Mini Mac & FCP Studio

FourStarCinema

FourStarCinema

Well-known member
Out of necessity, I need to set up a low cost editing solution for Final Cut Pro Studio. The film school I attend only uses and teach FCP, and I can't fathom using the school lab for my editing needs. So, I am curious if this setup can run FCP.

Mini Mac G4
1.4ghz
1 Gig of Ram
80 Gig HD
LaCie mini Companion Hard Drive (250GB)

I have done a Google search, and checked some FCP forums, but it seems that there are conflicting responses. There are many Power Mac elitists that can't fathom running FCP on a mini. I simply can't afford a Power Mac. I know the benefits that such a system would allow, but I've already spent $5,000+ in the last month on my camera, etc. and I just can't afford the extra $1,500. This setup seems to exceed the minimum requirements of the software. I'm not going to be doing any graphics-intensive work, and I'll only be editing standard-def mini DV from the DVX100a...no HD. Do any of you run this software on an older system? Anyone out there using this setup? Any advice would be much appreciated!!
 
not mind-numbingly fast but yes. I run on a ibook w/ a 1.33 and 512megs of ram. Never have had a problem editing on fcp. I use a dvx100a and use a lacie 160gig firwire ext drive. I also have a friend who uses the setup your talking about and he runs fine as well.
 
Medium's right...not the fastest, but you can definitely be productive. Buy an external drive for storage. Keep the mini' s drive mainly for applications...you'll stay running solid.
 
i know numerous people running the same setup. at home i use an ibook, 1.2 g4 with a lacie external and i have a dvx100a. the mac mini will do perfectly fine for sd editing but if you were to try and start editing hd, thats when you would have problems.
 
FourStarCinema said:
Mini Mac G4 - good idea.
1.4ghz - additional $100 buys you nothing, it's a waste of money. Besides, you can overclock a 1.25 to 1.4, so why bother.
1 Gig of Ram - buying RAM from Apple is a waste of money. 512MB should be sufficient for FCP.
80 Gig HD - Why. Why. Why. Only use a system drive for software. If anything, you could upgrade to a 7200RPM drive, but it's not really necessary for editing DV. The 5400RPM drives are fast enough.
LaCie mini Companion Hard Drive (250GB) - Cute, but overpriced.

Honestly, I would encourage you to find a 1.25/40GB/512MB/ComboDrive for around $400 to $500. Then, add a 250GB external Firewire drive for another $150ish and you're all set.

Apple loves when students buy all the "cute" upgrades from them, but they just aren't worth it. Why spend an extra $200 to get an 8X Superdrive when you could have an external 16X Dual Layer DVD burner for under $50+enclosure... To get the best value, only buy the basic system and add from there using standard industry components... Not Apple's.

Oh, and get your software on eBay, you'll save a ton on last years' versions.
Click to expand...
 
thisiswells said:
Honestly, I would encourage you to find a 1.25/40GB/512MB/ComboDrive for around $400 to $500. Then, add a 250GB external Firewire drive for another $150ish and you're all set.

Apple loves when students buy all the "cute" upgrades from them, but they just aren't worth it. Why spend an extra $200 to get an 8X Superdrive when you could have an external 16X Dual Layer DVD burner for under $50+enclosure... To get the best value, only buy the basic system and add from there using standard industry components... Not Apple's.

Oh, and get your software on eBay, you'll save a ton on last years' versions.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the tip. Are there any particular hard drives and burners you would recommend for a mac and FCP? Also, thanks everyone for the responses! I'm going to be purchasing all of this on Friday, so I appreciate the help!
 
FourStarCinema said:
Out of necessity, I need to set up a low cost editing solution for Final Cut Pro Studio. The film school I attend only uses and teach FCP, and I can't fathom using the school lab for my editing needs. So, I am curious if this setup can run FCP.

Mini Mac G4
1.4ghz
1 Gig of Ram
80 Gig HD
LaCie mini Companion Hard Drive (250GB)

I have done a Google search, and checked some FCP forums, but it seems that there are conflicting responses. There are many Power Mac elitists that can't fathom running FCP on a mini. I simply can't afford a Power Mac. I know the benefits that such a system would allow, but I've already spent $5,000+ in the last month on my camera, etc. and I just can't afford the extra $1,500. This setup seems to exceed the minimum requirements of the software. I'm not going to be doing any graphics-intensive work, and I'll only be editing standard-def mini DV from the DVX100a...no HD. Do any of you run this software on an older system? Anyone out there using this setup? Any advice would be much appreciated!!
Click to expand...

If you've got the cash, go with a G5 iMac over the mini. Even the low end 17" (1.8 ghz) will be much nicer experience (and it'll run Motion quite well).
 
Hi,

I already had an enclosure, so I went to Sam's Club and picked up a 250GB for $117. Similiar values can be found at most stores. USB2 drives tend to be more affordable compared to Firewire models. It's generally considered good practice to give the camera a dedicated Firewire port instead of chaining onto other devices. Because the Mini has only a single FW port, this further encourages use of a USB2 drive.

Looking on Apple's site, the $699 Mini includes more than I thought. In retrospect, it kind of seems like a good value if you need the Airport + Bluetooth cards, an 80GB hard drive, and the built-in DVD burner. For another $200, it's probably worth it. I decided to get the lower model because it's a second computer for me and it's all I really needed. Plus, I'm cheap...

The only performance issue with the Mini is many simple things require rendering to view them on video output... Simple dissolves and color correction are realtime on the VGA output, but definitely not realtime when using video ouput. This stinks, but it really isn't any different than what Mac editors were dealing with on the professional level 3 or 4 years ago. Truth is, For about $800 someone can become an editor now (used Mac Mini, used FCP4.5 Academic, free monitor). That's remarkable. In consideration of this, the "slow" performance of the Mini doesn't bother me all that much. Embrace its' limitations and enjoy. :thumbsup:
 
And if you end up purchasing a lacie drive, the back of the drive has two Firewire ports. One to connect to the computer, and one to add more drives if you want to stack them up. The beauty of this is that you dont lose the Firewire port on your mini and you dont have to choose between the drive and the camera. I plug my external into my comp, them my camera into my drive. It acts exactly like a firewire drive on ur computer. Hope that helps.
 
Yea, ive used it for numerous projects when i want to capture straight to the drive (ie: through the drive into the computer, and back out to the drive :) ), never had a problem.
 
Thanks film and wells for the tips. One more quick question for ya; Is it worth my time investing in FCP 4.5? I believe this is what my school is using, but not 100% sure. I see a used copy on eBay for $450, which is the entire production studio. I can get the latest edition from Apple on their website for $699 w/ student discount, which is for the pro studio as well. I'd rather not be cheap on the software, but if it isn't worth the upgrade I'd rather save the $$
 
Keep in mind, the Mac Mini will not run Motion, tho. What else does the $699 get you? Academic versions are not upgradeable, so the older ones go for very little sometimes. For example, I recently saw FCP4.5 and DVD3 go for $261 + shipping just because they were Academic and non-upgradeable. There are deals to be had, for sure.
 
I had a mini for about a week, It ran FCP but would not capture from my camera unless I captured it into imovie. Others had no problems. I took it back and stepped up to a power mac. I didn't plan on spending that much but glad now that I did. Good luck.
 
newtodvx100a said:
I had a mini for about a week, It ran FCP but would not capture from my camera unless I captured it into imovie. Others had no problems. I took it back and stepped up to a power mac. I didn't plan on spending that much but glad now that I did. Good luck.
Click to expand...
Yeah, I'd love to be able to get a power mac, but I've got to have some money left for my productions! If I had an unlimited budget I wouldn't think twice, but from the responses I am getting, I think the Mac Mini should do just fine for now. Also Wells, I know Motion won't run, and was asking if FCP 4.5 would be okay or if I should buy FCP 5 from Apple. If there are features that I'll miss by going w/4.5, I'll spend the $$, but if the main upgrade is better HD support, I'll skimp. Again, all I'm doing is DVX100a stuff. Any thoughts..??
 
Having never used FCP5, I can't really say whether the upgrade is worth it. There are a few extra features in there (Multicam support, network rendering, HDV camera support, etc.) and perhaps some reliability improvements, but six months ago everyone was content with 4.5. I think I can be content with 4.5 for a while, too. A couple of days ago, Noah Kadner posted a link to a list of differences between versions and while FCP5 is impressive, it didn't seem enough of a reason to upgrade... especially considering the speed of the hardware I have.
 
Have Mac Mini as an additional station, and works fine with FCP 4.5. I have the 1.42 model. Upgrade to 1gb RAM cost me about $125. I already had monitor, keyboard, and mouse. So not a bad deal.

Steve
 
Where did you see FCP 4.5 Studio and DVD3 for $261 plus shipping? Is it PC to buy and sell (used?) software on craigs list, ebay etc?
I was going to buy the final cut pro express from apple at the student price of $149 but maybe that's not the best deal!
 
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