How well will this flow (iMac, Final cut)

M

magillb

Member
I just got my HMC150, and have to purchase a new system (long story)

How do you think this one will work with Final Cut?...

Apple iMac 20", Core II Duo, 2.4GHz, 2GB RAM, 320 GB Serial ATA,
8X SuperDrive, Bluetooth, iSight, Airport, keyboard, Mighty Mouse, stereo digital in/out using an optical format, built-in speakers and built-in infra-red receiver. Ports: 1 Firewire 400, 1 Firewire 800, 3 USB, 1 Mini DVI, and 1 Ethernet.

 
I don't have a Mac so I won't comment on that build, but I will suggest you consider a Mac Pro tower in case you ever want, for instance to watch your edit in full HD on a monitor. As far as I know that's impossible on an iMac (you need a PCI-e card like one of BlackMagic's). You can't stream the full-res out the Firewire port like we used to do on our SD camcorders.
 
Monitoring needs depend on your target distribution medium - for me, mostly the web, so monitoring on a proper video screen wouldn't help me much and hence I don't bother.

Low-end iMacs should be capable of cutting ProRes - there's certainly enough processor power, and while 2Gb RAM isn't that much these days that's an easy and cheap thing to upgrade if you find your editing software bogging down. One thing that may make a difference is the graphics card, which tends to be pretty puny in the low-end Macs. However, I'd be surprised if it didn't work for video.

Concerns I would have:

* You're limited to FireWire 800 for storage. It's fast enough for ProRes (Final Cut) or Apple Intermediate Codec (iMovie), but in the UK at least it's rather hard to source high-quality FW800 drives for sane prices. The world is moving to eSATA, it seems. Note that you can (and I have) cut ProRes off USB2 drives. It's not pleasant, and I can't say I'd recommend it, but it can be done in a pinch.

* The 20" iMac screen isn't known for being particularly consistent. Specifically, on the units I've seen the lower half washes out rather obviously. I don't know if that model of iMac has a connector for a second display, but you may find yourself wanting to use one - or wishing you'd bought the 24" in the first place. The 20" iMac is still better than many 20" LCDs, but that's not saying much; the 24" is superb.

* I think, technically, Final Cut Pro isn't supported on Macs with integrated graphics (like that iMac). I've run it quite happily on an even lower-end MacBook, but it's something to be aware of. Of course, if you're sticking with iMovie you'll be fine - just make sure you get the very latest version, as the last-but-one (which may be what that iMac ships with) was very limited.
 
I run a department with 14 edit suites, all Mac Pro towers. But at home I edit my own pet projects on a an Aluminum 3.0 ghz 24" Imac. It does a great job with pro rez footage running off a FW800 drive. Even FW400 plays nicely with pro rez. FCP doesn't rely heavily on the gfx card unless you are working with Motion a lot. If you do a lot of effects heavy work, you'll spend a lot of time rendering.

You might want to find out if the specific model supports a secondary monitor other than just mirroring, mine does, so I could hook up a secondary monitor to watch full screen outputs.

As JonathanS pointed out, FW 800 drives aren't as common as USB or SATA drives. Look for a housing that you can swap bare drives in and out of easily. Wiebetech makes some great cases that you can do this with.

And as TigerFx says, a MacPro tower will give you maximum flexibility, but for a price.
 
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