HD video editing questions for Macbook

[kinderspoon]

Hello,

I have a 2008 Macbook that has Final Cut Pro 6 on it. Previously, I’ve edited short films on my computer that were shot on digital or film. I recently shot about 15 hours of HD video that I want to edit into a 1 or 2 hour long movie. In my cameras I stored my footage on a bunch of SanDisk Extreme 45MB/s 32GB SDHC cards. It was my first time shooting on HD and will be my first time editing it.

My question is this: is it possible for me to edit HD video, using an external hard drive, using the 2008 Macbook that I have? I’ve read as much as I can about what external hard drives to get and I’m still a bit lost. The only ports I have are USB 2.0 and Firewire 400. No Firewire 800, Thunderbolt, etc.

If it is possible to edit on my computer, and if so, is there an external hard drive you recommend? Should I also somehow upgrade my computer for faster and better editing? I don’t have much of a budget for spending but I’m willing to save up for it because the project means a lot. Any technical help is appreciated! Thanks!

 

[dylin]

The short answer is no.

A USB external hard drive reads too slow for HD work.

If you had too, the best choice would be to get a firewire 400 external but those are hard to find for a decent price these days.

If you are going to upgrade you might want to start with ram since it will be the cheapest choice to begin.

then eventually get an SSD (solid state drive) or if need, go for a 7200 RPM hard drive.

Hope that helps and good luck with your project.

 

[kinderspoon]

So it is possible to edit HD video with a Firewire 400 as long as I upgrade the RAM and get an SSD?

 

[Altemose]

Even FireWire 400 will be a little bit taxed with HD video. You are asking alot of a six year old laptop, PC or Mac. It can be done, just make sure you have maxed RAM and plenty of hard drive space.

 

[dylin]

So it is possible to edit HD video with a Firewire 400 as long as I upgrade the RAM and get an SSD?

Its possible but dont expect buttery smoother performance.

 

[Swampus]

FYI: OWC has some nice FW cases on their clearance page. Some include drives, like the 1TB Quad Interface G-Tech for $95.

Some good deals on eBay too. Any FW800 case should work on a FW400 bus with either an adapter or simply a cable with different connectors on each end. I'd purchase the drive new, but I don't see any harm in getting a second hand case if you find a good deal on a nice one. Just be sure to get one that takes SATA drives. A lot of the older ones only took IDE/PATA and I'm sure you'll need the larger capacity options of SATA for this work.