iMac, MacBook Pro or Mac Pro?

[Grug]

Hey Guys,

I'm sorry that this is such a ridiculously long post, but I'd really appreciate your help.

I would like to, one day, make films (the proper ones, not just the short, miniDV ones I make ATM). For that reason I will very shortly be buying myself a HDV camera (probably the Canon XHA1) in order to build up a spiffy-looking portfolio, and hone my visual story-telling and editing abilities – pretty much the same thing as most people on these boards. To build up that portfolio though, I'm going to need a nice, shiny new computer (and one that's capable of some green-screen and special effects work, not full-on stuff, but basic effects at least and a little bit of 3d)

Now I'm a PC man myself (though I use an iMac with FCP at uni to do all my editing ATM), but as far as I can tell FCP is the industry standard down here in Australia (you never see job ads for people with Premiere/Avid/Vegas expertise). And although I'm very hesitant about moving to MAC computers (I'm used to building my own machines, and being able to modify them when and how I like) I can't escape the fact that whilst I can do all of my photoshop work on my pc, if I want to stay proficient with FCP (I finish my degree this year) and therefore capable by local industry standards - I have to get myself a MAC.

Whilst macs are very, very pretty (I giggled like a little girl for a full 10 minutes when I first laid eyes on my school's new 20" iMacs last year), and though I really have 'issues' Microsoft. Macs are also a LOT more expensive than what I'm used to paying for computer equipment (I'm a miserly student remember). So my question is this: Which do I buy? An iMac, a MacBook Pro, or a Mac Pro?

The laptop/desktop argument isn't a big issue for me. Having the MacBook would make it possible for me to review and start editing footage whilst I'm away from home shooting on location (i.e. if I go up to the country or down to the beach for a couple of days to shoot something with mates/other students) which would be great. But, it's never been an issue for me before, so the portability would be nice, but it's not necessary.

$3,000 AUD is as much as I can afford to spend, although I suppose I probably have to make that $3,500 if I'm going to get what I need. Now for this kind of money I could built myself a seriously pimped-out PC (quad-core,as much RAM, and hard-disk space as I want. I could also add to that a really spiffy 22" LCD) so you can see why I'm hesitant to spend the equivalent money on: a quad-core Mac Pro with only 1gb of RAM, one 250gb hard-drive, a puny little 7300GT GPU and no monitor.... all JUST for the privelege of using FCP (which I probably won't be able to afford after buying the mac anyway.

Firstly, the iMac. Is there much of a difference between the 2.16ghz and 2.33ghz versions? I'd really like to get the 24" iMac (the bigger the screen, the easier to edit), but the $600 extra for the screen is a bit much (it would purchase most of Final Cut Studio 2 Edu Edition) but I know the 20" is a really nice screen anyway, so do I settle for that? And I assume 2gb RAM is pretty much a requirement for the sort of work I want to do?

Second option - do I get a MacBook Pro? (the 2.33ghz 15")? For a little more money that gives me a portable iMac, it’s almost exactly the same components (less hard-disk space, but I'd probably need externals for the iMac anyway)

And finally, the Mac Pro. It's quad-core, does that make much of a difference for video-editing, photoshop and effects rendering? For the same price as a dual-core pimped-out 24" iMac, and a 2.33ghz MacBook Pro (15") I get a computer box. I'd have to use my current PC components with it (including my puny 17" LCD) and I couldn't afford to upgrade it so it would be the most basic model: 1gb RAM, 250gb HDD.

So my big question with the Mac Pro is – Can I upgrade it myself? Can I slot in my own RAM, hard-drives, and video cards (bought from non-Mac computer part stores) will parts I bought myself (for considerably less than apple will sell them to me) work in the Mac Pro?

It stands like this:
20" iMac (Dual 2.33ghz, 2gb RAM, 250gb HDD) - $2,775 AUD
24" iMac (Dual 2.33ghz, 2gb RAM, 250gb HDD) - $3,475 AUD
15" MacBook Pro (Dual 2.33ghz, 2gb RAM, 120gb HDD) - $3,520 AUD
Mac Pro box (Quad 2.66ghz, 1gb RAM, 250gb HDD) - $3,520 AUD

What do you guys think? Any advice would be much appreciated.'

Cheers,

Mark

 

[NoahK]

I'd go for the Mac Pro if you can afford it and you have a place to edit- i.e. you don't want to be super mobile with your editing. Otherwise a MacBook Pro is required. MacBook isn't enough to run the upcoming version of FCP(or at least some of the components aren't going to run). The stock Mac Pro configuration is more than enough power for HDV editing- just add a little more RAM and perhaps more hard drive storage which is quite easy to add yourself.

-Noah

 

[Grug]

So I can buy the RAM and hard-drives independently and just slot them in, they'll be compatible? What about graphics cards, can I do the same with them?

If I can upgrade most of the components myself without too much hassle and at non-apple.com prices, I'd be a lot more interested (though still grumpy at $3,500 and no pretty widesceen monitor).

 

[bigbossbmb]

there are sites that sell Mac-certified RAM. these include Crucial.com and DataMem.com


Any SATA hard drive will work in the Mac Pros.

 

[Grug]

Is it necessary to buy only ECC 667 DDR2 RAM for the Mac Pro? Will regular 667 (or higher) RAM do the job just as well?

And what is ECC by the way, why is it so damn expensive?

 

[powerdog]

Grug, I will tell you my recent experience, for whatever it's worth. I've been using DVRack for shooting, and I've just upgraded to DV Rack HD. (I'm also going from a DVX to an HDV camera.)

DVRack runs only on Windows, and my old laptop isn't quite powerful enough for DVR HD. So, before investing in a new PC, I asked a lot of questions of the Serious Magic tech people, and they finally told me that they think a MacBook Pro is the best "PC" laptop around. In fact, one of those techies is buying a MBP for his own, personal use. So I had my reservations about running Win on a Mac, but not anymore.

As for tower vs. laptop, you'll always pay a premium for portability (or, if you prefer, get more for your $$ w/ a tower.) But if you want to have options like DVR, it may be worth the tradeoff. Good luck!

 

[Kholi]

Another question you really need to ask yourself is "Where am I going with this box in the future?"

MacBookPro - Topped out at 3gigs of Ram, yet will possibly support newer Core 2 Duos when they hit. An advantage to Intel processors and a damned good one. No upgradebale video options.

iMac - Similar. 3gigs of ram at max, no upgradebale video options. Possible expansion of CPU if you choose to in the future. I THINK anyway.

Mac Pro - Totally expandable in every direction. Yet, not as portable as the other two.

If you aren't gonna do much more with your setup... I would honestly suggest a 24" iMac so you're sitting between portability and a desktop setup.

That's what I am still debating myself. My gripe with the Mac Pro's is the Server motherboard that's setup for Xeons and not Core 2 Duos. =\

 

[chstick]

Grug,

I was contemplating the same thing about 6 months ago. I bought a 24" iMac, which I maxed out (2.33 intel duo core 2, 3G RAM, 250G hd...). I do like it, and the large screen is very nice. I use it solely for editing (along w/ a 500G external HD), no problems.....well, 'til last week. Crashed (which, can happen to any computer). I took it in, and later a phone message (from Apple) told me they're waiting on a "part". Sorry, a little venting side-bar.

Anyway, when it was working, I had little to no problems.

Seeing the release of the new FCP I was glad to see that my system will (just barely, in some cases) be able to run it.

With the info you've given, you'll probably want to go Mac Pro. Get as much as you can (at least enough to run the new FCP) and upgrade when you can afford to.

Oh yea, you don't need a 24" screen. Any screen will do (at first) and put the money towards more RAM.

 

[powerdog]

You may want to get Applecare sometime in your first year, to extend the warranty to 3 years. Depends how much of a risk-taker you are, I guess.

 

[Dick Campbell]

Any SATA hard drive will work in the Mac Pros.

Mac Pros need SATA II (3GB/sec).