Better for Video Editing? MBP 13" or 15" w/9600M GT

I am planning on purchasing a Macbook Pro for relatively extensive use of Final Cut Pro (HD video) along with possibly some light Motion work and video transcoding. In addition I will be using it for photo editing and web editing. I don't plan on using it for any high-end gaming.
I will be purchasing a $200 24" external monitor to use most of the time along with external keyboard and mouse (so MBP screen size isn't an issue), but I need the portability and don't have the funds to purchase an additional dedicated desktop yet.
I am having trouble deciding between the 13" and the 15", mainly due to conflicting opinions I've been hearing over the importance of a dedicated graphics card for video editing. Salespeople at the Apple store tell me it's important and I should get the 15". Research online yielded heated forum arguments over whether it really makes a difference or not.
The price difference is quite significant though at the configurations I picked ($765) so I am seeking advice here for whether people think the cost difference is really justified for my needs. Note that both configurations include 4GB of RAM, smallest hard drive option (i've got external drives) and AppleCare protection.
Pricing with education discount after tax:
13" 2.26GHz - $1520
15" 2.66GHz w/9600M GT 256MB - $2285
*Is there a real difference in video editing performance and if so, is it really worth an extra $765? Or is there a better option that I'm not considering?*

Thanks everyone for the feedback!
Studio X wrote:
Are you planning on making any money at this or are you only in it for fun? Have you ever edited before? Have you ever edited with FCS before? What of the 44 billion HD formats are you planning on editing? Do you have a camera? What format does it record? If it's a flash media based device, what's your back up strategy? How are you planning to externally monitor the HD material ? What are you planning to use as media drives as the system drive should not be used for media capture or playback?
Still, I guess I come down on the side of "it doesn't matter as neither one is a serious editing machine". If I was in the market for a laptop and was limited to the current apple lineup, the only machine of interest is the 17" MacBookPro. The other two MacBookPros you are considering have no expresscard slot and come only with glossy screens - both are serious deficiencies in my world.
I do plan on using this computer professionally. I am a recent college graduate but do have professional FCS editing experience under my belt. However my work was done using both school and employer resources. I do have an archive of work in Mini DV(HDV) and AVCHD formats. I don't currently own an HD camera, however will likely be purchasing one in the near future. As far as externally monitoring HD material, what else would I need other than the 24" external monitor (perfectly capable of full HD) or a separate HDTV? In addition to several older usb2 external drives for backup I do have a 1TB 7200rpm external capable of FW800 and eSATA that I would use as a media drive.
I currently have an old 17" dell notebook with a glossy screen. The screen hasn't really bothered me, but the size and weight of the notebook has. And while the 17" MBP is a little lighter and smaller than my old dell, I would still prefer a 13" or 15". But from the opinions I've been hearing I'm steering away from the 13" and fully realize the downsides to the lack of ExpressCard slot in the current 15" as well. Still wondering while Apple decided to remove it.
MartinR wrote:
If budget is a primary constraint, then consider a refurbished 15" or 17" MBP from Apple, or a used MBP from a reputable supplier.
I hadn't checked into the refurbished options, but now that I did, I found a nice 15" (late 2008 unibody) configuration that would provide a lot more value for the buck. For about $550 more than the new 13" config I would get a faster processor, 2" bigger screen, 9600M 512mb GPU, double the internal storage, removable battery as well as the ExpressCard slot (even though its not listed in specs, it's there). The only trade off I can see is battery life.
http://store.apple.com/us/product/FC026LL/A?mco=MjE0NjE5MA

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Cheers
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http://www.barefeats.com/rosa06.html
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Storage options for video editing

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Well it all depends. Certainly, there's many good reasons to install a second internal drive. But I think it's better to use this as a "clone" of your startup drive. When I have a stable OS and application combo, I clone my startup drive to the second internal drive using carbon copy cloner (available at versiontracker.com). After cloning, I always try starting up from the clone to make sure everything's working. Then I can do a software update, install additional apps, and if my system goes south either from updates or some sort of corruption, I can quickly restart from the second internal drive and get back to work.
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Not sure if that model number is here or not, but these are supposed to be very good for color work, though I do know that my old shops are still using their CRT's.
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Message was edited by: Samsara

What Macbook Pro to get for video editing?

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The top end non-retina, 15" anti-glare is the best. SSD preferred, has a Superdrive. RAM and hard drive upgradable later by the user.
The retina has a glossy screen which is hard on the eyes and using in various places, it's battery life is terrible and the images are not correct as it's blowing things up to mach the higher pixel rate. No Superdrive. You can't open the machine up, you can't clean the fans of dust you can't upgrade it later, you will have to max it out at purchase for a small fortune and go way over budget. Plus there really isn't too much difference in the quality of the screen with regular MBP's anyway, just eats battery life to drive that huge pixel screen. You'll be replacing it a lot sooner than the standard 15"
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Top end 15" antiglare is perfect.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_X0wo6dIsMU
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Which Macbook Pro for Video Editing

I'd like to buy a macbook pro for video editing on the go and with all the available features, I can't tell which is best.
I use final cut pro 7 and all footage is HD.
RAM?
7200rpm vs. 5400 ?
DUAL CORE vs. QUAD
INTEL GRAPHICS?
RETINA?
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- Get either a 7200 or SSD internal drive
*You'll need an external hard drive that runs at least 7200rpm for your media (scratch disk)
- If you can affor it, go with a Quad Core
- For graphics, I believe all the new MacBook Pros come with Intel HD Graphics 4000
- As for CPU speed and RAM, they really go hand in hand with video editing.
- CPU speed doesn't help if you do not have sufficient RAM cover all of needed video/audio/effect editing and rendering processes.
- Slower CPU with more RAM means that procesess get covered by the additonal RAM, but will take longer to render and preview during editing.
*So when choosing CPU and RAM, do not sacrifice one for the other.
You can always upgrade RAM later if you can't afford it now.
- Retina? Doesn't make much of a difference for you. You're not editing 4k video so chose what you like better, or can afford.
Here a post that goes over some basics

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3) How would the 23" screen be for video-editing? Are there any rumors about a 25" screen replacing it?
4) Lastly, are there any Apple conventions in the next 6 mos (where new products could be announced), which I should wait for, before purchasing?
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G4 Quicksilver Mac OS X (10.3.5) Dual 1 Gz, 1 Gb Ram, 2 x 80 Gb ATA

Hello, I've decided not to wait for an Intel MacPro, but would like to buy a G5 in the next 5 mos (by July) for standard-definition video editing using FCP 5 Studio. I have a few questions:
Get a Quad and get one fast, with a PPC machine you'll have lots of media copying freedom as you have control over your hardware. With the new EFI Mactels, trusted computing and HDCP coming you will not.
Actually I wouldn't waste money on a PowerMactel machine until the whole "Blueray/HD-DVD" thing gets straightened out too, that's going to have a lot of baggage associated with it. When they do at least you'll have a Quad to be able to do things you won't be allowed on the PowerMactel w/BlueRay.
Standard definition is going "bye-bye" in the US mandatory by 2009, mostly by 2007. You'll need to go HD as all the new TV sets being sold are HD/digital ready and all the content will switch as well. (HD Is really nice too, but eats hard drive space fast)
1) Currently, I have a Quicksilver G4 with dual 1 Gz, 1 Gb ram and 160 Gb ATA drive. Would FCP 5 Studio work effectively on this machine (for editing, color-correction, motion graphics, rendering to DVD etc)? If not, is it worth investing more money into this machine, or should I switch to a G5?
Yes sure, but if time = money, you'll need CPU muscle to render faster and large RAM to burn faster.
I say get a PPC Quad, a large stock drive with 16MB of cache and a Western Digital 150GB 10,000 RPM RaptorX for a boot/app and "bare bones" home drive, keeping your video on the large stock drive. Get yourself 4Gb of RAM or slightly more, install it yourself and save money by visiting Crucial.com. (no comp)
2) Which G5 would work effectively for my purposes? Kindly advise on clock-speed, RAM, Video card, hard disk etc. I take it I will not need RAID for SD, but only high-definition? I would need to use this machine for at least 3 years. Do you see Apple discontinuing hardware or FCP support for this platform during this time?
Apple will support PPC based hardware for a long time, so will a lot of third party software makers because it's the majority platform. Not much software is available for the Mactel based machines, so PPC and the Quad is the best longterm professional choice at this time. I would also not get the stock card but the next one up.
RAID you can play with later, rolling your own mini-raid set or if you have volume and require speed then a X-RAID.
3) How would the 23" screen be for video-editing? Are there any rumors about a 25" screen replacing it?
I had a 23", it's small, but it will do the job. A couple of inches increase won't make much of a difference IMO. If you got the bucks get a 30", it's awesome and better than two monitors as you don't need to turn your head back and forth. Just sit back and take it all in.
Of course for standard video your going to need a standard monitor anyway for previewing.
4) Lastly, are there any Apple conventions in the next 6 mos (where new products could be announced), which I should wait for, before purchasing?
We just had one, Macworld, where the Mactels were announced, supposely Intel will release a 64 bit dual core around September, Adobe Photoshop supposely won't be ready with a Mactel version for another 14 months it's been estimated.
Apple is working on universal versions of their apps, some are ready already.
http://appleintelfaq.com/
A site that be of interest to you is HDforIndies.com
I always advise people to clone their boot drives
http://homepage.mac.com/hogfish/Personal11.html

Suitable laptop for video editing

Hello,
for months now I am looking for a suitable laptop for video editing of my footage captured by Canon 60D (and also GoPro). Since it is in a HD quality and h.264 format it puts a great strain on the CPU. I already had to return an ASUS U30J and Dell XPS14 both with i7 processors because of their terribly slow performance :(. So now, I really want to be 100% sure that the laptop will be able to smoothly handle my footage. I am using Adobe Premiere Pro CS5 for video editing and I do need a laptop (preferably 15'') as I travel all the time.
Here are the specifications of the Force 16F2 laptop built on MSI 16F2 (from the xoticpc.com), which I have chosen so far:
FORCE 16F2 / MSI 16F2
- 15.6” FHD 16:9 LED Backlit Wide screen (1920x1080) Super Clear Glare Type Screen
- 2nd Generation Intel® Core™ i7-2720QM, 2.2-3.3GHz, (32nm, 6MB L3 cache)
- IC Diamond Thermal Compound - CPU + GPU (Cools better than all Compounds)
- nVidia GeForce GTX 560M 1,536MB PCI-Express GDDR5 DX11
- 12,288MB (12GB) DDR3 1333MHz Dual Channel Memory (2x4GB 2x2GB)-
- Standard Finish
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- 750GB 7200RPM 16MB Cache Buffer (Serial-ATA II 3GB/s)-
- Raid 0 Stripe Enabled (Requires 2 or 3 Hard Drives. Combines Hard Drives for performance)
- 500GB 7200RPM 16MB Cache Buffer (Serial-ATA II 3GB/s) in ODD Bay
- 3 Year Complete Care Warranty - 3 Year Parts with Ground Shipping, 24/7 Telephone Tech Support & Lifetime Labor Warranty
I would like to ask you what do you think about this configuration regarding my requirements? Will this system be powerful enough to handle the h.264 footage? I would like to use both the SLR camera and the laptop as long as possible and don't have to change the laptop in one year time or so. That's why I would like the system to be powerful enough to withstand even future demands of the software, etc.
I was also not sure about the 500GB (w/ 4GB SSD Memory) Seagate XT 7200RPM NCQ Hybrid 32MB Cache (Serial-ATA II 3GB/s. Do you think it is a smart choice? Is the 4GB SSD memory of any use? Or should I rather go with the 750GB 7200RPM 16MB Cache Buffer (Serial-ATA II 3GB/s)?
I don't have any previous experience with the raid system, do you think that the Raid 0 Stripe Enabled (Requires 2 or 3 Hard Drives. Combines Hard Drives for performance) is the right choice for smooth video editing? I know that I have to use at least 2 hard drives so that's why I'd rather order 3 HDD to get the best performance..
This configuration is worth 1800USD, I would obviously like to save some money as I will need to pay also the shipping costs, tax and duty (I currently live in New Delhi)... So if you think that something from the system might be downgraded and I would still get good video editing results, please let me know.
Do you think that the 3 Year Complete Care Warranty - 3 Year Parts with Ground Shipping, 24/7 Telephone Tech Support & Lifetime Labor Warranty is of any use when I am not from the US? Should I rather go with the 1 Year warranty?
I would very much appreciate any feedback from you!
Misha

Frederick, I will firstly answer your questions, I am in no way a pro video editor, my projects are up to 10MB of size although I wasn't yet able to edit the h.264 footage properly ... I mostly do events and quite simple projects, effects, two to three timelines... I use only h.264, my older projects are in DV quality thought. I usually have to rush to finish a project since I have limited time during the travels.. I usually work at one, maximum two projects at the same time
Now, I have been trying to figure out what would be the best configuration for me and ended up with these two options, which are touching (maybe even overflowing) my budget... Both are worth around USD2100 (without shipping, etc.). Either I will be going for one SSD disk for the OS or for maximum CPU and RAM. Which configuration would you recommend me? Do you think that the second configuration is an overkill when taken into account the size and scope of my projects?
With SSD disk:
FORCE 16F2 / MSI 16F2
- 15.6” FHD 16:9 LED Backlit Wide screen (1920x1080) Super Clear Matte Type Screen
- 2nd Generation Intel® Core™ i7-2720QM, 2.2-3.3GHz, (32nm, 6MB L3 cache)
- IC Diamond Thermal Compound - CPU + GPU (Cools better than all Compounds)
- nVidia GeForce GTX 560M 1,536MB PCI-Express GDDR5 DX11
- 10,240MB (10GB) DDR3 1333MHz Dual Channel Memory (1x4GB 3x2GB)
- Standard Finish
- - 120GB OCZ Vertex 3 MAX IOPS Sandforce Solid State Drive (Up to Sequential Read 550MB/s - Write 500MB/s SSD Serial-ATA III)
- - 750GB 7200RPM 16MB Cache Buffer (Serial-ATA II 3GB/s)-
- HDD Raid Settings - OFF
- 320GB 7200RPM WD or Seagate (Serial-ATA II 3GB/s) in ODD Bay
- 3 Year Complete Care Warranty - 3 Year Parts with Ground Shipping, 24/7 Telephone Tech Support & Lifetime Labor Warranty
With better CPU and RAM:
FORCE 16F2 / MSI 16F2
- 15.6” FHD 16:9 LED Backlit Wide screen (1920x1080) Super Clear Matte Type Screen
- 2nd Generation Intel® Core™ i7-2820QM, 2.3-3.4GHz, (32nm, 8MB L3 cache)
- IC Diamond Thermal Compound - CPU + GPU (Cools better than all Compounds)
- nVidia GeForce GTX 560M 1,536MB PCI-Express GDDR5 DX11
- 16,384MB (16GB) DDR3 1333MHz Dual Channel Memory (4x4GB)-SPECIAL
- Standard Finish
- - 750GB 7200RPM 16MB Cache Buffer (Serial-ATA II 3GB/s)-
- - 750GB 7200RPM 16MB Cache Buffer (Serial-ATA II 3GB/s)-
- HDD Raid Settings - OFF
- 320GB 7200RPM WD or Seagate (Serial-ATA II 3GB/s) in ODD Bay
- Stock OEM Thermal Compound ( IC Diamond Thermal Compound - CPU + GPU Provided FREE with Processor Upgrade!)
- Internal 7-in-1 Card Reader (MS/MS Pro/MS Duo/MS Pro Duo/SD/Mini-SD/MMC/RS)
- Internal Bluetooth + EDR
- Built-in 802.11 Wireless B/G/N - Stock Wireless Card
- Integrated Digital Video Camera
- Sound Blaster Compatible 3D Audio - Included
- Smart Li-ion Battery (9-Cell)
- 3 Year Complete Care Warranty - 3 Year Parts with Ground Shipping, 24/7 Telephone Tech Support & Lifetime Labor Warranty
Frederick, regarding the RAM I checked the 8GB option and it comes in 2GBx4 so I won't be able to save those slots. Plus I have been searching for prices of the RAM, HDD and SSD in the US and they don't seem to be that great for me to even consider them... I would simply have to pay more and would end up with unused parts from the basic configuration. I think that the Xoticpc have quite reasonable prices of the upgrades they offer... Plus I can count on higher prices of the components here in India so all in all I think that it would cost me too much energy and save me minimum bucks... That's why I thought I might go for the 16GB RAM straight away if it isn't an overkill for me. As I said before, I would love to save money (after all I am a woman who controls the common budget) so please let me know, if I am just wasting money for high end technology which I won't be able to use . I rather think that in the future once I will finally be able to make some money when I will have a machine to work on, I might upgrade to better hard drives (SSD possibly). But right now I need a laptop on which I would be able to smoothly edit the HD h.264 footage.
Thank you very much for your help!

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