Final Cut Express HD 4 on Mac Mini?

Hello,
I know that the Mini isn't the fastest machine in the mac lineup, but I love mine and Apples' specs say that both it and the Macbook can cope with Final Cut Express HD 4.
I was wondering if anyone out there is already using this sort of setup in anger and what performance they had. Any 'groggy' areas?
I have a 1.83 Intel Core Duo mini with maxed out RAM running Leopard.
Thanks for your time

While I certainly don't want to discourage any further FCE users from describing their experiences with the software on Mac minis, I would have expected others to have jumped into that thread if there were additional thoughts - particularly if the comments there were not reasonably reflective of real-world experience. I think the response you got in the FCE discussion area, indicating that this software runs on much older and less capable hardware is a pretty good indicator - that FCE is really not particularly demanding. That's been my experience running it on a variety of systems, including my old G4, and a G4 mini.
Video performance is certainly acceptable, which would be expected since it runs just fine on G4 minis, and the integrated graphics on the Intel models is rather more capable. The Intel processors are also significantly more powerful than G4 systems, and on a par with G5 processors used in systems with far better performance than the minimum spec FCE was designed to work with.
All in all, if you don't get many other responses, I'd urge you not to consider that an indicator of there being a problem with FCE and Mac minis - actually quite the contrary!

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Does Final Cut Express 4 work with mac mini and other questions...?

I have a few questions I need help in answering... I would appreciate opinions on the following:
I am about to make a purchase of a new mac. I already have a mac mini PPC, but it is too slow...
Here is what I am thinking.
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Or should I go with the more powerful iMac?
I like to make movies on my mac but I hate iMovie 08 so I constantly use iMovie HD 06. Should I go to Final Cut Express 4 or just stick with iMovie HD 06?

There is no doubt that FCE 4 will run on an Intel mini - the GMA graphics processor is compatible. There is also no doubt that an iMac would give you somewhat better overall performance, though it's important perhaps to note that as complex as FCE is, it is actually a little less demanding on hardware than iMovie has traditionally been, so the difference between a mini with 2Gb RAM and a similarly equipped iMac will not be all that great in FCE, though it will become a little more noticeable if you continue to use iMovie 6.
The main reason for the performance difference between iMovie and FCE is that in order to provide a reasonably sophisticated video editing package that will run on very basic hardware, Apple relied heavily on caching techniques, meaning that while FCE basically spools from video and relies on CPU power, iMovie constantly moves data to and from the hard drive. The mini's hard drive is a (relatively) slow device in comparison to the iMac's - thus the iMac runs iMovie rather more seamlessly. In FCE, the difference is, as said, rather less clear unless you were to go for the top-end model.
If your budget can stretch to an iMac it makes sense to go that route simply because the extra power and overall performance (and the better graphics processor) will give you greater flexibility down the road. On the other hand, if funds are tight and you need to spend as little as reasonably possible, a mini will do fine, and is sufficient;y inexpensive that in a couple of years could be sold off and replaced without severe financial implications.
In terms of the choice between FCE or iMovie, beware that if you haven't used FCE before, the transition is not easy, and the learning curve for it is pretty steep. That said, it has far greater power and flexibility in terms of what you can achieve with it than has ever been possible with iMovie.
That said, for casual and home use, iMovie (version 6 at least) has plenty of power and tools for the majority of projects. iMovie 8 is, in many ways, deeply flawed for those who want that sort of power and workflow tools, being that it is designed for quick and easy creation of movies, not creative and considered productions. It has it's uses, but if you have experience with iMovie already, v8 is really not intended for you at all.
All that said, I've used iMovie 6 on systems will a lot less power than the current Intel minis, and have found it stable and workable, so I have no doubt it would work well on any current Mac.

What version of final cut Will work with my mac mini ??

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80GB Serial ATA drive
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Luca Lazzari

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Hello Franco,
Welcome to the forum. There are lots of good people here who can provide advice & help.
What is your exact hardware setup - are you using any external Firewire hard drives? What version of FCE are you using; what Easy Setup are you using in FCE (DV-PAL, for example).
Did it work before or has it never worked with FCE?

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I recently got a MacBook Pro and loaded Final Cut Express 2 on there but it says it needs an AGP Graphics Card to work. Any info on this? Thanks.
Mac Book Pro Mac OS X (10.4.7)

Hi Rupert.
You will probably find that FCE2 works slower than it should.
You really need to upgrade to FCE3.5 ($99 US / £65 UK) which is designed for maximum performance on your MBP.
It is also a much more advanced program and contains the mind-blowing LiveType and Soundtrack which alone are worth the upgrade fee.
For a permanent solution (for FCE2) to stop the error message ever appearing again you can use this hack:-
1. Right click (Control-click) on the FCE application icon (NOT the one in the dock) and select "Show Package Contents".
2. Open the "Contents" folder and double click the "info .plist". It should open automatically in TextEdit - if it doesn't, choose TextEdit manually.
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4. Close the window and when asked if you want to save the changes, say yes.
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I installed Final Cut Express in new I-Mac OSX Lion 10.7.2 and it won´t start

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It's an accomplishment that you were even able to install it on Lion (normally it won't even install on Lion).
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Message was edited by: AndreasLoeffler

See these:
http://support.apple.com/kb/TS2005
http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1861
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However, a worrying section of the spec requirements for Final Cut Studio 2 is 'An AGP or PCI Express Quartz Extreme graphics card (Final Cut Studio is not compatible with integrated Intel graphics processors)'
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Go to the individual applications page for detail and read the specs VERY closely. If it says it needs a video card or processor of a certain level - well - that's what it means. In years past, some hacks have been made but who knows if that is possible in the next generation. I certainly would not count on it.
x

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Any similar issues with anyone else?
Thanks
TIM

There is no need to install FCE2.
Just install the FCE4 upgrade as it is actually a Full Retail version with one tiny difference ....... you will have to input both the old and the new serial numbers.
Make sure you get the numbers exactly right or they won't work.
Before reinstalling you should remove every trace of the existing installations by deleting the files listed here:-
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=93688
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=301182
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Final Cut Express 4 Not Installing - Mac Pro dual 2.66

Just got FCE 4. Trying to install on:
Mac Pro
Model Identifier: MacPro1,1
Processor Name: Dual-Core Intel Xeon
Processor Speed: 2.66 GHz
Number Of Processors: 2
Total Number Of Cores: 4
L2 Cache (per processor): 4 MB
Memory: 5 GB
Bus Speed: 1.33 GHz
Running Quicktime 7.3
Installer writes files to exactly 33% and then quits. Did this about ten times and quits in exactly same spot.
I have all updates, etc.
This feels like iLife 08 iDVD all over again. Could never get that to install.
Anyone else having this problem?
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Marty
PS - just installed iWork 08 just fine.
Boot ROM Version: MP11.005C.B08

Tom,
Supposedly this is a clean install. NOT upgrade.
What is strange is that installer script says "Upgrade" on the "Install" button.
There is no other FCE on the machine anywhere.
THX
Marty

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Final Cut Express HD 4 on Mac Mini?

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