FCP and Apple laptop

[Walter Biscardi]

[Annu Lilja] “I guess the more important question is: what kind of a laptop do I need? I want to be able to work on a large amounts of material and with the latest formats, like EX etc. So at least the firewire connections are important.”

If this is going to be your only computer to work on, get the latest 17″ MacBook Pro with the maximum amount of RAM you can put in there.

I would go with an eSATA Media array and purchase the proper eSATA card for your laptop. It will go into the small slot on the left side of the laptop. Check with the SATA manufacturer for the proper card. This is much faster than Firewire. My company of choice is MaxxDigital, but Dulce and Sonnet also make excellent SATA arrays. Folks like the G-Tech units as well, but I’ve never used them.

If you intend to work in uncompressed formats or convert formats, you’ll need something like the AJA Io or AJA Io HD to input / output the video.

As for pricing, Apple controls all the pricing so the cost of the laptop will be exactly the same, give or take about $10. The most important this is to add the 3 Year AppleCare warranty. This really works and it is absolutely vital with any laptop purchase, really any Apple purchase. This protects your investment for three years.

You can purchase from B&H in New York, but I personally avoid them. I generally make all my purchases either directly from the Apple website or the Apple store locally. Or from my VAR here in Atlanta.

Walter Biscardi, Jr.
Biscardi Creative Media
HD and SD Production for Broadcast and Independent Productions.

STOP STARING AND START GRADING WITH APPLE COLOR Apple Color Training DVD available now!
Read my Blog!

[Gary Adcock]

[Annu Lilja] “Also, when I figure out which machine I need to buy, what is the best (cheapest) place to get it? Online? I am based in New York.”

Contact Tekserve on 23rd st.
without question the best dealer sales and support in NY, let them guide your purchase face to face- people online can only guess at your actual needs.

I live in Chicago and buy all my hardware direct from them.

gary adcock
Studio37
HD & Film Consultation
Post and Production Workflows
Inside look at the IoHD

[John Foley]

That is exactly what I am doing right now.

I purchased a MacBoook Pro 17″ (2007) at 2.33 Ghz with 3 GB RAM (you can use 4 GB) and two pieces from Firmtek.com.

They have an Express-34 dual SATA drive adapter and a two bay external SATA enclosure, that I can carry around in a backpack.

I just last week up dated my 160 GB 5400 drive to a 320 GB 5400 drive so that I could comfortably install Final Cut Studio 2 and Logic Pro onto this drive.

it is my only Intel based machine, at this time so I can take advantage of Adobe apps.

The newer MacBook Pro’s have 250 GB drives and better video cards than my X1600.

I can hook up the MBP to a 23″ desktop monitor and really go to town.

The 2.33 Ghz Duo 2 core feels about as fast as my Quad G5 when editing.

The latest MBP computers are truly ready for anything.

[Jason Harvey]

Also – for RAM and Storage – – check out Other World Computing.
https://www.macsales.com/

I just hooked up my new Macbook with 4GB of of RAM for just over $100.

Also picked up one of these portables- SWEET! FW800 / 7600rpm
https://eshop.macsales.com/shop/firewire/on-the-go

-Jason Harvey-

[Annu Lilja]

Hi!

So I’ve been advised to get a Mac Book Pro with a 200GB SATA 7200 rpm hard drive for my film editing purposes. However, someone told me that the 250GB SATA 5400 rpm drive is pretty much just as good, especially since I will keep most if not all of my files on an extrnal hard drive anyway. I hate the idea of the faster drive being hotter and noisier and less eco friendly :), as I sometimes work 12 hours or more without stopping, so a cooler and quieter machine sounds better to me, even if it is a little bit slower. But some people say that there is a DRAMATIC difference between the performance of the two drives – is this true????

My only concern is that it won’t be able to do the things I need it to do, like work on all the latest formats. Does anybody know if there will be any difference in that aspect? I will be using the latest FCP on the laptop.

I’m leaning toward getting the slower drive because I could pick it up right away, and because of the reasons above. Am I making a huge mistake???? I don’t care so much about the money aspect of it all.

[Walter Biscardi]

[Annu Lilja] “I’m leaning toward getting the slower drive because I could pick it up right away, and because of the reasons above. Am I making a huge mistake???? I don’t care so much about the money aspect of it all. “

The system drive speed means very little in terms of performance. As long as you plan to use a proper external media drive or array, you’re fine with the 5400 internal.

Walter Biscardi, Jr.
Biscardi Creative Media
HD and SD Production for Broadcast and Independent Productions.

STOP STARING AND START GRADING WITH APPLE COLOR Apple Color Training DVD available now!
Read my Blog!