Macintosh: PowerPC or Intel?

Cuantos the Wrestler

Cuantos the Wrestler

Active member
I have a HVX on order.

If one is to buy a new Macintosh computer which should I purchase?

I have heard rumors that the Intel (due to something - Rosetta?) runs FCP 30% slower with the newer Intel chip.

:eek:

Is this true?

.......................

Here is part of the answer:

Rosetta translates code intended to run on PowerPC processors into code that is compatible with Intel processors . . . It is also important to note that applications run more slowly in an emulator than in their native processor.

Final Cut Studio 1.0, Aperture, and Logic Pro 7.1 are not yet supported to run on Intel-based Macs with Rosetta, but Universal versions are expected to be available (with an upgrade fee) by March 31, 2006.

http://macs.about.com/od/hardware/a/powerpc_intel.htm

Should I assume (yes I know) that the Universal version of FCP will not need Rosetta for Intel? In other words, is the Universal native processor friendly?

 
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Cuantos the Wrestler said:
In other words, is the Universal native processor friendly?
Click to expand...

From Apple itself (here):

These Universal applications [Final Cut Studio, Logic Pro, and Logic Express] are designed to run natively on both Intel- and PowerPC-based Macintosh systems.

I wouldn't be in a rush to go to MacBook Pro though, since there (to my knowledge) isn't a PCMCIA to Express-Card adapter on the market just yet.
 
steindj said:
From Apple itself (here):

These Universal applications [Final Cut Studio, Logic Pro, and Logic Express] are designed to run natively on both Intel- and PowerPC-based Macintosh systems.

I wouldn't be in a rush to go to MacBook Pro though, since there (to my knowledge) isn't a PCMCIA to Express-Card adapter on the market just yet.
Click to expand...

Cool. It look like I will be picking up a new FCP version in early April.

Thanks!

:)
 
It's a no brainer when the universal binaries come out... So long as you don't mind losing FW800 and don't mind having to carry a pcmcia adapter (when it eventually comes out) for your P2 card. Those aside though... When exactly will the universal binaries come out? If you use AE (which only JUST came out with their new version) you won't see a univseral code until their next version. They've flat out said "No update! No patch!" If you use anything that isn't made in house by apple it's basically the same deal. If you use Shake you can wait as well.....

So it's a no brainer for anybody who actually values having the tools at their desposal over flat numbers.... "My computer runs faster!! But... it doesn't actually run anything." Buy PowerPC if you need it anytime in the next year... If you just need Final Cut then you can jump into the first version of a new set of hardware if you want... Hmmm.... Best to just wait a year no matter what.
 
Do not even think about getting an old powerpc powerbook if you want to do HD video editing. Core Duo is going to be much faster.
Core Duo with FCP 6 sounds like a sweet setup.
 
oxrs said:
It's a no brainer when the universal binaries come out... So long as you don't mind losing FW800 . . .
Click to expand...

Yes, I have heard that. Funny how "progress" has determined that FW400 is better than FW800.

Madness.
 
People have been editing HD on PowerPC for years now...no "Intel Inside" needed for that. Here are some more practical benefits of going PowerPC:

1. Everything works on it NOW, and you don't have to wait for upgrades, etc.
2. All the MAJOR bugs have been worked out, buying a MacBook is only going to put you in line to be the guinea pig for all the x86 problems that are sure to arise.
3. More support by 3rd party apps, more support overall by userbase, more knowledge of what is going to happen when, i.e. no unpredictable crashes, then calling up Apple to asked what happened on your new MacBook and they just give you a blank stare.
4. FW800 & PCMMIA. I would think that editing HD with a HVX is going to require 2 things. PCMMIA for downloading your footage, and a fast/big enough drive to work off of and store your footage. Well, without FW800 you lose some of your best, most cost effective storage methods.

I'm sure there is more, but I'm going back to work now.
 
I would strongly advise against buying a Intel based Mac for at least a year. I remember vividly the OS9 to OSX transition with FCP. Yup there were bugs and crashes. My system didn't get calm until Panther.

A Duel G5 or a Quad G5 is wicked fast. Invest in an HD card if you need more power. BlackMagic just released a PCIe version of their HD card just under 2k. Or you could get the multi-bridge and really have it all.

FW800 Raid will add more speed than a few Hz of processor speed. All the software has been tested and used in full on production eviroments. It works on PowerPC chips.

Just so you can get a perspective- I bought a low end $999 iBook. Against the advice of the Apple reps I installed FCP. Now I and can plug into the camera and import the P2 cards and edit and display full screen 720p no problems. So on set we can rough cut to see if we got it all. No PC card slot but I got a P2 store so it's not a problem.

Time it just right an you can get a G4 powerbook with all the bells and whistles as the price falls while the number crazed buy up all new INTEL books. EBAY may even have better deals.

I lived through the 6800 CISC change over to PowerPC 601 RISC and it was rocky. The PowerPC 604 to the G3 was not as bad as the core was the same. The OSX shift was a nightmare though. Don't get sucked in to the hype. Go with what works if you plan on doing any type of production deadline dependent work. If you are just doing hobby films and don't mind working out the bugs for the rest of us by all means go for it.

You don't want to be on the bleeding edge of Chipset Change over. Like the villian in SAW II said .... "There will be blood." TAKE ADVANTAGE OF FALLING PRICES!
 
oneinfiniteloop said:
People have been editing HD on PowerPC for years now...no "Intel Inside" needed for that. Here are some more practical benefits fo going PowerPC:
Click to expand...

holditnowfilms said:
TAKE ADVANTAGE OF FALLING PRICES!
Click to expand...

Yeah, the prices are looking VERY nice for the PowerPCs, and it is a proven system.

Thanks for your posts.

:)
 
Hi Holditnowfilms (what kind of a name is that?)

Anyway, I completely agree with you. I'm in the same situation just about to buy a Mac Quad and thinking about Intel down the road.
But I really think it's best to buy the Quad now, its fast enough, stable and has all the software and hardware needed. In a word its a mature technology. You hardly ever see professionals jumping in to take up new technology. There is always a period of a few years before it soaks in.

I remember when Windows XP came out. That took for ever to get stabilized, get all the drivers and modify the software. So I'm just going to get the Quad and see what the situation is in three years time (maybe an Octo Mac Pro ? Can't wait for that)
 
the_fusionist said:
Why is a PC going to cost you BIGmike?
Click to expand...
I bought the biggest, most powerful Precision workstation Dell made in June 2004 (that long ago, already?): A dual 3.2 Xeon with 4 Gigs of RAM and an NVIDIA QuadroFX 3000 vid card (AGP 8, not PCI Express)

Really, it ought to have the muscle to edit DVCPRO HD, just there aren't any certified codecs out there. Raylight has a product I can use, Main Concept is working on thier own. They will probably be fine.

I, however, want real time NOW. I'm looking at the Axio LE for about 4,500 bucks.

I might buy it... BUT, the reseller tells me he'll only sell me the card with a new computer. I am not going to do that. Waiting till NAB to see what's on the horizon.

I've got my camera, I can rent P2 cards when I'm shooting and I have yet to finish a project I've been working on for a year and will finish my shoot with DVC PRO 50 and whatever codec I need.

By the time I'm done with that, there ought to be some options available and bigger, cheaper P2 cards.
:D
 
I haven't seen any official price reductions on PowerPC computers since there are no Intel alternatives for the PowerPC line. The only ones to get the Intel treatment so far have been the iMac and Mac Book Pro. So until Apple releases an intel equivalent for the PowerPC G5 line I doubt you'll see any significant price drops for the present.
 
holditnowfilms said:
I would strongly advise against buying a Intel based Mac for at least a year. I remember vividly the OS9 to OSX transition with FCP. Yup there were bugs and crashes.
Click to expand...

I think this transition is going to be less troublesome. They've been running OS X on Intel from day 1, so it's pretty mature. Very few people have been having problems (other than the usual things) with Intel iMacs.

The biggest pain really is going to be how long Adobe takes to release Universal Binaries.

Also, FCP, I believe, had to be rewritten from the ground-up because the underlying code was so old that it couldn't just be recompiled like some of Apple's newer apps. So I think version 6 has the potential to be buggy, no matter which CPU you're using... (that's just my speculation, not necessarily fact).
 
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