My iMac I'm planning to buy. Is it good enough?

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darkshine

New member
Hey Everyone,

I'm planning to buy a new iMac to use for Film Editing and Audio Editing.
Just wondering if this iMac is good enough to run smoothly.

iMac 20"
2.4Ghz Intel Core Duo
1G RAM
250G HD
ATI Radeon HD 2400XT 128mb graphics card
$1599

Now will that be able to handle video editing in FCP? Because that's all I can afford at the moment, and I need it quite soon.
The next one up is...

iMac 20"
2.66Ghz Intel Core Duo
2G RAM
320G HD
ATI Radeon HD 2600 PRO 256mb graphics card
$1999

Now the only thing that concerns me is the graphics card in the first $1599 iMac.
It's the one I was going to buy, but I wanted to ask some professionals about it first.

All help will be appreciated.

Thanks A lot.
 
You should also address the lack of expansion options with any iMac.

1. One firewire bus and no way to add a second;

2. No way to add an second internal drive

3. No way to add eSATA.
 
The iMac 2.66 should work fine if you max out the RAM and buy an iMac with a larger HD. 320 is too small IMHO. Go to macmall. They have an 24" iMac - Intel Core 2 Duo 3.06GHz, 2GB Memory, 500GB Hard Drive 24" for $2100 after rebate. Western Digital My Book Studio Edition has a 1TB HD with FireWire 800 and eSata that was on sale at Best Buy for $230 a week ago and three weeks ago for $250 (See review at macworld). FW 800 is very close in real life speed to eSata. I buy memory (RAM) from Crucial, and I never had a problem.
 
Agreed. Max out everything that you can with your budget. Spend every penny you've got to spend on it. If that is $1599, then the first system fits the bill, and you'll have to make due.

The fact is that in the mac world, the more you spend, (other then in some cases, such as with the macbook air or buying apple ram), the better it will preform.

I ran final cut studio 1 on a powerpc iMac for a couple months very easily. Render times were not great, but I didnt have the $$ for a PowerMac at that time.

Do you plan to edit HD?
 
thanks

thanks

Thanks for the help so far guys.

Well, First... update... my budget will now probably be around $2600 AUD. (forgot to say I'm from Australia, Mac's are more expensive)
So I'm guessing the Macbook Pro would be much better.


There is..

$2,699 for the default macbook pro WITHOUT add-ons... from apple.com.au.
Macbook Pro 15.4"
2.4Ghz Intel Core Duo
2G RAM (ADD ON: Although I could get 4G ram if I buy from ebay)
200GB HD (ADD ON: I'd probably get a 7200rpm, tell me if I shouldn't)
NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT with 256 MB

OR

This one. Which has 4G RAM, I'd just ask them to get a 7200rpm HD
http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&item=190234177391

I will be editing with Final Cut Pro.
Most probably using a Canon HV20, or maybe a camera a bit lower.
Just want the editing to be smooth. (So when I'm editing, the preview's don't lag at all)
I will indeed buy a firewire 800 a bit later on ... either 500G or 1TB to store all media and data on.
I will only use the Internal HD for applications.
I don't think I will be editing HD, I don't have the Camera for that.

Thanks for the help guys.
I appreciate it.

Cheers
Daniel
 
Last edited:
Canon's Firewire implementation isn't somewhat non standard. Use Firewire Basic.

Despite the other poster's comments, I respectfully disagree.

Get the MBP, and an ExpressCard/34 eSATA or FW card. Attach the Canon to MBP's firewire port, and use the EC/34 eSATA or FW port to attach your capture drive.
 
In an editing computer, in terms of specs, I'd first recommend maxing out the ram, any of the processors in the current iMacs or MacBook Pros will run FCP nicely, so no need to worry about that. Next worry about a 7200rpm drive. I've got one in my 17" MBP, and while I find it uses more battery then a 5400rpm drive, its well worth it.

You also want to assess what you will be wanting to do with it. If you want to edit on the shoot, then a MBP is a good option, where as if you want a big screen and no real portability, then an iMacs for you.
 
Capturing to a Firewire HDD on a computer with only one FW bus will present problems in nearly all cases.

Add Canon FW cams to the mix, and it can get dicey.
 
David, what's the difference between Canon FW cams and Panny ones? It's always difficult to get the camera recognized initially, but after that it is pretty smooth. And what about those FW hubs? I use a USB hub and it works perfectly fine.

I have a MBP and an XH-A1, using G-Tech FW drives and it poses no problems.

Just curious,

Kegan
 
Canon has a non standard implementation of FW. Don't ask me why, I'm just reporting what I've read and responded to on the internet for the last five or so years.

Canon tends to have issues with FCP's Firewire NTSC preset, but works better with Firewire Basic.

FW hubs for capture? I don't even like two devices on a single bus.

Add a hub to the mix and further dilute the bandwidth.

Read this for more info:

http://www.adamwilt.com/Tidbits.html#FireWireFrustrations
 
I've found I'm plenty able to work (so far I'm just working in DV) with a Firewire 800 HD and a JVC deck off of the MacBook Pro's internal firewire ports. HDV runs at the same bitrate, so it should work similarly. Possibly with DVCPROHD, there might be a problem, but I'm not sure.
 
eBay? Eww. Not recommended.

Buy your computer and RAM from a reputable source. If you buy a laptop, you should definitely buy Applecare (if they offer it in AUS).
 
hmmm

hmmm

David S. said:
Canon's Firewire implementation isn't somewhat non
Get the MBP, and an ExpressCard/34 eSATA or FW card. Attach the Canon to MBP's firewire port, and use the EC/34 eSATA or FW port to attach your capture drive.
Click to expand...

Right, sorry to sound like an idiot, but what does an ExpressCard/34 eSATA or FW card do? What are they for, and why should I get it?
And what do you mean by capture drive?
Thanks


Btw.

So do you guys recommend the..

MBP 15"
2.4Ghz Intel Core Duo
2G RAM (I will buy extra ram later)
200GB 7200rpm Hard Drive
$2850 AUD

The apple care is an extra $300 - $400 isn't it?
Should I definitely get it? Because I don't have that much money at the moment.
Is there a chance that the MBP will have problems? I'm forking out a lot of money for this, so I really want it to last.. I don't see that much money often.


Thanks again for the help everyone!
 
Laptops have more problems than desktop computers, though any computer can have problems. For a laptop or a Mac Pro, Applecare costs 350 USD. For an iMac, it's about 160 USD.

If you have a business or logistical reason to buy a laptop, that's your choice. Personally, I prefer desktops especially when you consider screen size. Final Cut Pro has four windows you have to have open when you're editing, so bigger is better. I have a G5 tower, iMac 2.4c ghz and a MBP. I never use the MBP when I'm at home.

The capture drive is where you store your video files. The express card slot is where you can plug in a wireless card or connect additional peripherals. To connect the peripherals, you have to buy an express card but there is no need since MBP comes with built in USB 2.0, FW 400 and 800 ports. Using the express card option, will complicate your setup potentially causing unforeseen issues. The Griffin express card received horrible user reviews.

If your money is limited, I would wonder if the MBP is the best option since you're waiting to buy RAM, you will still need an external hard drive, apple care and software.
 
hmm

hmm

I'll probably buy that MBP I stated above.
I'll buy extra RAM somewhere else tho, what is the best macbook pro ram?
Kingston?

The macbook pro will be around $2580 with the Education discount.

BTW, I probably won't buy apple care... Personally I think it's a rip off to pay an extra $400AUD for 2 extra years of warranty. No point... I take good care of all my stuff anyway.
If it happens to have a problem, I'll just get it fixed for a bit of money.
There will be a fat chance of it being brutal damage... unless it was a liquid spill or a hard drop like two of my friends.
 
There is one FW bus on a MacBookPro. Several ports share the bus. You do not want two firewire devices (cam and HDD) connect to the same bus,

One mentioned creates a second FW bus by using the ExpressCard/34 slot on the MBP. Connect cam to it, and HDD to the existing ports on the Mac.
 
It was never mentioned that you will also need to back up your data with a separate hard drive.

Try this. Ask on a MBP forum what are the chances of having a problem that needs repair after the first year. There is a reason that Applecare costs $350 for MBP versus $249 for Mac Pro and $169 for an iMac.

Have you gone to the Apple store and tried to use a MBP or iMac for editing Final Cut Pro? What's best for editing and for your finances?

The bottom line is buy what you can afford.
 
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