pc vs mac at 1500 price point

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tedstriker

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you can get a mac book pro for around 1500 but its only got a core 2 duo whereas with a pc you can get an i5 or i7 and more ram. in terms of rendering time im pretty sure its better to go with a pc right? is there anything else i should be considering? premiere and final cut are almost exactly the same right? ive only used premiere and pcs.
 
tedstriker said:
premiere and final cut are almost exactly the same right? ive only used premiere and pcs.
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I would highly recommend using a mac/final cut before considering it exactly the same... many differences.

Since you are a PC guy, and the prices are cheaper, and you have no particular mac only needs - go with a PC...

Personally I have and need both...
 
A PC will always have better specs at any price point. Premiere and FCP are not exactly the same, but they allow you to do the same thing. Apple systems are the industry standard, so if you want to be hired as an editor you have to know how to use them. If you plan to collaborate with mac users you'll need to use their format. And I'm pretty sure owning Apple equipment allows you to be invited to special parties that only the high class crowd get to go to . Otherwise, don't worry about it, the numbers point at PC.
 
so why are they the industry standard if they are more expensive? they are even the same components. wtf is going on?

in terms of working with other people, are transfers generally the entire fcp project with the raw video files? couldnt you just export a full res avi file and send that to people to work with?
 
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There was a time when Apple computers and software were much superior to PCs for all media production work. That time is pretty much past, but the studios still have their investments.
 
Why are Dell computers more expensive the Acer computer? Don't they use the same components?

I don't want to start an OS war, but saying Premiere and FCP do the same thing is like saying a Yugo and Porsche do the same thing.

Premiere will work just fine for you on a PC, but more companies look for Avid or FCP experience, from what I've seen, than Premiere.
 
Well actually I have seen allot that go for the adobe pipe line hell I even seen some that went for Vegas lol. It’s all the same when it comes down to it. And yes you can export in any format so you can always pass on the footage to whoever u need to. I have a Mac and a PC. I love them both. In terms of what you need to get if you are a PC guy and your comfortable with it stick to it. I use them both and I swear it’s the same crap. Just like in every competing programs out there u have your ups and downs. And I think comparing a Yugo to a pc is fueling fires because u have no idea what your taking about. I can go into full detail with you on the ups of getting a pc over a Mac I have no time. But just one example I’ll throw. When your hardware fails you can buy parts from any store and replace it without any down time on a PC where a Mac you would send it out or look for parts that are most likely used and wait forever till you get it back. Every producer will tell you time is money. I can’t even count the times how much I thanked G_D when my Mac went down under or had its Mac pms and my clients were breathing down my neck. So the pc saved my ass in many ways. That’s just one of many examples. But like I said Macs have their ups as well. It is the same thing in terms operation. Now what companies look for is mostly a end date unless they are lame. I did allot of work as a freelancer working from my home. They didn’t care what I used as long as the end result was awesome. But yes it has become a standard. The word standard hardly own any credibility today in our economy. I have seen many USA companies hiring people to work on effects and editing in countries like Russia and India. People are economizing today all they care about is the end result so standard holds nothing anymore. So bottom line if you are comfortable with a PC. Get a PC power house. Just my two crap nuggets in the bucket.
 
I didn't say a PC is like a Yugo. In fact, I was referring to NLEs. Reread my post.

A Yugo or Porsche will get you from point A to point B, but not with the same performance, features, stability, or comfort. NLEs edit video, but not with the same performance, features, stability or intuitive workflow.

I have Premiere; I tested Premiere; and I use Premiere on a Mac.

I prefer FCP, because in my view, because it is more stable, intuitive, and more versatile than Premiere Pro for the workflow I have.
 
Well the message i got from FCP representing a Mac and Adobe representing the PC I put two and two together and thought that was the message you sent out. Now even if it wasn’t I disagree with you. FCP and Adobe premiere is the same. Each has its own ups and downs. My definition of what standard is in my above comment still sticks. It's the same. In terms of control and everything. Now if you were to take that crack out comparing adobe to a third world car and said that you are more comfortable working with FCP that would have been a great argument; but in general they both are the same.
Now as far as performance goes. Have you ever seen CS5 on a Quadro? I think FCP comes nothing near it in terms of performance and real time editing. Like I said all has it's ups and downs but I would never say one is better then the other. Thats just way to bias. The plugins basis both have their ups and downs as well. I own them both but I would never say one is better then other or belittle or discard another pipeline just because I’m comfortable with another. That doesn’t make for a good review. I think You can agree with me on that one.

 
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vortex677 said:
FCP and Adobe premiere is the same.
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I agree that both programs are non linear editors. In that respect, they are share common editing tools and features that are mostly available on NLEs on both sides of the aisle.

Other than beyond these essential and necessary tools, they are quite a bit different.

FCP is an industry recognized standard that competes with Avid in the professional editing marketplace.

And for reasons that Premiere has been unable to duplicate.
 
I'd like to see some examples of those reasons.

As for collaborating, I'm sure it's possible to transfer files and EDLs between programs, but there are a lot of situations I come upon where it's best to just dump the entire project on a portable hard drive and open it elsewhere. But that doesn't come up much.
 
It's always amazing how quickly lines get drawn in the sand whenever "vs." is used
in a thread. Like the theory of evolution, people have their opinion and will not be
swayed - regardless of facts or evidence.

I've been an editor for over 10 years and have never worked on a Mac. I edit with
Premiere. It started as a cost-savings exercise (when I started I could not afford a
comparable Mac) and I never saw the need to change. Other than being cool and
hip, there has never been anything a Mac with FCP can do that Premiere on a PC can't.

That being said, I have been considering switching to a Mac for some of the reasons
listed above. As my business has grown I am working with a lot more freelancers and
and like it our not, those freelancers use Macs with FCP. At this stage, it's easier to
conform to my staff than have staff conform to me.

However, just to throw a monkey wrench into the equation, what I'd really like to
do is purchase a Mac and edit with Premiere CS5. This way I can continue to edit in
an environment I feel comfortable in, and still interact with my editors in a Mac
environment (swapping hard-drives with video footage, etc).

Decisions. Decisions.

P.S. Though I believe the previous poster was joking about Mac users being invited
to the best parties, there is some truth to his statement. Most independent film sites,
meetings, tutorials (particularly when it comes to the Canon 7D or 5D Mark II) are
focused on the Mac environment and FCP. I do feel like a bit of an outsider with my PC
and Premiere. Not fair, but true.
 
David S. said:
FCP is an industry recognized standard that competes with Avid in the professional editing marketplace.

And for reasons that Premiere has been unable to duplicate.
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Used to be true 2 or 3 versions of Premiere ago, no longer true now.

FCP is "industry standard" for one reason and one reason only: people buy it because they hear that it's "industry standard." It's a cycle that feeds on itself, regardless of whether the software is actually good or not, although I don't think that will last much longer as it takes Apple forever now to make changes for FCP and the software is becoming outdated in many respect. I can't think of a single thing that FCP does that the newest version of Premiere cannot do; hell, it'll even run FCP project file if you want to talk about compatibility.
 
Huy Vu said:
FCP is "industry standard" for one reason and one reason only: people buy it because they hear that it's "industry standard."
Click to expand...

Statements like this are based on what empirical, objective evidence?

Is there a study somewhere indicating as much? Or have you talked to every new user of FCP?

As I said, I use both and have tested both for users.

Premiere Pro has evolved nicely over the years, but it still suffers, in my view, from interface issues and stability. But you can edit video nicely with it, and its handling of native formats is great -- something Apple should consider.

FCP is also bundled with a world class grading application and several other apps that make it a bargain. I prefer FCP due to workflow and stability.

So do about 900,000 other FCP license holders.

Perhaps Adobe should adopt Apple's marketing strategy.
 
This is so crazy. I initially learned how to use FCP from a Premiere user (before it went pro). I had never used an NLE before and he taught me basic cutting. At that point I was up and running. Then again that was almost 10 years ago and Premiere Pro, became Pro because it was becoming obsolete. So what did Adobe do? They became like FCP. Just my opinion.

-Nate
 
Since the release of CS3, I have found Premiere to be rock solid in terms of
stability. I can't speak to the interface compared to FCP, but I haven't had
any issues over the years.

Everything I've been hearing about CS5 has been incredibly positive. I'm
really looking forward to working with it. From all accounts (on the boards
at least), its raised the bar for NLEs.

Interesting side note, I was having dinner with Philip Bloom a few weeks
ago and I asked him what he thought of Premiere CS5. He said that he
hadn't spent much time with it, but it liked what he'd seen so far.
Regardless, it wasn't going to convert him from FCP because he already
had too much invested in FCP, both in experience and plug-ins.

I myself have a lot invested in Premiere, with over 10-years editing on
it. I think until FCP comes out with a version that does things Premiere
can't, I'll stick with my NLE. Sitting alone at home wondering what it
must be like at the cool kids party :)

P.
 
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