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FCP 7 on MBP i5 and shared graphics card. can it handle it?
hello,
been awhile since i last posted here.
i run fcp 7 on my old 2006 macpro tower (first gen intel macpro 1,1), but i would like to purchase a used macbook pro for my day to day computer as a nice portable devise as my white plastic macbook is crumbling apart etc. now, the option to use a laptop to do some editing sounds lovely and i was wondering if it makes sense to do any hd editing on the thing. as it is my old tower still works fine though obviously processing and rendering take some time but im not a professional and the video i edit is HD out of a canon t3i and 5D and i only really work on projects maybe 5 times a year for my own hobby. the projects are usually short in duration but can be a bit heavy on layers though i dont use motion or Color.now, i wanted to spend the money and get a laptop that was optimal for editing i would invest in a quad core i7 15″ to use with my cinema display. being that i still have my tower i dont think i need to get rid of the tower and invest in a single laptop system. -or, is my tower so lowly that a laptop is something i am better off with anyways at this point?
if i DO keep my macpro tower and purchase a macbook pro for general computer usage and option for seldom used editing would a mbp 13″ i5 single core work? i have heard that the graphics card that is shared with main memory is lacking. in that case, could i purchase a single core i5 15″ mbp (early 2010) which would be slightly slower clock speeds (per geekbench) but i would gain the seperate additional 256mb memory in the graphics card.
sorry, im cheap and a used laptop is all i will be able to afford.thanks for any input.
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2 Replies
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That Mac Pro is pretty dated. You’ll find the newer i7 Macbook Pro’s to scream past them in just about every aspect running modern software. Especially if you run FCP X. Just to run it on your Mac Pro would require a graphics card upgrade I’ll bet. MIne is newer and it did.
I have an 8 Core 2,1 Mac Pro. 3 gig machine. My 2 year old laptop (17″ i7) is faster. A LOT faster… I’d seriously look for a 17″ because it’s more expandable than the 15’s, (has Thunderbolt and a PCI card slot)… that’s a very sweet setup, and would serve you well for editing for sure.
Jerry
Apple Certified Trainer, Producer, Writer, Director Editor, Gun for Hire and other things. I ski. My Blog: https://blogs.creativecow.net/Jerry-Hofmann
Current DVD:
https://store.creativecow.net/p/81/jerry_hofmanns_final_cut_system_setup8-Core 3.0 Intel Mac Pro, Dual 2 gig G5, AJA Kona SD, AJA Kona 2, Huge Systems Array UL3D, AJA Io HD, 17″ MBP, Matrox MXO2 with MAX – Cinema Displays I have a 22″ that I paid 4k for still working. G4 with Kona SD card, and SCSI card.
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thanks jerry!
i guess at this point, and i know 6 years is an ancient machine even a mac pro, i am wondering if i should just hold onto the macpro with all its internal drives being nice and unified. dont do much editing. definitely not pro so time waiting for rendering is less of an issue. my thought was can i get by with the entry level i5, 13″ mbp for both my main general use computer (email, web etc as well as some editing in fcp7? never used fcpx and not sure i want to even delve in at this point. i know the graphics memory is shared with the main on the 13″ mbp but i should still be able to do general editing, no?for the small amount of work i do im wondering if the 13″ i5 is enough compared to the quad i7 books. i guess if i had the money which i dont i would get a new 15 or 17″ i7 quadcore and dump the tower but i like the portability of a 13″ for everyday use and dont know if editing fcp7 at that point would be faster/easier on it or on my current 2006 2x core 2 duo dinosaur which is still a workhorse and shows no sign of letting up its mannered but slow paces.
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