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I am buying a mac for FCP
Im a highschool student in TV2 college course.
I finally decided to get a mac for final cut, which i have used 4 years ago in middle school (ive been doing this a while) premiere isnt cutting the cake for me.I was going to get an Imac, but i will be doing an immense amount of travelling visiting colleges and directors for job insights.
I decides that the macbook pro is the way to go. I dont make alot of money… so this is what i can afford
MacBook Pro 13.33 inch
4gb ddr3 ram
250 gb hdd (i have multiple 1tb externals)
2.4 ghz core 2 duo.Will this run final cut, for HD videos (almost always under 5 mins, if not under 3)
I understand render will take longer than on a desktop. How much of a difference would it be to get a core i5 for 500 more?
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9 Replies
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Get the 17″ for FCP. It has the express 34 slot. Think of the computer as an investment. Use your educational discount for the computer.
Steve Eisen
Eisen Video Productions
Vice President
Chicago Final Cut Pro Users Group -
If i had that money to blow, i would.
But how is it an investment? That would require the laptop becoming more expensive, which obviously wont happen.
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In the long run, you will spend more more.
Steve Eisen
Eisen Video Productions
Vice President
Chicago Final Cut Pro Users Group -
I certainly don’t want to put words in anyone’s mouth, but perhaps what Steve meant by “think of the computer as an investment” is not that the computer itself would gain value. Rather, if one spends $2000 on a computer and uses it to make $6000, they’ve made a $2000 investment and gotten pretty darn good return on investment.
As for your original question, much more so than the length, it depends a great deal on the types and complexity of videos you plan to work on. For example, true HD vs. HDV and very basic cuts-only vs. mograph, compositing, FX, etc. 4Gb of RAM is about the minimum to work with video nowadays and a 13″ monitor is pretty small, but again, it depends primarily on your needs and expectations.
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Will it run FCP? Yes, it will. I’ve been using a similarly-equipped MacBook Pro for three years to make short HD videos.
The render times can be frustrating, but if don’t go overboard with filters, transitions, etc., it’s not so bad. There are trade-offs with just about everything, and if you can’t afford a faster machine, you just have to get by with what you can.
About those “multiple 1TB externals”. They’re equipped with FireWire connections, right? If they’re just USB, you’re going to have serious problems.
If you can’t afford the 17″ MacBook Pro, at least consider an external monitor for use when sitting at a desk. A 17″ screen is small for FCP; a 13″ screen would be really small.
Hope this helps.
Jim
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You might even consider the last 15″ Macbook Pro that had an eSata slot, even if you don’t need it at first. You can probably find one on eBay from reputable dealers. I would rather have one of those than a 13″, which i had, but the screen is just so small.
I have a Sonnet Tempo Pro eSata card and an older FirmTek 2-drive enclosure, and it works perfectly on my MacBookPro 17″ on both OS X and Windows 7.
The problem with USB is that it is unreliable. The problem with FireWire is that there is only one controller, so it will be a bottleneck if you ever daisy chain a 2nd drive, or hook up a camera. If you ever want to edit uncompressed, a single drive is not fast enough, you need a Raid 0 which I can do with my enclosure. And still have full speed on a firewire drive.
Regards,
Larry Applegate
https://blustreak.dvdafteredit.com/ -
How would the usb be a problem?
I would save it onto my hdd on computer, then transfer it over.
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do a search for usb and media drive and you’ll get it. you should not use your system drive or an external usb drive as a media drive.
OSX 10.5.8; MacBookPro4,1 Intel Core 2 Duo 2.5 GHz
; Camcorders: Sony Z7U, Canon HV30/40, Sony vx2000/PD170; FCP certified; write professionally for a variety of media; teach video production in L.A. -
the 13″ has a firewire 800 port. For $200 you can get a 2TB raid like this one: https://eshop.macsales.com/item/Other%20World%20Computing/ME8SRS20TB64/
Or if you don’t like that, look around owc site – lots of options.
But like the others said, 13″ is small for FCP. If you go for it, play around with setting custom window layouts and toggle between them.
OSX 10.5.8; MacBookPro4,1 Intel Core 2 Duo 2.5 GHz
; Camcorders: Sony Z7U, Canon HV30/40, Sony vx2000/PD170; FCP certified; write professionally for a variety of media; teach video production in L.A.
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