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OK, totally undecided on which one to buy....

C

chuckyeager

macrumors member
Original poster
Jul 18, 2009
42
1
Collegeville, PA
In the end I will end up with a something better than what my first Mac in 8 years will be when I buy it. Right now, all I want to do is:

1. Become familiar with mac.

2. Use iLife - hopefully a LOT. ( probably no or little HD editing in iMovie )

3. Download and learn a DJ program called megaseg. I DJ on a pc laptop now, and even still use CD players.

If all goes well, in 6 - 8 months I will buy a much better mac.

I could easily see me buying a mini, or the 13" pro. Thing is, I don't know whether I can edit on that small of a screen, but I can DJ on that size if need be.

I haven't touched a mac in about 8 years so I am quite uneducated.

Thoughts?
 
I would say, use the PC for DJ'ing and get the Mini. But if you want to become more familiar with Macs, the MacBook could help so you can use it where ever you want.
 
I'd go for the base mini if you already have a monitor. It should be plenty for your uses. My mid-'07 2.0 GHz is great for iMovie iDVD and whatnot.
 
chuckyeager said:
I do have 2 extra LCD monitors.... BTW, could either of those be hooked up to a 13 pro?
Click to expand...

Sure, you can even have both at once as long as they have DVI or VGA. You'll need an adapter. DVI is better.

EDIT: That's for the mini.

The MBP can have one at a time. Again, you'll need an adapter.
 
Thank you.

Then I will go with the mini. If I enjoy it, I will get a 15'" mbp OR a 24" iMac within a year. Really, A lot depends on the DJ software. They offer a free trail. Probably enough for me to decide what I really need / want down the road.

I am really not great with any computers... hopefully I can make the transition OK.


EDIT... this DJ software integrates with iTunes, fully. That is why I want to use it. It even can use iTunes playlists while doing beatmixing.
 
I went and bought a mini today - the cheaper one. I'll use it to learn, and then pass it on to my daughters. The guy at the Apple store even said it can handle HD editing, just not as well as a better machine.

I was surprised... nobody mentioned mobileme to me, though. I did buy the One on One training, though. I figure that if I use it 2x, it will be worth it. I hope I find a reason to use it... that means I am actuallu using the computer. :D
 
chuckyeager said:
I went and bought a mini today - the cheaper one. I'll use it to learn, and then pass it on to my daughters. The guy at the Apple store even said it can handle HD editing, just not as well as a better machine.

I was surprised... nobody mentioned mobileme to me, though. I did buy the One on One training, though. I figure that if I use it 2x, it will be worth it. I hope I find a reason to use it... that means I am actuallu using the computer. :D
Click to expand...

Congrats. Just upgrade to 4GB of RAM and a 7200RPM hard drive or a SSD in the future for extra speed.
 
chuckyeager said:
I went and bought a mini today - the cheaper one. I'll use it to learn, and then pass it on to my daughters. The guy at the Apple store even said it can handle HD editing, just not as well as a better machine.

I was surprised... nobody mentioned mobileme to me, though. I did buy the One on One training, though. I figure that if I use it 2x, it will be worth it. I hope I find a reason to use it... that means I am actuallu using the computer. :D
Click to expand...
Congrats, it's a Mac.

With 4 GB RAM, that should handle most light-moderate editing in iMovie and Final Cut Express. If you work up to the level of Final Cut Studio 2, you'll likely want an iMac or Mac Pro. The mini can handle FCS 2, but it is pretty slow for rendering jobs.
 
Shake 'n' Bake said:
Congrats, it's a Mac.

With 4 GB RAM, that should handle most light-moderate editing in iMovie and Final Cut Express. If you work up to the level of Final Cut Studio 2, you'll likely want an iMac or Mac Pro. The mini can handle FCS 2, but it is pretty slow for rendering jobs.
Click to expand...

I have about a 5 year old unopened box of FC Express, I think it is called... I imagine for standard def editing I could always use that if iMovie can't do what I want. I actually think that iMovie will handle everything that I would want to do.

I'm no film maker... just want to edit some family vacation style stuff.
 
chuckyeager said:
I have about a 5 year old unopened box of FC Express, I think it is called... I imagine for standard def editing I could always use that if iMovie can't do what I want. I actually think that iMovie will handle everything that I would want to do.

I'm no film maker... just want to edit some family vacation style stuff.
Click to expand...

I think iMovie is perfect for that.

I think HD 6 is the best, but you can't get it anymore. PM me if you'd like it; I've got the .dmg.
 
Shake 'n' Bake said:
I think iMovie is perfect for that.

I think HD 6 is the best, but you can't get it anymore. PM me if you'd like it; I've got the .dmg.
Click to expand...

Well, I just called home and told my wife that I bought the mini, and then she went and bought one of those little Sony Webbie HD cameras. We already had a really nice SD Mini DV camera, but I like the idea of using cards for storage.


again, thanks to everybody. :)
 
chuckyeager said:
Well, I just called home and told my wife that I bought the mini, and then she went and bought one of those little Sony Webbie HD cameras. We already had a really nice SD Mini DV camera, but I like the idea of using cards for storage.


again, thanks to everybody. :)
Click to expand...

Sounds good. May you have many good years with your Mac.
 
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