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

Need Help Choosing A computer

FF_productions

FF_productions

macrumors 68030
Original poster
Yes, I am using windows right now, but I'm trying to purchase a new computer for video editing. Preferably, I want a Mac, but the price is high, and I haven't been explained to why I should pay 1000 dollars for a mac, when i can buy a dell for 400 dollars that performs the same..

I just need some reasons why I should get a mac, and of course I know people have reasons.

Thanks
 
Two questions:

What makes you think a $400 Dell and a $1000 Mac perform the same?

Just exactly what kind of video-editing is it you want to do?
 
FF_productions said:
Yes, I am using windows right now, but I'm trying to purchase a new computer for video editing. Preferably, I want a Mac, but the price is high, and I haven't been explained to why I should pay 1000 dollars for a mac, when i can buy a dell for 400 dollars that performs the same..

I just need some reasons why I should get a mac, and of course I know people have reasons.

Thanks
Click to expand...

The ability to run FINAL CUT PRO OR FINAL CUT EXPRESS

i don't care what adobe or avid say, the FINAL CUT PRO/EXPRESS are the greatest pieces of software i have ever used ...

if nothing else, that alone is the reason i would never by anything but a mac ever again
 
I'm not a professional video editor, I just need something reliable, so I just need reasons why mac would do the job..

I use adobe premiere pro, what makes final cut pro so much better or more productive?

I just need reasons--i dont want to argue..
 
i completely agree, because i have seen an imac g5, they are extremely reliable yes, but in detail, why should i choose a mac over windows?
 
FF_productions said:
I'm not a professional video editor, I just need something reliable, so I just need reasons why mac would do the job..

I use adobe premiere pro, what makes final cut pro so much better or more productive?

I just need reasons--i dont want to argue..
Click to expand...

well if you run on a G4 iMac ... which i assume you would be looking at

you are utilizing a processor with a much high bandwidth

remember clock speeds are not the same ... so a 1.8 ghz PPC like the G5 is going to run a lot faster then any 1.8 pentium chip

FCP, has a faster rendering engine, when you acctually need to render

i found it easier to use, it took most of the guess work of setting up the software, and editing windows and left me to just edit ... since you know premiere already, that really wouldn't be an advantage.

hardware communication was easier to set up

sequence nesting, working with small portions and then importing them into a master sequence ... this probably exists in premiere now, it didn't back in the earlier versions when i switched to Mac and Final Cut Pro
 
the wierd thing is, that back in the day, I used an old mac, but it got way too outdated, we're talking 1991-1992-ish era. It was ancient, so in 2002 we got windows, and I thought it was excellent. Because 2 ghz is a lot better than 25 mhz. But then again, it was an old machine and it was a huge upgrade for me. All of a sudden, I see that mac is excellent with editing videos, and of course final cut pro is the big one for apple. I look at the processors, and for a mac it says 1.25 ghz, or even 1.8 on a g5. I then see a windows computer that is 3ghz and it is a lot cheaper.

Whats the difference between a mac processor and a windows processor..

A 800 mhz mac these days, when i search online, are still 600-800 bucks...
A 800 mhz pc is nearly 100-200 dollars, dirt cheap..
[/CENTER]
 
FF_productions said:
Whats the difference between a mac processor and a windows processor..

A 800 mhz mac these days, when i search online, are still 600-800 bucks...
A 800 mhz pc is nearly 100-200 dollars, dirt cheap..
[/CENTER]
Click to expand...

Because mhz on the Mac and on the PC are not equivalent.

And also, there's a lot more to working with a Mac than just clock speed.
 
I say go with a PC, because you will lose the $600 investment you spent on Premiere Pro, and need to spend $1000 on Final Cut Pro.
 
A 1.5GHz G4 would be about equal to a 3.0GHz P4, but a 1.8GHz G5 would be equal to around an approx. 4GHz P4, tell me, where can you get a 4GHz P4? 😉
 
I've done plenty of research between the 2, but I want to ask mac users like all u guys what kind of mac would do the job for video editing.

I'm done comparing windows to macs, I just wanna know what mac will do the best without taking 2000 dollars away from me..

My price limit is under 2000, but it has to be worth it if it's 2000 dollars.

The thing is that If i get a power mac, i have to buy a monitor, which may make it worse on the price and my budget...
 
link92 said:
A 1.5GHz G4 would be about equal to a 3.0GHz P4, but a 1.8GHz G5 would be equal to around an approx. 4GHz P4, tell me, where can you get a 4GHz P4? 😉
Click to expand...

Not even in your wildest dreams buddy.

I'd say a 1.5 GHz G4 roughly equals a 2.2-2.5 GHz P4 in most tasks.

Hard to be exact though.
 
There's a reason people by Macs and there's more to it than just the Mhz.

Why do they do it?

Go to a Mac reseller or a Apple Store and try one out for a few minutes. You'll see why.

If you're into simple video editing, a newer G4 (used) will be fine (get 7200 rpm drives at least). You don't need a G5 with all that power.

I would recommend:
G4 Tower (preferrably dual G4) 800 mhz minimum
1 Gig Ram
64 meg minimum on the video card
Final Cut Pro - but if you want simple - iMovie comes free and is ok too.

... or if you want more modern get the 17" or 20" iMac w/a gig of ram.

In your price range there is a lot that could satisfy you and you'll understand it's not just a 'speed/power' comparison.
 
link92 said:
A 1.5GHz G4 would be about equal to a 3.0GHz P4, but a 1.8GHz G5 would be equal to around an approx. 4GHz P4, tell me, where can you get a 4GHz P4? 😉
Click to expand...
if you think a 1.5 G4 = P4 @3.0 you are mistaken big time. stop spinning yarn.
 
FF_productions Whats the difference between a mac processor and a windows processor.. QUOTE said:
Check out www.barefeats.com should give you some benchmarks to look at. Shows how processors stack up against each other. Just remember video editing on each system uses different programs FCP vs Avid/Premier so those benches are tough to get.

Macs are generally decent for video, graphic work, and music production. Same can be said for PC,s but you'l pay about the same for something simmilar in performance to a Mac. For instance at school I was working on a Dell PIII 700 MHz and the Mac labs were running 400 MHz, and I noticed the Macs would run faster. Never think MHz to MHz it never adds up.
Click to expand...
 
One thing that a lot of people get from a Mac is just a general good feeling about using them. It's tough to put a finger on exactly (ui, stability, etc), but it is easy to get hooked. As one poster mentioned, I would suggest going to an Apple Store (if possible) and just play around with things for a while. You might get hooked.
 
I recently (6 months ago) switched to a Mac for my day to day computing, although until 2 weeks ago I was still doing video editing on the PC with Premiere and DVD Impression. 2 weeks ago I got a Dual 1.8 GHz G5 PowerMac and the Apple Production Suite, and have been using that (it's capturing some video as I type this). Anyway, while I haven't had enough time to become completely with familiar with Final Cut Pro yet, I can tell you that it seems much more intuitive and polished than Adobe Premiere. In Premiere it seemed that there were features that just didn't quite work right (certain codecs and settings), while in FCP, things "just work." The same is true of Mac in general. They're very stable, and the user interface is very efficient and intuitive. There are many many reasons why, and it would be hard to convince you just by telling you. You should go to the Apple store or find a friend with a Mac and just use one for a while. Don't make the mistake of thinking that just because something is different from what you're used to (Windows) that's it's not as good. Once you get used to the differences, I think you'll realize that the Mac way is almost always the quicker, easier, better way.

At this point I simply can't imagine going back to a Windows machine for daily use, especially when doing web design, graphic design and video work.
 
link92 said:
A 1.5GHz G4 would be about equal to a 3.0GHz P4, but a 1.8GHz G5 would be equal to around an approx. 4GHz P4, tell me, where can you get a 4GHz P4? 😉
Click to expand...

LOL - that has to be the funniest thing I've seen for a while.

/me hugs his Dual 1.8 GHz Power Mac - mmm 8 GHz P4

You need to put the kool aid away 🙂

As for the OP comparing a Dell to a Mac I suggest you actually check out the Apple.com website and have a look at what software actually comes packed with the Macs, you are paying for a lot more than just the hardware, but if you think you can do it using a Windows box for a heap cheaper and the extra software Apple supply doesn't matter go for it I say. Personally I'd never choose Windows over OS X, but that's just me.
 
where can i buy a g4 imac, without having the choice of 2-3 of them, with more options...the apple website doesn't have g4 imacs anymore, so where's a good place to purchase one..
 
FF_productions said:
where can i buy a g4 imac, without having the choice of 2-3 of them, with more options...the apple website doesn't have g4 imacs anymore, so where's a good place to purchase one..
Click to expand...

There are no more g4 iMacs sold new by Apple. Instead you would buy a better, faster G5 iMac, or a comparable Mac Mini + any monitor you like, from any retailer.

Yes, maybe you could find one used for sale elsewhere, but personally I think either of the two options I've noted are preferable.
 
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