Can I make the switch from Windows?

Hi there,
Preamble...
I am a very long time Windows user (since the 80s). In addition I have been editing videos as a hobby since the mid 90's, first mechanically and then (in 2000) on the computer. Currently I use several programs including Vegas Pro (which is a great program) to simpler programs like Power Director. I don't have a problem with my current video editors, I have a problem with Windows. Despite my best efforts it is always getting screwed up and every 4-6 months I have to start from scratch with a complete reload to get the speed and responsiveness that I initially had.
Although I mostly do hobby video (family stuff) I also do some professional video: wedding DVDs, slide shows for milestone birthdays/anniversaries, corporate videos for the web, etc. I do these because people ask me to do them (they are not a huge income generators). I work in both SD and some HD (using A Sony AVCHD camera and little cams like the Mino HD).
And now the question....
After my most recent Windows OS reload I got fed up. I was able to get a slightly used Mac Mini to check out the Mac OS. The mini I have has the following specs:
Model Name: Mac mini
Model Identifier: Macmini3,1
Processor Name: Intel Core 2 Duo
Processor Speed: 2 GHz
Number Of Processors: 1
Total Number Of Cores: 2
L2 Cache: 3 MB
Memory: 4 GB
Bus Speed: 1.07 GHz
I started to play around with iMovie and this software is not up to my particular needs. Final Cut Express certainly is, but here is the problem. Anything that I bring into FCE that is placed on the time line has to be rendered. Any video, any transition, audio effect, etc. This is very time consuming and really slows down both my productivity and creativity. The Windows programs that I use don't have this problem and they are able to render "on the fly" or at least give me a proxy which is fine for my needs.
It is clear that the Mac Mini/FCE combo won't work for me. However, In general, I really like the way the Mac works and I would be willing to buy an iMac or even a Mac Pro if I could eliminate this "wait forever to render" problem. Is there a way around this rendering issue? If I upgraded to a better Mac, would that solve this problem and if so, what Mac configuration would be best? I would be willing to spend around 4K if I could get a responsive system, but I sure don't want to waste that kind of money only to return to Windows.
Thanks for reading this long post!
Mike

Drmikekuna wrote:
... Sony AVCHD .. Canon SD ... Logitech .. Flip Mino HD. ..
.. Certainly not the best idea for a professional but just fine for a guy who likes to edit for fun.
that's were the fun stops on a MacOs-based system ..
FC/e supports only a few 'standards': DV (as from miniDV cams), HDV (from miniDV devices), AVCHD (from most devices) and with a little trick, described on my website AVCHD-light (720p, as from many compact-stills) ..
done.
some Flips are supported by iMovie, which you can abuse as a converter tool.
but 'non video standard' (=read 'video' as 'in TV') formats, resolutions and codecs ...
a) manual conversion = less convenient
b) loss of 'quality', e.g. when you blow-up tiny 480x320/15fps into video..
FC/e is FC/pros lil' brother.. meant for a more.. adult workflow..
if you like to wrestle with multi-formats, stay with Windows/Magix/..
Windows=options, with a chance of getting lost
MacOs=convenience, with a chance of getting restricted

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