Final Cut Pro user… considering FCP X… do I upgrade?

[Gary Huff]

I think you wasted money buying a Mac Pro.

[Travis Roesler]

Why?

I need the processing speed and power.

Windows is garbage.

[Andrew Kimery]

Because a new Mac Pro (the black one shaped like a tube) is going to drop before the end of the year and most likely blow the doors off any Mac in terms of performance.

With regards to your original question, I’d grab the free 30-day trial, some tutorials and start kicking the tires. You are the only one that knows if FCPX will fit your needs.

I work in LA primarily with other peoples’ gear so it’s Avid and FCP Legend still for me until the shows/companies I typically work for start switching.

[Travis Roesler]

I’m aware of the new mac pro coming out… from everything that I’ve read, it seems as though it’s going to be ridiculously expensive. I was able to find a good refurb on the mac website, and I figured that I’d go for it.

That said, might not hurt to return the thing… I just really can’t stand waiting, and when I’m ready to upgrade something, I’m just ready.

Either way, I have till the 22nd to return it, and I just might do that.

—Trav

[Marcus Moore]

If I were you I’d return it. The last thing you’d want is to be kicking yourself a month from now when the new MacPro comes out and discover it’s not as expensive as has been “RUMORED”, and comes with all the modern, forward looking I/O and will probably be THE poster-child machine for FCPX.

And FCPX will be changing as well- how much we don’t know. But a big update is one the way around the same time. Buy FCPX now and you may have to buy it all over again in less than 2 months.

[Walter Soyka]

[Marcus Moore] “If I were you I’d return it. The last thing you’d want is to be kicking yourself a month from now when the new MacPro comes out and discover it’s not as expensive as has been “RUMORED”, and comes with all the modern, forward looking I/O and will probably be THE poster-child machine for FCPX.”

Not to mention that even a brand new Mac Pro today is essentially two years old already…

I do expect the top configuration will be expensive, but Apple has traditionally offered a range of prices/configurations.

[Travis Roesler] “Windows is garbage.”

Why do you say that?

Walter Soyka
Principal & Designer at Keen Live
Motion Graphics, Widescreen Events, Presentation Design, and Consulting
RenderBreak Blog – What I’m thinking when my workstation’s thinking
Creative Cow Forum Host: Live & Stage Events

[Travis Roesler]

Ok… You convinced me. I need to learn how to be patient.

I’ll grab the FCP X trial and hope that the new one is released the day that expires.

[Craig Seeman]

Depending on your situation and where the market goes you may find some things to consider.

If you have other new Macs (MacBookPros etc) you’ll find you’ll need to buy Thunderbolt stuff for them and PCIe cards for the MacPro. You won’t have as much device interoperability.

There’s not likely going to be much R&D on the PCIe card side of things from hardware developers as they continue the shift to Thunderbolt.

The retiring MacPro are already using CPU technology from 2010 so they’re already quite old. Some have found that for many tasks a new BTO iMac is competitive with some MacPros and even may exceed it in some cases. If you buy Thunderbolt peripherals for the iMac you’d be able to move them to a new MacPro later, something that would require purchasing a PCIe to Thunderbolt chassis otherwise.

Granted there are a few people who, for various reasons, the 2010/12 MacPro 12 Core is a reasonable choice as a powerful short term box but I don’t think that holds true for a lot of people.

[Marcus Moore]

Agreed. Just like with the current generation, I’ll expect you’ll be able to spend between $2,500 and close to $8,000 (if you were lazy about buying RAM from Apple)- especially if Apple releases 4K CinemaDisplays. Those things WILL NOT be cheap. Memories of the 30″CinemaDisplay which cost $2,600 at launch.

[Ronny Courtens]

All good advice. I don’t expect the new MacPro will be more expensive than any other high-end desktop, and it will be a killer machine for running FCPX and the other X pro-apps.

The new Final Cut Pro is absolutely worth learning. Just don’t make the mistake many have made by just “playing around with it”. It’s a very deep professional application that requires some time to practice on. But once you understand how it works under the hood you will be surprised how powerful it is.

– Ronny