When To Buy?

[Russell Lasson]

[Jason Flor] “advice on whether you think there will be any major offerings for the MAC PRO desktop that will dramatically effect processing power on the next say, 6 months.”

It’s really hard to tell. The best approach is to buy when you need it. That way, regardless of what happens, you had to buy your system then.

I have read rumors of possible 6-core processors headed to the Mac Pro, but when they’ll actually come is up in the air. I will say that the current dual 4-core Mac Pros are great and won’t be out dated anytime soon (even if there are dual 6-core processors out there).

-Russ

Russell Lasson
Kaleidoscope Pictures
Provo, UT

[Ed Dooley]

You never know when is the right time, but there are a few on-line buyers’ guides, which use the historical product life of Mac models to suggest when to buy. macrumors.com has one, go to their home page and there’s a buyers guide tab or button at the top of the page
Ed

[Jason Flor]

Hi Ed, yes I went there but they just said that the Mac Pro is in the middle of the product cycle and their buy recommendation is “neutral”. Interesting site though, I’ll keep an eye on it.

[Paul Dickin]

Hi
Do a google search on Intel’s Nehalem processor range – reportedly a ‘big leap’ forward in processing power.
The consensus seems to be that there will be new Mac Pros with this by early next year.
https://www.tgdaily.com/content/view/36726/135/ 😉 😉

[Ed Dooley]

Other than general rumors about the next great leap forward, that’s all you’re going to get. They’re telling you when updates have come, the average time to an update, and when it’s close or far away they tell you “buy now” or “wait, it’s at the end of its product life”. The neutral thing means its in the middle of its lifespan. If you need a computer, buy one, if you can wait for months, then do so.
Ed

[Jason Flor] “Hi Ed, yes I went there but they just said that the Mac Pro is in the middle of the product cycle and their buy recommendation is “neutral”. Interesting site though, I’ll keep an eye on it.”

[Bob Flood]

jason

Buy what works now. if you are coming from another NLE, especially PC, you will NEED the summer to get up to speed on the Apple OS as well as Final Cut.

besides, what you buy now has been “shaken down” enough that most of the issues have been either resolved or work-arounded (nice verb, huh?)

hope this helps

“I like video because its so fast!”

Bob Flood
Greer & Associates, Inc.

[Jason Flor]

Hi Bob, I know FCP and the MAC are very different from what I’m used to. Just the fact that it’s the computer’s processor and not a proprietary card that has to do all the work is very different. Plus my understanding is you have to do a lot more rendering in FCP. This is why I wanted as much horsepower as I can get at this time.

And you’re right. coming from the PC world I expect I should have a least two or three months with the system before I start actually using it professionally.

I am just being cautious. I have had bad experiences in the past, dropping 20+K down on an NLE that the sales guys said would not be upgraded for a year to 18 months only to have a totally new system come out 6 months later that you couldn’t upgrade to without changing your motherboard, processor, HD’s etc. Then a couple of years later they stopped supporting it altogether.

I hope I have better luck with Apple/FCP.

[Bob Flood]

jason

sounds like discreet edit, which was the case with me!

“I like video because its so fast!”

Bob Flood
Greer & Associates, Inc.

[David Roth weiss]

[Jason Flor] “coming from the PC world I expect I should have a least two or three months with the system before I start actually using it professionally.”

Jason,

If you know what you’re doing in the P.C. world you can be up and running and cutting quite professionally with FCP in a lot less two or three months. I started a feature documentary 30-days after transitioning to FCP and I’d never worked on a Mac in my life. With a resource like this forum and its searchable database, you will easily be able to find solutions to hurdles that have confronted and resolved by many who came before you.

Also, I was just reading an article suggesting that the newest Intel processors will not be coming to market until sometime in 2009. By the time they get completely sorted out for reliable pro apps use you’re probably looking at a year from now at best. Meanwhile, if you get started now and put your nose to the grindstone, you’ll be a FCP expert by that time.

David Roth Weiss
Director/Editor
David Weiss Productions, Inc.
Los Angeles

POST-PRODUCTION WITHOUT THE USUAL INSANITY ™

A forum host of Creative COW’s Apple Final Cut Pro, Business & Marketing, and Indie Film & Documentary forums.

[Jason Flor]

Hi David, well that’s good news about the FCP learning curve. But I also have a couple of others- After Effects (which I suspect may take years to master) and the RED ONE camera workflow which is a bit bizarre at least to those of us who came up shooting and editing video.

I’m actually looking forward to it all. I haven’t had to master anything really new for quite a few years(since the analog to digital NLE changeover) The thing is time. The summer is looking quiet with only a few projects on the go through July and August with lots of downtime in between. But come September I have to hit the ground running. So no doubt I’ll be hanging around here asking all sorts of questions. Thank God for the Cow.

Jas