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Final Cut on new Imac 2012 model
So I have saved and am about ready to throw down some dough on a new editing machine and am still confused as the best option…
The new 2012 21.5″ models look good BUT the internal HD is only a 5,400 rpm drive…sucks
Only way to get a faster one is buy the 27″ model…which not only is waaaay more expensive but I really don’t need that big of a screen for my work.My current system is a G5 PPC Dual 2GHZ with 4G of Ram…. So… how much of a differance could I expect with even the baseline model 21.5″? Price wise I could snag it soon but am concerned about the slow harddrive… are there any workarounds? Or is Apple making me bite the bullet and having to get the 27″?
Lastly I noticed it would be cheaper to get the fastest MacMini and choose a SSD and upgrade the ram myself (also another factor that the new 21″ models you cant change the ram yourself..) but I’m not sure if a mini even though the specs look good can handle FCP …Thoughts?
Mostly I do small buisness commercials, weddings, light DSLR work.
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8 Replies
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[William Fedanzo] ” the internal HD is only a 5,400 rpm drive…sucks”
For a System HD 5.400rpm is OK.
The only thing you will get from a faster HD is to boot faster, but you won’t get more performance.
rafael -
You’re going to use an external RAID for the video in most cases.
Big screens are awesome; they let you leave extra windows and palettes open on the side. You don’t know what you’re missing there, until you work with the extra real estate a while.
FWIW, I only recently bought a maxed-out version of the 2011 “large” iMac, with a combination of SSD and large internal hard drives. I was holding out for the 2012 models but they were taking too long to appear with no clear release date in sight at that time and I had to make a decision right then. Frankly, after seeing the 2012, I’m happier with the older machine I bought. More ports, still has the internal optical drive, has thunderbolt when/if I need that. The graphics card seems adequate. Its cheaper. More so, now.
At the same time, my wife and the kids each got used imacs which were a year or two older. One recently failed due to a known issue with some 1-TB seagate hard drives. My wife’s iMac was bought after this happened to someone else and that previous owner had replaced the 1 TB with a 3 TB. I wound up having to do that for my kid’s imac the other week, but it turned out to not be a huge deal; we didn’t even use an Apple-connected repair shop, just the local PC shop. Apparently, while it’s not as easy to work on as the PC Tower macs, the imacs are not “impossible” to open-up and upgrade or repair, using minimal tools. There are even online resources like ifixit.com that will show you how to DIY it for yourself. if you’re that kind of guy or gal.
So im my roundabout way I guess I’m saying, save some money, find a one year old imac of the previous generation and you might be pretty happy, for less than half the cost of the tower macs.
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Yeah I’m thinking earlier model may just be the way to go. I just found a great deal on the last model from 2011 and this person has not only what I’m looking for as far as ports and compatibility but the computer is stocked with 32 gigs RAM and the price is awesome so I may snag that instead
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You’re gonna have to put FCP 7 down sooner or later. And the graphics cards in the 2011 iMacs are limiting for Adobe work as they’re pretty much in bed with nVidia. Especially for After Effects. Premiere does ok without any acceleration. But actually gives me less RT than legacy.
They new iMacs aren’t much different than the old ones. Better graphics cards, USB 3, but no DVD burner or FW800. Both of the latter can be addressed with adapter or external. I’ll be selling my 2011 in January and getting a new 27″ maxed out the same as my 2011.
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The way I see it FCP is perfect for me and the work I do and given my current old G5 is for the most part good Id imagine the last IMac model will be a big boost in production. Not worried about adobe because I don’t use it outside of a little ps … Well I think I made my mind up.., previous model it is
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Except for the lack of USB3, if you don’t need nVdia, it’s a last of breed machine. I love mine. If it had nVidia it’d be perfect. But get a maxed out 27″ in any case.
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Last of breed, indeed. My wife bought a Quadra 700 or 750 back in 1991 or so, six grand it was, with a floppy drive slot, a 400 megabyte hard drive and four hole megs of RAM. Hers was actually a sub-model of the 700, only about 50 of them were built, but it looked like any other Quadra of the day. We ran it for years and years until the second generation iMac G4 came out. Just retired and gave away one of the g4 imacs when I got this new 2011 model. We ‘re the same way with holding onto cars that are all paid for.:-)
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Sorry to digress, but it’s not entirely digressing.
I have the iMac 2012 21.5″ model. I also have a Canon XF100. Is it safe to connect the XF100 to the iMac via the USB cable that came with the camera to the USB 3 port?
I ask here because I can’t find a direct answer to this question anywhere on the net. I’ve been to the Canon website and to Mac fora, but no threads on this, which also leads me to believe that it probably is fine if no-one is asking about it. But I would rather be safe than sorry.
I have read that USB 3 is backwards compatible and so also suspects this is an indirect answer to my question.
Help!
Thanks
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