-
Changing hardware mid-project
Hi,
I’ve been editing a small project at home, a theatre play with 23 hours of material… on my trusted Powerbook G4. I know, not easy but doable.
However, I’ve hit the hardware’s limits and I now have the possibility to move to a brand new 2.6GHz Powerbook and am very tempted by the headroom it should grant me.
I realize moving whilst in the middle of a project is a bad idea but I would like your feedback once you consider the hardware software I am using now versus what i would use after the move:
Now:
PBook G4 1.33 GHz
Ram: 1.25 Go
Mac OS: 10.4.10
FCP: v4.5
QT: v7.2.0
Then:
PBook 17″ 2.6Go Intel Core Duo
Ram: 4 Go
MacOS: Leopard (I suppose)
FCP: v6
QT: latest
My biggest concerns are:
– project compatibility from fcp 4.5 to 6
– Issues with QT versions
– Issues with PowerPC to Intel move
What is your take on this?
Thanks in advance,
Patrice
-
2 Replies
-
In theory the project should transfer just fine. But once you move from FCP 4.5 to 6, you will no longer be able to open it in 4.5.
One big snag you will probably hit is FCP wanting to apply “Shift Fields” to your timelines for no apparent reason. Say “No” to this each time.
My advice is if you are close to finishing, make do with the G4 and start using the new laptop for the next project. If you’re only about mid-stream in the project, well you can make the change if you want to, but be prepared for potential hiccups. What those might be, you won’t know until you actually make the change.
Ideally everything should transfer perfectly to the new system. In reality, there are always little gotchas that happen, especially since you are going from a fairly old version of FCP to the new version.
Walter Biscardi, Jr.
Biscardi Creative Media
HD and SD Production for Broadcast and Independent Productions.STOP STARING AND START GRADING WITH APPLE COLOR
The new Color Training DVD now available from the Creative Cow! -
Can you get the new computer (and firewire 800 external drive) without having to get rid of the old one?
Plug the old computer into the new one using firewire 400 and start it up holding the “T” key. Then, copy all the media to the new external drive and copy the project to the new computer and shut down the old computer.
Now, go nuts. It doesn’t matter if something breaks, you can always open up the old computer and get right back to work.
I know it’s tempting to sell an old computer, even if it’s only for a few hundred dollars, but hold off until the project’s done and you’ll have a nice backup sitting there in case anything goes wrong.
Zero risk, except for the loss of your time.
Reply to this Discussion! Login or Sign Up