Best Mac for my money...

I'm currently using a Mac Pro 1,1.
Processor 2 x 2.66 GHz Dual-Core Intel Xeon
Memory 16 GB 667 MHz DDR2 FB-DIMM
Graphics ATI Radeon HD 5770 1024 MB & a GeForce 8800 GT
Storage 3 1.5 TB 7200rpm disks (not raided, honestly don't know much about RAID...) and 1 2TB Time Machine HD
Running Lion.
I also own the first unibody 17inch MacBook Pro but suing FCP on it is like kicking myself in the face. It works but it's not fun, it's great for other stuff though.
It's a great machine, but it's obviously old and underpowered. FCX works but it's a slooooooow process doing much of anything in it. So I have a couple options right now given yesterdays updates, etc.
1) Buy a new Mac. So lets say I have between 2-4 grand to spend. Whats the best bang for my buck here? Can I keep my old Mac Pro and use it to cluster render? Do I get a new Mac Pro (I understand even the "new" ones are still old machines basically) or get a iMac or the newest Macbook Pro and an external monitor?
2) Upgrade the processor in my Mac Pro 1,1. I can get the Xeon 5365's for about 3-4 hundred on ebay. Hatter mentioned this might be a good thing despite having 3 or 4 local techs tell me I'm crazy to even consider it.
3) Just trudge along till a revamp of the Mac Pro comes out. I mean, I'm making it but time is money and I know I could be working faster than this, although I guess I don't really know how much faster a new Mac Pro will make FCX move.
I'd appreciate any feedback, you guys rock.

>one of the CS5 suites
Well, if the OP doesn't have $$ for a new computer, I doubt there is $$ for CS5 Production Premium, and certainly not CS5 Master Collection
As far as CS4... I really don't think it will run very well on that computer, since my previous computer was similar and would just barely run CS3
That computer is certainly not going to be able to edit HD video very well, if at all, and will be slow (see my 1st reply) even with SD video
I still think Premiere Elements is a better choice
And, to the OP
Read Harm on drive setup http://forums.adobe.com/thread/662972?tstart=0
- click the embedded picture in Harm's message to enlarge to reading size
- you need AT LEAST 2 drives for video editing, 3 is better
- some HD formats work better with (require) RAID
Read Hunt on Partitions http://forums.adobe.com/thread/650708?tstart=0
A link with many ideas about computer setup http://forums.adobe.com/thread/436215?tstart=0
And even more hardware discussion http://forums.adobe.com/community/premiere/hardware_forum
Read Bill Hunt on a file type as WRAPPER http://forums.adobe.com/thread/440037?tstart=0
What is a CODEC... a Primer http://forums.adobe.com/thread/546811?tstart=0
What CODEC is INSIDE that file? http://forums.adobe.com/thread/440037?tstart=0
Old or Used Software http://www.emsps.com/oldtools/ Or http://www.retrosoftware.com/
http://forums.adobe.com/message/1636890 warns about buying from eBay

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Id go for the I7 with minimum 8 Gig ram and as much SSD as your money will buy.
It's not only about having a fast CPU but just as important is to get the data in and out as fast a possible.
Without a real fast drive your CPU will spend a lot of time just waiting for the data to get to it and then wait more time while it has to write back to the drive.
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quicken should work with lion.
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I work on big files, tho not that big.
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Ladies and Gentlemen,
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Best
Slon

check this out Sion, this is your best bet for
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Pro consumer might go with iMac even.
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Video is one animal, graphics a much different.
Great site full of performance, buying and configuration ideas:
MacPerformance Go to the main topics
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Go to the Mac Store and do some looking and Google for reviews of software, hardware of course.
Barefeats
Rumors Pro
Visit the forum for FCP-X would be a place to start.
Final Cut Pro X

The Best Mac For Gaming

Hi Everyone. I'm sure this topic has come quite a bit, so I'll try to make as short to the point as I can.
Basically, I have a 2008 black MacBook, and I have recently have gotten into computer gaming. It turns out that my graphic card is horrible for gaming, and I cannot upgrade it.
Of course, I still want to stick with Macs, so I'm thinking about getting an entire new Mac, and I have a few specific questions.
Is it better to get a new Mac, or is there some way to upgrade my current Mac that I do not know about?
If I must get a new one, out of all the Macs, which one is the best for gaming (except the Mac Pro cause that is to expensive)?
Is there speculation of any new Macs coming out in the near future? Basically, should I wait to get a new one?
Currently, I'm thinking about getting the 13' MacBook Pro sometime in the next month or so before the student discount goes out.
Thank you in advance for all your help. I really do appreciate it.

Lamb,
Welcome to Apple Discussions.
Currently the best Mac with the exception of the Mac Pro is the i7 iMac. It offers the most processing power and most powerful GPU. That would probably be your best bet as your current machine with the exception of maxing out the RAM and installing a different HD is about all you can do. The i7 iMac once configured is also not upgradeable with the exception of the RAM. If you want upgradeability and power the Mac Pro is the only Mac alternative.
BTW per the Terms of Use in these forums we cannot speculate on new Apple products or their decisions on current products. You can find the TofU directly to your right.
While the 13" MBP is a fine machine it's not really considered the best alternative for gaming, if you want a MBP rather than an iMac then your best bet is probably a i5 15" MBP.
Regards,
Roger

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Hi,
Thanks for your posting.
This development mode can exclude some errors, such as the file upload complete at the same time... from my experience, this is a good choice to achieve the goal.
Best Regards,
Jambor
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Best Mac for my money...

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