Buying new mac for editing, question.

J

JPschmidt

Active member
Okay to start, I have a first gen macbook pro and im looking to upgrade to a desktop, my work is requiring this of me.

I shoot on a HVX200a camcorder, edit in the FCP suite, after effects, and soon Maya.

My main question is Mac Pro vs iMac.

overall i know the obvious answer is a mac pro is better,
but can i get by with a iMac? The new gen with 8 gigs of ram in it?

Would it be able to edit a feature film?

Besides lacking the ability to upgrade down the road, what am I missing out on with the iMac?

I'm looking to get the most out of the work for the cheapest price is the problem here. . . help?

Thank you.

JP Schmidt
 
It can handle a feature. Biggest problem with the newer imacs is that they only have one Firewire 800 port, which means with a fw400 adapter you would have to capture to USB 2.0, which is not recommended. It might work with a firewire 400 hub plugged into the 800 port, with the drive and camera plugged into the hub, but again, not recommended to capture and save over the same bus.
 
You can definitely get by with an iMac (I have a 24" as my editing machine).

I think it depends on what configuration of Mac Pro you were considering. With the Mac Pro you can get up to 32 GB RAM, 4 internal hard drives, and a wide selection of graphics cards.

If you're just looking at the base model Mac Pro though (or even a refurb), then the top-level iMac would be somewhat comparable.
 
I'm sure you can get away with an iMac.
but if you are getting the top-level iMac I would go with the low-end Mac Pro.
a quad is always better then the core duo.
 
Let's put it this way, working HD video on a computer you will always have conversions/renderings to do that will make you wait. With the Mac Pro you will wait and feel it's inevitable. With the iMac the waits will be longer and you will have more time to regret to have gone the cheap option...
 
videoteque73 said:
Let's put it this way, working HD video on a computer you will always have conversions/renderings to do that will make you wait. With the Mac Pro you will wait and feel it's inevitable. With the iMac the waits will be longer and you will have more time to regret to have gone the cheap option...
Click to expand...


I am a PC user but videoteque73 is right. Send a letter to Apple and demand a sub $1000.00 system with a Quad Core CPU and an ass kicking video card.
 
I will chime in because I am in the same situation as you. I have been editing SD with my MacBook Pro 17 first gen for the past 3 years. I love it. I now shoot HD with an HMC150 and soon a GH1. I also have a G5 2.7Duo tower suite as well. I had considered an iMac as its replacement but the eSata card and drives in my G5 would be useless and one FW800 port is just not enough even with my camera using USB to input material. The bottom line is expanding as your needs grow will be difficult with an iMac.
I have to say that I am using the G5 and drives and MacBook Pro 17 for HD and not buying anything until I see the new release of FCS. As an Apple user since the first Avids on Quadra machines I feel entitled to say I am very annoyed at how easily Apple abandons support for what is now termed "legacy" gear. They (Apple ) better have something out soon or I am going to buy into Barry Green's ABA policy and go with a PC. If my MacBook Pro is out of date ...Apple will be too.
 
I've thought of going PC, the problem there is I've already gone through all this schooling for Final Cut Pro and its what I'm most suited with at the moment. Also AVID is not a cheap software itself. I would need at very least books/DVDs/Online help for avid, Avid itself, etc all equalling the price of a new mac :p

I'm still a bit at a loss as my macbook pro is steadily heading towards death it seems with tons of issues occuring weekly and my apple care expired . . . i need something new.

Ugh. What an expensive stupid art to love.

Thank you everyone for your advice, if anyone has more to come please post I'm still in the air and even am debating on a highend macbook pro considering mine is so unkempt these days.
 
BrianMurphy said:
I also have a G5 2.7Duo tower suite as well. I had considered an iMac as its replacement but the eSata card and drives in my G5 would be useless and one FW800 port is just not enough even with my camera using USB to input material.

...(snipped)

I am very annoyed at how easily Apple abandons support for what is now termed "legacy" gear.
Click to expand...

Perhaps you already know this, but just in case, Apple also abandoned (to use your term) the PCI-X card format on your G5 2.7, not long after it was made, in favor of PCI-E. So your eSATA card won't work in any Mac Pro, or for that matter any Mac at all, starting with the quad 2.5 G5. On the other hand, Mac Pros have four SATA drive bays, where your G5 has only two, so that itself may solve the problem...
 
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