Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Is the basic iMac enough for me?

M

mikejefferson3

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Apr 28, 2013
3
0
So, in the new year I will need to do some video editing for the football club that I help run. We want to start putting up coaching videos on YouTube, so putting together video clips, voice over, slow mo, diagrams, highlighting players, etc.

I'm completely new to this all so would be very basic to begin with but I'm hoping to improve my skills as I start to get used to it.

I looked at the iMac but really put off by the HDD and the fusion is only 24gb SSD - seems like it would barely be enough and then suddenly the price is getting more and more expensive?

What would be best for my needs if I'd like to spend as little as possible whilst being able to do the above smoothly? I don't particularly need to do anything on the move so desktop or laptop is fine. Would like it to last the test of time too.

Happy with refurbished but how old is too old? I currently have 16gb Mac Pro with 4TB HDD but it is so old now that no software supports it anymore.
 
The base iMac is ok if you're patient, it will get the job done with iMovie if you shoot 1080p but be aware that the processor is not powerful enough to do the editing fast. For 200$ more you can get a much more powerful processor and a better GPU though.

If you're in a budget, I suggest you consider the 699$ Mac Mini and upgrade the SDD, that will bring the total price to 899$ considering you have a monitor, keyboard and mouse.
 
  • Like
Reactions: blesscheese
OP wrote:
"I looked at the iMac but really put off by the HDD and the fusion is only 24gb SSD - seems like it would barely be enough and then suddenly the price is getting more and more expensive?"

1tb fusion iMac has a 24gb SSD portion and a 1tb 7200rpm HDD portion.

2tb fusion iMac has a 128gb SSD portion and a 2tb 7200rpm HDD portion.

A big difference.

If you're going to get an iMac, get the 27" model. Worth the extra money.
 
iDento said:
The base iMac is ok if you're patient, it will get the job done with iMovie if you shoot 1080p but be aware that the processor is not powerful enough to do the editing fast. For 200$ more you can get a much more powerful processor and a better GPU though.

If you're in a budget, I suggest you consider the 699$ Mac Mini and upgrade the SDD, that will bring the total price to 899$ considering you have a monitor, keyboard and mouse.
Click to expand...

^^ I agree with the above. FYI, video editing will go faster if you have more cores. I believe having the quad-core i5 ($200 more) would be a real help, in your case. That brings the cost up to $1299. Be aware, as iDento pointed out, if you are on a budget the Mac Mini may be the way to go. While you would still only get the dual core, if you already have a monitor, then you can save some money that way.
 
Last edited:
blesscheese said:
FYI, video editing will go faster if you have more cores. I believe having the quad-core i5 ($200 more) would be a real help, in your case. That brings the cost up to $1299. Be aware, as was pointed out, if you are on a budget the Mac Mini may be the way to go. While you would still only get the dual core, if you already have a monitor, then you can save some money that way.
Click to expand...
Isn't that exactly what I've been saying? :rolleyes:
 
mikejefferson3 said:
I looked at the iMac but really put off by the HDD and the fusion is only 24gb SSD - seems like it would barely be enough and then suddenly the price is getting more and more expensive?
Click to expand...
One option is to run OS X off a USB3 external SSD. I'm basically doing that (for other reasons), and so you have great SSD performance and not constrained by the slower 1TB slow HD or the tiny 24GB flash drive
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back