Video Editing Machine

[Mx356]

How's it going guys? I'm looking to upgrade my previous macbook pro with either the next release MBP or with an iMac. The main purpose of the computer is for video editing with programs Final Cut Pro, Motion, and After Effects. I love my macbook pro and its portability but is an iMac the way to go for more power and speed? If I got an iMac I would still have my old MBP to use while traveling for shoots, but just wondering what the best option would be? I don't really have a budget, I just want to get the best bang for my buck.

Any help is greatly appreciated

 

[Macman45]

I have the top spec 27" iMac (July 2011) took the graphics to 2GB and the RAM to 16GB. It eats FCP iMovie, anything you can throw at it without missing a beat.

Rendering times are superb and it multitasks perfectly. Your MBP is the perfect portable companion to use in conjunction with the iMac. I have a 17" MBP as well as a 13"MBA...I sometimes use the Air for moving files from the studio environment to my iMac.

I think you will be fine with an iMac.

 

[Mx356]

Right on. Thanks for your quick response. I didn't know if I wanted the 21" or 27" cause the 27 seem's huge ha. If you don't mind me asking what made you decided to go with the 27' over the 21'? Was it pretty easy getting accustomed to editing on it?

 

[Macman45]

The more real estate the better, You can drop the resolution if you find it a little daunting, but I love the space.

 

[AcesHigh87]

It all depends on your budget. Certainly go iMac but if you have the money just get the top end 27" and upgrade the RAM yourself. If you're like me and don't have that kind of funding consider what I did. Save money and go for the smaller iMac but upgrade to the high end model and set it up with an i7. Then buy 3rd party RAM and pop it in. If you want some extra speed go for an SSD as well. The 27 does have a better GPU but if you're like me and it comes down to power or screen size, take the power.

 

[MacOG728893]

I'm holding out for Ivy, but then again I have the original 27 i5 to hold me over, so no complaints.

If I didn't have my current iMac and had my brothers 24 C2D 2.8GHz, I would have definitely upgraded to the 2011 line. That i7 3.4GHz has tempted me for far too long, but since I don't really need it now, I can hold off.

I'm stoked that with the efficiency that Ivy will use! Cooler iMacs = Happier iMacs!

Like everyone says, "if you need it now, then buy now." Good Luck!

 

[Angelo95210]

What version of FCP are you planning to use?

 

[Santabean2000]

The iMac is a fine machine, but it's hidden internals would make me worried should there be probs (and I'm expecting to use this machine to make money).

The MBP is a more than capable computer; more expensive, $ for $, but it'd be my business machine of choice + nice matte external monitor. Glossy equals eye strain for me over longer viewing.

 

[Mx356]

What version of FCP are you planning to use?

FCP 7

I pretty much use Final Cut Studio every day plus after effects and photoshop.

I thought about waiting for the new release Mac's but don't know if I'll be able to make it till then. Thanks everyone for all your help and advice

 

[Angelo95210]

FCP 7

I pretty much use Final Cut Studio every day plus after effects and photoshop.

I thought about waiting for the new release Mac's but don't know if I'll be able to make it till then. Thanks everyone for all your help and advice

OK. Then from what I know FCP7 is pretty bad at exploiting multicore CPUs and more than 4GB RAM... So I reckon a nice Imac with an i7 CPU would be fine. Now you have Thunderbolt if you want to plug external scratch drives (though there are not a lot available right now)....

FCPX hasn't been very well welcomed as it is very different from FCP7 (workflow) but is better at exploiting multiple cores and lot of RAM.

Think about the future as well. Are you going to stay forever with FCP7 or are you thinking about AVID or Premiere. In this case you can get a powerful PC for much less than a Mac Pro...

 

[Mx356]

OK. Then from what I know FCP7 is pretty bad at exploiting multicore CPUs and more than 4GB RAM... So I reckon a nice Imac with an i7 CPU would be fine. Now you have Thunderbolt if you want to plug external scratch drives (though there are not a lot available right now)....

FCPX hasn't been very well welcomed as it is very different from FCP7 (workflow) but is better at exploiting multiple cores and lot of RAM.

Think about the future as well. Are you going to stay forever with FCP7 or are you thinking about AVID or Premiere. In this case you can get a powerful PC for much less than a Mac Pro...

Ya I plan on staying with FCP. I messed with FCPX some but went back to FCP 7.

Would you guys recommend going with just the HDD or for the SSD config? I keep all my media files on an external drive but just curious if the SSD is that much better for the iMac or just keeping the regular HD?

 

[Angelo95210]

Ya I plan on staying with FCP. I messed with FCPX some but went back to FCP 7.

Would you guys recommend going with just the HDD or for the SSD config? I keep all my media files on an external drive but just curious if the SSD is that much better for the iMac or just keeping the regular HD?

An SSD is much faster. It will be perfect for your OS and FCP even if SSDs are too small now to host your video files...

 

[Mx356]

Well I made my purchase tonight.

Went with the:
27" iMac
3.4GHz Quad-Core Intel Core i7
4GB 1333MHz DDR3 SDRAM - 2x2GB
1TB Serial ATA Drive
AMD Radeon HD 6970M 2GB GDDR5

Going to upgrade the ram to 8gb myself since Apple charges so much for it. Pretty stoked about it and ready for it to come in already ha

Thanks for everyones help