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Hardware for FCP
I have been asked to outfit our video editing suite to edit and convert HD videos. Right now we are running a Dual 2.7Ghz PowerPC G5 with 4.5GB of RAM. It just doesn’t handle HD files well at all.
We are planning on using the ProRes codec to compress the clilps prior to editing, which is something I currently can’t do running on a PowerPC.
Basically what I am wondering is at what points to you start to get diminishing returns on your investment of hardware? Do we really need the 8-core? Is it overkill for basic HD editing? Would 32GB of RAM cost more than the performance increase is worth?
Essentially, I just want to know at what level does hardware for FCP become overkill?
Thanking you in advance,
Ryan -
2 Replies
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“We are planning on using the ProRes codec to compress the clilps prior to editing, which is something I currently can’t do running on a PowerPC. “
Yea, you’re going to definitely want a Mac Pro. ProRes wants an Intel machine.
“Do we really need the 8-core? Is it overkill for basic HD editing?”
You’ll render your timeline and encode with Compressor faster with an 8-core, but I have a 2X 2.26 Quad-Core at work and I think it’s just fine. I never find myself sitting at my computer thinking, “oh gee, this render time is just killing me.”“would 32GB of RAM cost more than the performance increase is worth? “
I don’t think FCP uses more than 4GB of RAM. More RAM is beneficial when you are using Motion or After Effects for motion graphics work. I personally have 12GB and I’m fine with that. I would recommend you get that amount as well. RAM isn’t as expensive anymore these days.My advice would be to get some kind of RAID. That’ll cut down the amount of time needed to render while you edit. Big time pros usually have 8-bay RAIDs. If you’re poor like me, a G-Tech G-Speed Es configured as RAID5 is a good option, maybe even a G-RAID if you’re really strapped for cash. The G-RAID is RAID0 though, so you’ll need to figure out some kind of back-up solution.
I’d also suggest purchasing a capture card. Even if you’re not going to capture tape, it’s still beneficial for accurate monitoring. The Kona LHi and Matrox MXO2 are nice. If you do capture tape, the Kona and MXO2 can transcode to ProRes in real time, which is nice. (I’m pretty sure the MXO2 can do that, i’m positive the Kona can)
Rob Grauert, Jr.
http://www.robgrauert.com
command-r.tumblr.com -
Thank you very much.
This confirms a lot of what I was thinking. Its just nice to hear it from someone else. I was hesitant to propose a “state of the art” solution because I think you pay extra to have the top-of-the-line hardware.
We have an AJA Card and an XRAID. Both of those should still work.
Thanks again.
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