$5K post production Mac hardware budget - please advise...

dustino

dustino

Well-known member
I apologize in advance for two things 1) the number of questions I have, and 2) my profound ignorance! The good news is that I've been working on a documentary for the past couple of years and have finished the vast majority of production. The better news is that I just received a $5000 grant, most of which will be spent on a computer and software. That's where I'd love to get some advice from experienced users. I should also note that I'm a self-taught filmmaker who knew almost NOTHING about filmmaking before taking on this project. The little I've learned has come from lots of books and lots of DVXuser (thanks!). That's gotten me through production (with loads of mistakes, of course). Post, however, is even more intimidating and I realize each day how very, very little I know. So here are my questions/concerns...

Current situation:

  • Footage is apprx. 50 hrs. SD shot on DVX100
  • Project will be feature (60-80 min.)
  • Currently using titanium Powerbook G4, 1 ghz, with 1 gig ram (on it's last leg. Literally held together with gaffer's tape)
  • Currently using FCP 3.0 (yep, you read right)

Considering...

  • MacBook Pro
  • FCP Studio
  • "cheap" speaker monitors ($200-300 Event or Alesis speakers)
  • LCD monitor (at a later time)
  • (again, this is mainly for a rough cut. Hoping for "pro's" to complete or assist in final edit

Questions...

1. Is 7200 rpm hard drive worth the extra money, especially considering its smaller size? I've heard mixed opinions...
2. Is 2.6 ghz processor worth $225 over 2.4? (again, mixed opinions...)
3. Is paying extra $ for "high-res" display (1920 x 1200) vs. standard 1680 x 1050 stupid (if I go for 17" model - not applicable to 15")? I know I can't see the difference with my eyes, but would it make monitoring HD footage in the future more user friendly in some way?
4. Should I buy a "mediocre" macpro tower instead? Portability has served me well thus far and I'm hesitant to give that up. Having a machine to make presentations with, do light location editing has been really beneficial thus far. The dream is to invest in a pimped out Mac Pro within 18 mos. (pending funding/earnings) but still have a solid laptop for travel/presentation needs.

(Here's where I really show my ignorance and newbieness...)

5. I should capture and edit on external drive if using a mbp, right? In the past, I've always moved my data around to make certain I'm editing from my internal drive, but realize that's gonna be next to impossible for a 60-80 minute doc. I'm assuming I should buy a RAID drive and edit the entire project on that? I had no idea that FC Studio took up so much drive space until tonight (newbie...)!

Cost is definitely a factor (though PC's aren't an option for me). I've lived like a pauper for the past two years quitting a full time job to pursue this project. This $5K is a big deal to me, and I'm not sure if or when I'll be able to corral more funding in the future (though I'll be trying like hell).

In closing to this long-winded post, you can see that I'm pretty clueless here. Any advice regarding a bare-bones machine/system would be appreciated. Thanks!:beer:
 
For an SD project, a Macbook Pro should be fine. And it will be especially handy on a documentary so you have your computer with you at all times.

Also, I would invest in a second LCD monitor to supplement your MBP screen. A 24" Dell can be had for cheap these days and you'll appreciate the extra desktop real estate when editing your footage.

A 7200 rpm drive is definitely worth the money for video.

I'd save the $225 for the processor bump and spend it on RAM instead. That'll make a much more noticeable speed difference.

On the 17" model, you will definitely notice a difference between the HD display and the standard display. Whether that's worth it is up to you. If I had the money and was interested in a 17" MBP (too big, IMO), then I'd opt for it. But that's just me.

A Mac Pro has its advantages, like expandability, better video cards, and add-ons. But for your project, IMO, a MBP is plenty powerful enough. You can expand your disc space with external drives. Your video card is plenty and you probably won't need a Kona board or any kind of expensive add-on gear like that.

Yes, you should capture and save on an external drive. A RAID probably isn't necessary for size reasons, although RAIDs do tend to read and write faster than a standard external drive. They are also considerably more expensive.

And lastly, GOOD LUCK!
 
I have question along the same lines. I have a G4 desktop with FCP 3.0 and a PowerBook G4 with FCP 5.0. Can I use these systems effectively with an HV-20 (using 24p) and an HX-A1 (also 24p or "f" as they say...) I will be using these cameras in their "hd" mode and cine modes. My biggest concern is that my FCP software might be out of date.

thxx.

sg
 
I can tell you what I am looking at for my editing suite when my new RED comes in. MacPro 4x2.66GHz, 8 GB's ram, 3 TB Hard drive RAID 5. Total: $4545. That is a killer machine and will do most of what I need at a reasonable speed (can't take an extra $1500 for 4 more procs.)

I too had a Powerbook before I swtiched to my G5, but I have never looked back since I have been able to upgrade it so easily. Of course, I still have my powerbook that I can take with me because it hasn't fallen apart--and it also still ran the latest OS until leopard.

Matthew
 
You know, Macville, after thinking long and hard this weekend I'm leaning towards a MacPro myself. I figure it's the wiser investment and leaves me with a relevant machine for 3-4 yrs. I guess I can always get a mbp later if funding/earnings allow rather than the other way around.

I'm guessing you're buying your RAID hard drive from a third party rather than through apple's raid card and apple hard drives. Is that right? If so, where are you buying and what's the cost?

Thanks...
 
dustino,

i recently had to purchase a desktop to edit HD footage from the HVX effectively. I was using a 12" G4 powerbook (1.5 ghz and 768 mb ram) with FCS, and it managed ok, but was very slow on renders.

I contemplated getting a new Mac Pro, but didn't quite have the funds. So here's what I did. I got a used G5 powermac, spent 1/2 the money and now have a kick ass HD editing machine. It tears through 720p/1080i footage with ease.

Specs:
Dual 2.0 Ghz G5's
4 GB Ram
Nividia GeForce 6800 Ultra DDL (this is KEY - best G5 video card)
320 GB HDD
running 2 Samsung 19" widescreen monitors. (1440x900)

total cost: around $1600.

at that price ... you can get both a tower and a MBP.
 
dustino said:
You know, Macville, after thinking long and hard this weekend I'm leaning towards a MacPro myself. I figure it's the wiser investment and leaves me with a relevant machine for 3-4 yrs. I guess I can always get a mbp later if funding/earnings allow rather than the other way around.

I'm guessing you're buying your RAID hard drive from a third party rather than through apple's raid card and apple hard drives. Is that right? If so, where are you buying and what's the cost?

Thanks...
Click to expand...

First off, I'm buying a MacPro instead of just keeping my Dual 1.8GHz G5 because I need intel support for the RED camera software. If you don't need something like that, I would suggest buying a used G5 as a cheaper option.

Right now I am looking at getting the HighPoint RocketRAID card for the MacPro with the NORCO DS-1240 12 Bay case for the HD's, and then adding some Seagate 500GB drives.

Total will be 1718.93+Shipping. Not bad for a 3 TB Raid 5 system! The only other thing I need to consider is a cable from the RAID to the computer. I'd like to get it a little farther away from the computer if I can since that case is louder than normal.

Matthew
 
Ben Sliker said:
dustino,

i recently had to purchase a desktop to edit HD footage from the HVX effectively. I was using a 12" G4 powerbook (1.5 ghz and 768 mb ram) with FCS, and it managed ok, but was very slow on renders.

I contemplated getting a new Mac Pro, but didn't quite have the funds. So here's what I did. I got a used G5 powermac, spent 1/2 the money and now have a kick ass HD editing machine. It tears through 720p/1080i footage with ease.

Specs:
Dual 2.0 Ghz G5's
4 GB Ram
Nividia GeForce 6800 Ultra DDL (this is KEY - best G5 video card)
320 GB HDD
running 2 Samsung 19" widescreen monitors. (1440x900)

total cost: around $1600.

at that price ... you can get both a tower and a MBP.
Click to expand...

That's not a bad idea, Ben. Did you just go ebay or did you buy from a refurb dealer? Thanks!
 
I got the tower from eBay I think, but then put 2 GB of ram in from crucial.com and then ordered the 2nd monitor from another site, had to get a specific samsung monitor to match the one i had.
 
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