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Best version of FCP for old 500mhz Pismo?
Trying to set up an editing machine on a budget. Have 500mhz Pismo, 60 gig HD, 640 megs pf RAM, LaCie Firewire d2 160 gig external HD. Also have Final Cut 1.2. Have both OS9.2 and 10 Cameras are miniDV.
Do I stay with OS 9.2 and run an earlier version of FinalCut (which version is best with 9?) OR run OS10 with a later version of Final Cut? (which version?) I know that FCP4 requires a G4 processor so that’s out. I’m really looking for optimum performance with what I have or what I can pick up cheap. I’m thinking I may need to get a pc card with Firewire port so there isn’t a bottleneck at the Powerbook’s Firewire bus (2 ports yes but they share one bus, I understand) Are their firewire PC cards that work with OS 9?
Differences between FCP versions? most stable- best option for me?
Should I even consider partitioning the internal 60 gig HD?
Rock solid is what I’m looking for. Wouldn’t mind moving up to OS 10 with an OS10 compatible version of FCP but not if the Pismo gets flakey or starts crawling
Any help is appreciated
Joel -
5 Replies
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Hi,
My suggestion is to get a Dual 533 G4. They are going for between $400 and $600 on Ebay. Its render performance is pretty close to a Dual 800. You can probably sell the 500MHz for almost as much as a DP533.
A friend with a 500MHz G4 is using 10.2 and (I think) 4.5. Except for rendering it seems decent.
I think Panther with 4.5 would be better (more stable and a little better performance).
Tiger and FCP 5 might be better yet (each rev of OSX so far has had a little better performance).
Best Wishes,
Mitch
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Thanks, but I forgot to mention that portability is very important (travel) so the desktop is not really a solution for me.
However, I’m sure others will find your advice helpful.
Thanks again
Joel
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I’m running a Dual 533 G4 with Panther, and believe me, I’ve called it many things but ‘stable’ is not one of them. I have started making little cross-hatches on my desk for every time it crashes, much like prisoners crossing off the days of their captivity. (92 crashes in the past five months.) There’s a G5 in next quarter’s budget, and it can’t get here soon enough for me.
All that said, it is a fairly cheap option, if you’re patient and save often. And by ‘often’ I mean ‘every time you do anything’.
Steve
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[Steve Courtney] “I’m running a Dual 533 G4 with Panther, and believe me, I’ve called it many things but ‘stable’ is not one of them. I have started making little cross-hatches on my desk for every time it crashes, much like prisoners crossing off the days of their captivity. (92 crashes in the past five months.) “
Hi,
I don’t believe that Panther, FCP and a DP533 are inherently that flakey. I think there is something wrong on your system.
Best Wishes,
Mitch
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It may well be. It actually seems project-based, i.e. some projects are crash-prone and some are not, regardless of length, settings, or number of sequences. We’ve re-installed from the ground-up, though, with no real improvement. I think it’s this machine and these drives not playing nice together.
But, as I said, I’m only a few weeks off from upgrading to a G5, so I’m just trying to be patient and careful. If nothing else, the crashes have allowed me time to get up to speed as I’m just coming over from Avid world. My bosses know the system is somewhat unreliable, so they tend build a little extra time into the deadlines. It’s been a good way to learn, actually.
Steve
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