" MBP also and it is easily the best computer I have ever owned; it is a powerful machine with an excellent screen and is portable, too.

Cheers and good luck

 

[opera57]

Out of those 3, definitely go for the Macbook Pro. Firstly because it is the fastest machine out of the 3, and speed is important for video editing and secondly, the design is excellent! If portability isn't important to you, then maybe you should consider the 24" iMac. It's faster than the MBP and the extra screen real estate could be useful!