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Pros and Cons of switching to MAC.
So I shoot several different forums of motocross clips. (product promo’s, rider promos, race coverage) and I am currently working with a PC and editing with sony vegas movie studio platinum HD 10. I have to transcode the .mov files with mpeg streamclip before editing and even then my PC seems to struggle. I’ve long considered switching to a MAC and maybe finding a good package deal with the software I need to edit. (FCPX??) Anyway, my question is this. What are the benefits to using the MAC over a PC? My reason for asking, is that I am at a point where my client base and size of the projects is growing allot faster then my wallet can keep up! haha. I am constantly purchasing better software, new lenses, external mics, extra batteries, more card and on. I know it’s the nature of the game, but I need to prioritize and pick up the items that will help me accomplish my work in the best order possible. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
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3 Replies
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Other than having a more stable and faster booting OP, not many advantages. Hardware wise, it’s not hard to match the specs of mac with a PC (mac’s are practically just Intel based PCs). I own a Mac mini to edit in Final Cut and a PC I built that I run Premiere, After Effects,Avid etc. I tend to work on my PC more often than my mac (event though I run the same programs on both minus final cut).
FCPX is not something I’d recommend. It’s a cheap yes, but it’s very limited in comparison to FCP7, Premiere, and Avid (and I have both FCP7 and FCPX). But FCP7 is not sold anymore (which is the only mac software exclusive listed). But if you’re are aware of all the limitations and if it wouldn’t be problematic with your workflow then go ahead and get it. At the very least you’ll get a great ProRes codec out of it.
Cost wise, macs are going to be more expense than PCs (and that’s before a Ram upgrade). So your not going to save money hardware wise going to a mac.
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If you buy a Mac, first off your Vegas might as well go on Ebay because it’s not going to install, ever, on a Mac. As far as Final Cut X, there are guys jumping the Apple ship all over the place because of it. The option of going backwards to Final Cut 7, that’s old outdated software that will be as much or more of a PITA than what you are doing now.
A fast i7 PC with 8gb of RAM is going to do everything you want and would probably cost you about $1000. I would suggest a good NVIDIA card so at some time you can look seriously at Adobe Products. The Adobe Production Premium Suite where you get Premiere Pro, After Effects and Photoshop among others is all the software you will need for editing purposes. For your audio syncing, look seriously at either Dual Eyes or Plural Eyes to speed up your workflow.
The thing about going this route, you can do this in stages as your wallet may allow. If you jump to Mac, you are going to do both the computer and your software, right off the bat.
My opinion and my bigger concern about going to Mac is the entire Apple business model right now sure appears to be geared toward handheld “devices” and away from the personal computer workstation. It’s not too hard to see why, their sales breakdown shows huge growth in devices, where devices have surpassed computers in Apple’s overall sales volume.
Those are my thoughts and as always YMMV.
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i used to build pc’s. loved it. im mac now & love it as well. go with the os you are comfortable with the most & wat your pocket book says. mac & pc, same thing just a different hat. software wise, mac or pc, always have after effects & photoshop. pc side for editing, prem pro, avid or vegas. mac side, avid, prem pro or fcpx. im an avid & fcp7 fan, but the new fcp is great, faster, & can do most of what i do in fcp-7. and im editing on it knocking out content that is on deadline every week. but just my opinion. these are all just tools. i like big grey & silver hammers for building, someone else likes black & red. subjective.
Ted Irving
Freelance Content Creation
CBS MaxPreps/BBN3
http://www.tedtv.tv
tedirving@yahoo.com
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