Mac pro 8 core 2.8 ghz will do the job for 4:2:2 pro res footage?

[GRENCH]

Hey guys,

I have several questions on a particular MAC PROs model. The specs are below.

1. Would a Mac Pro with these spects handle 4:2:2 Pro Res footage well, or will I run into some of the same problem with rendering I run into with my IMAC 2.8 GHz 27".

Two 2.8GHz Quad-Core (8 Core) Intel Xeon
6GB (2x2GB) + (2x1GB)
320GB 7200-rpm Serial ATA 3Gb/s
ATI Radeon 2600 XT 256 MB Graphics
Two 16x SuperDrives
AirPort Extreme Card (Wi-Fi)
Bluetooth 2.0 + EDR
Mac OS X Snow Leopard/iLife'11 Pre-installed.

OR

Mac Pro "Eight Core" 2.8 GHz intel Xeon (Early 2008).
Processor Speed:2.8 GHz .
Processor Type: 2 x Intel Xeon Quad-Core E5462 .
Memory installed.2GB.(32GB Max).
RAM Technology: PC2-6400 DDR2 ECC FB-DIMM.
Hard drive: 320 GB SATA (7200 RPM).
Video card:ATI Radeon HD 2600 XT with 256MB GDDR3 VRAM.
Video Output / Interface Type: 2-dual-link DVI out.8X DL "SuperDrive".
USB Ports:5 (2.0).
Firewire Ports: 2 (400), 2 (800).
Operating System: OS X 10.5.6


2. Also what graphic card would go best for 4:2:2 footage.

3. I was looking for a great monitor that would do the same or better than the APPLE CINEMA for less.

 

[ggrantly]

Either CPU will do fine. You may want a bit more memory, and if you don't have it already, more and bigger drives. You want to edit from a different drive than your boot drive. Any of the recent Towers have four drive bays and drives are a cinch to install. I drive two ACDs with two GT120s on a 2009 Quad core and it works fine, but for video monitoring, you may want to look at something like a Matrox MX02 (mini) with MAX. The matrox will run about the same price as a better quality video card, under $1000 depending on options. Use the Matrox to drive a good quality HDMI 1080 TV, or if you can swing it, a real studio monitor. The matrox will drive the chosen monitor real time with accurate color. I purchased a 32" Vizio side lit 1080 LED TV, and within FCP it just kicks the snot out of monitoring on a ACD within the viewer. The color will be accurate to the extent that your monitor can deliver. Black Magic makes similar products I believe.

Grant

 

[arniepix]

While both can handle ProRes, both of those Macs are at least 3 years old and will not give you the maximum benefit of the latest graphics cards. Unless you're getting them at a really great price, you'd be better off getting a refurb from Apple.

To work with ProRes, you should upgrade the RAM to at least 8GB, and you should get a decent drive system. You can put 2 or 3 extra internal drives together as a RAID, for example.