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mac pro configure & setup for fcp?
hi..
i am a photographer, i have been using a macbook pro with external monitor to edit images, retouch, etc for several years.. i am now starting to do some video work using canon 5d mk2 hd avi files and obviously my 3yr old laptop is struggling with this.. so rather than replacing my macbook pro i am thinking about buying a mac pro tower , [dual 2.26ghz] ..
firstly, am i correct in thinking the speed increase from a latest macbook pro to a mac pro is significant to justify the expenditure? secondly can anyone give me a little advice as to how i should configure and setup a mac pro for video work with fcp? at present i am only making a few music videos and short films so i dont need a steven spielberg type set up but i am aware that i should maybe be using multiple drives, setting one as scratchdisk, etc..
thanks for your help & merry xmas!
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3 Replies
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Hi Ian,
To answer your first question; yes, you will definitely notice the difference, stuff that your old laptop had to spend minutes rendering your Pro will not even break stride in previewing. I’m assuming that your dual 2.26 is the new Pro? If it is a second hand one, then I would go for a quad core as this again makes a massive difference in render times/effects previews, etc.
To answer your second question, when setting up make sure you get two internal drives. I’m not sure what the standard size for the boot drive is at the mo for the Pro, but it should be around 320 gig, I would then ask them to stick another 1TB drive in there (whether you upgrade to a 1TB for your boot drive is up to you).
Also you’ll need a minimum of 4gb RAM, though the more the merrier.
Then when you install FCP your boot drive (program drive) will store your project files, make a folder called final cut projects.
Then from within FCP system preferences, you’ll have to set up your 2nd drive as your scratch, this is to ensure maximum performance. The media files stored on your scratch will be fairly large, hence going for the 1TB 2nd drive.
Keep your external monitor and make sure you have an NVidia graphics card installed.
There are of course a million other things you can do to your system to make it faster, better, sexier, but this should keep you happy until you do start to stray into Spielberg’s territory!
good luck.
aka Newbie Wan Kenewbie. “The young Newbie, is now a Padawon.”
System
Mac Pro 2.8Gb quad core
8Gb RAM
1x 320Gb 7200 hardrive
1x 1Tb 7200 hardrive
Nvidia Geforce 8800 512mb Graphics card
1x 1Tb external WD ‘My Book’ eSataEquipment
Panasonic AG-HVX 200
Firestore FS-100 -
I’m looking to get into final cut and using a mac after editing on pc based systems for over 10 years. I’m kind of at a loss for what I need and could use some help. I would be using graphics and effects for the video editing that I plan on doing. I’m not sure how much a good setup is going to cost either so any help and direction would be greatly appreciated.
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thats brilliant roli, thanks for your help, exactly what i needed, sorry for late reply, was on holiday!!
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