Macbook owners feedback: iMovie '08 and photo editing

[HONDAxACURA]

Hey there guys. New here. I'm all for Apple and it all started with a hand me down iBook G4 933mHz upgraded 680mb of ram which I am still using right now. But now, I'm in college and needs have changed.

I still love my iBook G4, but I can do so little on it. I use it mostly for email, chat, opening PDF's, Word, PP. It's great to do those stuff. I switch back and forth between my PC and Laptop. PC for my games and picture editing and also the occasional videos.

I think I am ready to make the full switch to Apple. I've been using iMovie '08 on my brother's 24" white iMac and I am just loving it. I also use Adobe Lightroom to edit my pictures and stuff.

I'm thinking to buy a 2.4 GHz Macbook just because of the SuperDrive and more Ram. But I have some questions I would like to ask you guys...

-On my iBook, iMovie HD just lags super bad. Video playback are just images. How does iMovie '08 perform on your Macbook? Does it lag? Smooth? Video playback are nice and smooth?

-Bootcamp, I occasionally play a game called LFS. I am using my PC to run it right now. My PC has a 2.4 GHz Intel P4 HT with 512mb of RAM with a nVidia 5700. (I know old....) How does my PC compare to the Macbook in terms of graphics?

 

[neiltc13]

I can say quite confidently that MacBook will exceed your needs by a huge margin.

 

[HONDAxACURA]

I appreciate the response, but I'm more interested in the iMovie '08 performance. Can you at least elaborate on this macbook owners?

(I have tested the computer at Apple store, but I would like real owner experience)

 

[SnowLeopard2008]

iMovie '08 runs perfectly, with the occasional glitch in graphics when I open up another cpu-heavy app. But nothing like that occurs when iMovie is the foremost app. The video runs smooth and does fine for you're needs, the Intel GMA (X3100) runs fine, I've played a few games, such as AoE 3, COD, Battlefield, etc on my MacBook and they all run at smooth fps. My iBook ran COD pretty smoothly as well.

The MacBook is perfect for you, light gaming, video editing, and the basic computer stuff (word, pp, pdf, web, email, etc). Get yourself a MacBook plus an iPod and free ($100 max) printer with the back-to-school discount.

 

[cdcastillo]

Pretty smooth

... interested in the iMovie '08 performance... macbook owners? ...

I'm a macbook owner (2.2 GHz) and I've prepared a few movies for special events (mainly slide shows interspersed with iSight recorded clips). I can testify to the smoothness of iMovie 08 in my MB.

The most exasperating part is waiting for it to export the movie to a high quality format/setting, for a 10-15 minutes movie, it can take (from 35 minutes) up to 90 minutes; I guess it's about the integrated graphics. However, I can still keep working on anything else I need to, no need to leave the MB alone while exporting.

However, when editing, no glitches whatsoever, if that's what you wanted to know.

 

[neiltc13]

I was under the impression that iMovie does not use the GPU for rendering video. Am I wrong?

 

[eXan]

I was under the impression that iMovie does not use the GPU for rendering video. Am I wrong?

According to Barefeats, iMovie uses GPU for rendering some filters, but doesn't when encoding to the finished file. I don't use iMovie, so I can't verify.

 

[Edandlindz28]

I have used iMovie with my 2.16 Macbook w/ 3GB of ram for my HD home videos without a problem. Rendering can take a while, but no shutdowns or lags while editing the video. I am thinking on getting a 24" iMac for the larger screen.

 

[skye12]

Actually moved from the very the very same 933mhz ibook to my
2.4 MB with 4gb ram. It is like 6 times faster than the ibook and I never
get pinwheels anymore. You will not regret it.

 

[Mjmar]

I purchased the 2.4ghz. white model of the MacBook about 2 months ago, and the iMovie and iPhoto experience is great. I've created a countless amount of videos and edited many photos. When using all of the iLife applications on my MacBook, speed is a non issue. Everything runs smoothly, without lag.

 

[winninganthem]

My friend runs iMovie on an older Macbook and it works flawlessly.

 

[nick9191]

You can do one of two things.

Buy the current Macbook, and get all the free student stuff (if your a student)

Or wait for the new Macbook due out shortly, you wont get $400 of free stuff but you will get a new redesigned model. It should also come with a newer graphics chip which will be better for light gaming (should be better than the Nvidia 5700).

Oh yeah and my Macbook is a 2.2ghz Core 2, with 4gb RAM, and runs iMovie 08 flawlessly. The fans will spin up when exporting etc. but that is to be expected. I also play a bit of WoW on it, which runs at a playable frame rate.

 

[Mattjeff]

It will suit your needs very well, for video editing and (some)games. I don't know enough about gaming on the macbook but according to Apple's Site it must be good. Good luck and a word of advice is, if you can afford bigger HD or more Ram then do it.

 

[HONDAxACURA]

Thanks guys for your reply. I decided to wait for the new Macbook which released today. To my expectation, it is what I asked for from an upgraded macbook. Aluminum, better graphics, and led display.

Will there be any new CPU coming out in the coming months? I think I'm going to buy one when Snow Leopard comes near... Also a noob question, how much performance decrease would I expect from a 2.4 and a 2.0 ghz?? (the one with the new faster cpu's with 1066 mhz FSB)