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Fun Facts about the new iMac
Using an iMac to edit video has always been a bit of a compromise. I’ve been using them ever since the G3 days so I’m well aware of what they can and can’t do. My iMac has always been a second computer behind a Powermac. That’s just the way things worked.
Well today’s new machines break a lot of barriers I wasn’t expecting to see on an iMac anytime soon. I’m sure you’ll all hear about them somewhere else on the net, but I wanted to point out a few things that are of specific intrest to Final Cut Pro editors.
The top-of-the-line iMacs offer:
* 2.33 gHz Intel Core 2 Duo (Currently better than Macbook Pro)
* Firewire 800
* 24″ screen at 1920 x 1200
* NVIDIA GeForce 7600 w/256 MB of VRAM
* Expandable to 3 GB of system RAMThe MacPros can still do about a million more things than these machines, but if you’re a FW800 Hard drive using, DV-only shooting kind of person, I can’t see any reason to buy something more than the iMac these days!
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13 Replies
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Does anyone know why the maximum ram is 3gb on the new 24″ imac? With 2 slots, you would expect it to support up to 4 gb.
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I’ve seen this question asked on some other sites too. No answer yet.
MY guess: It will take 4 GB but Apple has decided not to offer it. Given the way they price RAM the 3 GB option (from Apple) is already $750. I’m guessing marketing decided that people who buy iMacs aren’t going to spend $1,000 on RAM so they just decided not to put it as a choice.
I don’t think we’ll know for sure until someone buys one with 3 GBs, switches the chips, and tells us what happens!
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Maybe to stop people from using iMacs as FCP/Motion/Shake stations? From Apple’s perspective, it would probably be a shame if everyone started purchasing iMacs over Mac Pros (that is assuming, of course, that the profit margin on a Mac Pro sale is larger than that of an iMac).
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According to the specs, they max out at 3gig with two slots. Why? Couldn’t say but I am guessing it is a chipset limitation.
-gl
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[Jeff Carpenter] “The MacPros can still do about a million more things than these machines, but if you’re a FW800 Hard drive using, DV-only shooting kind of person, I can’t see any reason to buy something more than the iMac these days!”
Keep in mind, the second generation MacBook Pro’s are expected to be released in the 4th quarter. They should meet or exceed what was just released with the iMac’s.
Walter Biscardi, Jr.
https://www.biscardicreative.com
HD Editorial & Animation for Food Network’s “Good Eats”
HD Editorial for “Assignment Earth”“I reject your reality and substitute my own!” – Adam Savage, Mythbusters
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I can’t wait for that 24inch MacBook Pro!
Chris
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I don’t think there is a 3 gig limitation on the Intel chipsets. Sounds like it is more of an Apple issue to me. Hopefully it does support 4 gig of RAM and Apple is under-reporting the capacity until more RAM is available.
Gary -
Boy, if you were crowding people on the airplane with the 17″ powerbook, you’d need to borrow part of their seat back tray to use a 24″!!
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Can anyone comment on using the new iMac s for HDV editing ? No uncompressed just HDV ..
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What have you used in the past and what issues did you have?
It will certainly work with this computer, but it’s easier for me to compare it to something you’ve used before rather than giving it some sort of number grade.
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