-
equipment question
Need some suggestions as to best, affordable computer options.
I’m getting ready to purchase a Mac Pro for editing. I’m a new, small production company with limited cash flow. I’ll be loading FCP Studio 3. I also have an external AJA IOHD box for input/output. I will be editing primarily documentaries, TV and or web programs and the occasional television spot. I don’t anticipate doing any high end animation or handling large 2k or 4k files (although that’s always a possibility in the future), but I might do some fairly involved compositing in Motion and/or After Effects.
Right now I’m working on a Macbook Pro, which is fine, but sluggish when editing long form projects.
My question is this: quad-core vs. 8-core. Is it worth the extra money for the 8-core? Should I spend that money on a faster, quad processor or as much RAM as I can afford? Or should I spring for a fiber card and a fast RAID system?
I’ve been editing FCP for a few years now, but I’ve never had to build my own system and need some guidance as to what I need for the most effective, yet affordable system.
I appreciate any advice you guys can give me.
Thanks!
Kip Cole
Pale Moon Media -
2 Replies
-
Right now I’d definitely take a look at some mid-2010 mac pro model instead of buying new one. In light of all events surrounding pro application division of Apple I see no incentive to fork out for something I’d probably end up being unable to load 100%. I need to work really hard to utilize all cores and memory. Why additional beaf?
Sony PMW-EX3, Canon Mark II 5D, FCS3 in Moscow
http://www.mokaeff.com -
[Kip Cole] “I’m getting ready to purchase a Mac Pro for editing. I’m a new, small production company with limited cash flow. I’ll be loading FCP Studio 3. I also have an external AJA IOHD box for input/output.”
Sorry, this is not a direct answer to your questions, but as Everest alluded to, you might consider whether you really want to spend a bunch of money building your business around products that are at or near their end of life … FCS3 will not be supported or updated any more and there is plenty of speculation around these forums as to what that might mean for the future of Mac Pros. That’s not to say that both can’t serve you well for a while … they can … it’s just a matter of your expectations for the lifespan of the system.
Reply to this Discussion! Login or Sign Up