BUYING A MAC NEED TIPS!!!!!!

B

brassco

Member
I'm buying a MAC to run Final cut pro HD and Motion and Shake3 and i DVD.
How much memory do I need to edit a 2hr film? 1GB or 2GB.

Video cards: Which one do I get and why?
NVIDIA GEFORCE FX 5200 64MB DDR
ATI RADEON 9800 XT 256MB DDR
NVIDIA GE FORCE 6800 ULTRA 256MB DDR
NVIDIA GE FORCE 6800 ULTRA 256MB DDL
or do I need the Matrix 512MB and is it compatible with MAC?

Do I need two drives and how much memory in each?
2x160GB or 2x250GB does one need to be external?

If I need to have two drives plus an external drive how much memory for the external firewire 60GB or 250GB?

GHZ is 2.0 okay or do I need 2.5GHZ? for a MAC G5

I have VEGAS new box if I install it with the sofware that lets you convert XP windows but slows it down. Can I regain my speed once I switch back to Final Cut? or does it slow it down permanently?

What kind of adapters do I need for the DVX 100A
Apple DVI to VGA Display adapter?
Apple DVI to Video Adapter?

Finally do I get the $90 credit for the basic DVD -R/CD-RW and just buy a CD burner w/ the +R to do mass reproduction of my movie on-line. or is it better to outsource that?

Thanks
Stella
 
Re: BUYING A MAC NEED TIPS!!!!!!

Whooooaaaaa Stella!

I commend your choice of a Mac, you won't be disappointed- but I think you need to do some serious homework first- this ain't gonna be cheap.

First a few points:

1. You seem to be nitpicking dollars and cents on hardware but you plan on buying Shake3 at $3000?

2. Vegas will NOT run on a Mac (don't even try to use with Virtual PC).

3."What kind of adapters do I need for the DVX 100A?  Apple DVI to VGA Display adapter?  Apple DVI to Video Adapter?"   I'm not sure what you mean by this- all you need to get video from the DVX100 to the Mac is a firewire cable.  

If you mean you want to see your edited video from the Mac on dedicated video monitor- there are a number of hardware solutions I won't get into here (look at Aja IO, Blackmagic Decklink, these are a whole different can of worms) the simplest way is via firewire back to the dvx- then an "S" or "RCA" video cable from the dvx to a monitor (TV).

4. The answer to ALL your component choice questions: "see what you can afford- then buy just a little better".  

That said:

*I'd say a 2.0gig dual G5 is fine (the 2.5 would be best).

*Get a minimum of 1 gig RAM.  For better "Motion" performance get 2.5+ gig.

*Get a minimum of 128mb graphics card for good "Motion" performance (256mb card will give Motion a real kick- but not do much for your other apps).  

*Get the biggest internal drive you can which is 250gig- better yet get TWO- remember the G5 only has two internal drive bays.  You will never have too much storage when it comes to video.  Hold off on the firewire drive for now unless you need to transport stuff somewhere.  The 500gigs of internal space should tide you over for a while.

*Not sure what you are talking about with the DVD-R/CD-R drives- just get the one that comes stock with the Mac.  It burns DVD's and CD's- DON'T downgrade it to just a CD-R...are you nut's?  ;)

*Finally- FinalCutHD, Motion and DVD Studio Pro all come together as a Production bundle- get that.  Not individually (you will pay too much)...Also...unless you know what you are getting into, you might want to avoid buying Shake3 for the time being.  It sounds to me like you may already be biting off more than you can chew.

I hope this helps.  Good Luck!
Jon
 
Re: BUYING A MAC NEED TIPS!!!!!!

1. Get your extra memory from www.Dealram.com, just plug in the mac you are getting. It will cost about $175 for 2x512mb sticks.

2. I say get the stock video card and upgrade to the ati x800 when it gets released.

3. You can get a 250 SATA drive for around $200

4. Get a 23 inch cinema Display.. no if ands or buts!

[quote author=brassco link=board=Events;num=1099327431;start=0#0 date=11/01/04 at 08:43:51]I'm buying a MAC to run Final cut pro HD and Motion and Shake3 and i DVD.
How much memory do I need to edit a 2hr film? 1GB or 2GB.

Video cards: Which one do I get and why?
NVIDIA GEFORCE FX 5200 64MB DDR  
ATI RADEON 9800 XT 256MB DDR
NVIDIA GE FORCE 6800 ULTRA 256MB DDR
NVIDIA GE FORCE 6800 ULTRA 256MB DDL
or do I need the Matrix 512MB and is it compatible with MAC?

Do I need two drives and how much memory in each?
2x160GB   or   2x250GB  does one need to be external?

If I need to have two drives plus an external drive how much memory for the external firewire 60GB or 250GB?  

GHZ is 2.0 okay or do I need 2.5GHZ? for a MAC G5

I have VEGAS new box if I install it with the sofware that lets you convert XP windows but slows it down. Can I regain my speed once I switch back to Final Cut? or does it slow it down permanently?

What kind of adapters do I need for the DVX 100A  
Apple DVI to VGA Display adapter?
Apple DVI to Video Adapter?

Finally do I get the $90 credit for the basic DVD -R/CD-RW and just buy a CD burner w/ the +R to do mass reproduction of my movie on-line. or is it better to outsource that?

Thanks
Stella

[/quote]
 
Re: BUYING A MAC NEED TIPS!!!!!!

That program that lets you install windows emulates a PC motherboard via software. It adds another layer of crap to native Mac motherboard, OS and apps. It's a clunker for any use except really minor stuff. I'd be intereseted to know if it runs DVrack, though ;)
 
Re: BUYING A MAC NEED TIPS!!!!!!

Moe, I'd be amazed if DVrack ran that way. If you can't even run a simple PC game in VPC....
 
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