My first Macbook pro (1st mac tbh) buying for this reason...

[mcphee7]

Hi All

I'm buying my first mac with the intention of editing my wedding video with Final Cut Pro x. The files I will be using are .mts files which were shot in full 1080p resolution. I realise the 13" does not have a discreet graphics card.

In addition to this, I will be doing some light photoshopping of wedding pictures (not at the same time)

Do you think I will get by with the base model for these two tasks? It is worth mentioning that when I do the editing the computer will either be hooked up to my HDTV or my HP 22 inch monitor so the 13" screen doesn't matter.

I was all set to buy new, but then saw the refurbs and the deals that can be had and the excellent condition people seem to be getting them in.

EDIT - The computer won't be completely base spec. I will be changing the HDD to a 7200rpm one.

 

[andymac2210]

Yes, in fact you'd see no difference between the 13" and the 15" for what you're doing(except perhaps slightly faster render times with the faster CPU) even with the lack of dedicated gfx chip in the 13.

 

[jgz]

you will use your mac also after the wedding, right? If not, its a bit of wasting money^^

 

[mcphee7]

you will use your mac also after the wedding, right? If not, its a bit of wasting money^^

lol yeah. After I have done the editing, the laptop will continue to be used every day. In addition to the editing, the Mac will be a replacement for my existing laptop (windows) which is getting a little long in the tooth. It will be used for Photoshopping from time to time, website design here and there, browsing, emailing watching movies. You know, general stuff.

 

[jgz]

lol yeah. After I have done the editing, the laptop will continue to be used every day. In addition to the editing, the Mac will be a replacement for my existing laptop (windows) which is getting a little long in the tooth. It will be used for Photoshopping from time to time, website design here and there, browsing, emailing watching movies. You know, general stuff.

so the base model will be more than sufficient!

 

[GuitarG20]

the base 15" doesn't have a dedicated graphics card either, so it is my opinion that either would work fine for you.

 

[LostParadox]

Hi All

I'm buying my first mac with the intention of editing my wedding video with Final Cut Pro x. The files I will be using are .mts files which were shot in full 1080p resolution. I realise the 13" does not have a discreet graphics card.

In addition to this, I will be doing some light photoshopping of wedding pictures (not at the same time)

Do you think I will get by with the base model for these two tasks? It is worth mentioning that when I do the editing the computer will either be hooked up to my HDTV or my HP 22 inch monitor so the 13" screen doesn't matter.

I was all set to buy new, but then saw the refurbs and the deals that can be had and the excellent condition people seem to be getting them in.

EDIT - The computer won't be completely base spec. I will be changing the HDD to a 7200rpm one.

my first mac was the 13" MBP 2011. Within three days i took it back and got the 15" MBP base model. I noticed a speed difference and better performance in Photoshop and Premiere Pro. The 15" base model uses both the intel HD Graphics 3000 AMD Radeon HD 6490M with 256MB GDDR5. Not sure why anyone would say the 15" base doesn't have a dedicated card but it does although its not the best. I have found that i am much happier with the 15" although reguardless of the model you pick i would advise upgrading to 8gb ram =D

 

[Ole'schooliBook]

the base 15" doesn't have a dedicated graphics card either, so it is my opinion that either would work fine for you.

Actually, the base 15" MBP does have a discreet graphics chip, albeit, not the powerhouse of the high-end 15 and 17" models. It's the Radeon 6490M with 256 mb memory. It would provide a significant upgrade over the Intel HD3000 Integrated graphics, but for what the machine is to be used for, it probably wouldn't be that noticeable.

OP, the base 15" might give you more longevity given the discreet graphics, but honestly, I survived with an old Intel GMA 950 in my 2007 Macbook for 4.5 years and everything still worked fine with OS X Lion and all the core apps (just not as speedy as I would have like, hence I'm typing this on my 2-day-old 2.2 GHz 15" MBP!).

 

[getz76]

I'm buying my first mac with the intention of editing my wedding video with Final Cut Pro x. The files I will be using are .mts files which were shot in full 1080p resolution. I realise the 13" does not have a discreet graphics card.

You will see a significant performance difference in Final Cut Pro X with the better hardware in the 15" base model. The quad-core processor in the 15" and the OpenCL GPU support in FCPX is one of the few reasons to get discrete graphics.

Yes, in fact you'd see no difference between the 13" and the 15" for what you're doing(except perhaps slightly faster render times with the faster CPU) even with the lack of dedicated gfx chip in the 13.

That is not true. One of the good features of FCPX is the background processing.

the base 15" doesn't have a dedicated graphics card either, so it is my opinion that either would work fine for you.

The base 15" has an AMD Radeon HD 6490M graphics processor with 256MB. Dedicated.

 

[danpass]

how portable do you need?

the 1.1lb weight difference feels rather pronounced when holding them side by side in the store.

 

[GuitarG20]

Actually, the base 15" MBP does have a discreet graphics chip, albeit, not the powerhouse of the high-end 15 and 17" models. It's the Radeon 6490M with 256 mb memory. It would provide a significant upgrade over the Intel HD3000 Integrated graphics, but for what the machine is to be used for, it probably wouldn't be that noticeable.

OP, the base 15" might give you more longevity given the discreet graphics, but honestly, I survived with an old Intel GMA 950 in my 2007 Macbook for 4.5 years and everything still worked fine with OS X Lion and all the core apps (just not as speedy as I would have like, hence I'm typing this on my 2-day-old 2.2 GHz 15" MBP!).

I stand corrected. I realized the error about as soon as i walked away from my computer...

 

[mcphee7]

how portable do you need?

the 1.1lb weight difference feels rather pronounced when holding them side by side in the store.

That's in my thoughts too. In actual fact my current windows machine is 15inch and I think it's to big. I think 13inch is a good balance between size and portability.

 

[GuitarG20]

That's in my thoughts too. In actual fact my current windows machine is 15inch and I think it's to big. I think 13inch is a good balance between size and portability.

Keep in mind the actual dimensions and not just the screen size, though.

for example, my 17" is the size of my old 16" windows laptop and is thinner.

 

[getz76]

The low-resolution screen on the 13" MacBook Pro (1280 x 800 @ 113dpi) would drive me insane in Final Cut for any extended work. Make sure you can work with that.

 

[mcphee7]

The low-resolution screen on the 13" MacBook Pro (1280 x 800 @ 113dpi) would drive me insane in Final Cut for any extended work. Make sure you can work with that.

Indeed but in my 42inch tv or on a 22inch HP monitor I should be fine?

 

[DWBurke811]

Indeed but in my 42inch tv or on a 22inch HP monitor I should be fine?

1080p(or god forbid 720p) on a 42" screen is IMO useless for anything aside from watching movies.