G5 dual ppc network video editing URGENT SCHOOL

Hey guys are set up is a g5 and then 15 emacs which get there accounts of the g5 which is our server, we wish to do video editing, yet once 5 imacs are video editing it uses about 12mb on the network, and they run majorly slow , any advice as we want to use all of them for video editing really, the server as 512 of Ram would upgrading that help ? any advice would be really appreciated

Hi
I’m not an expert on video editing but unless you have at least a Gigabit network (even then you may struggle) its best to work locally. Especially in an Open Directory Environment. Create another local account and let the students use that. They can log on to their home folders or a group folder and copy their work after they have finished working locally.
There is more to a server than adding RAM and 512MB of RAM for a server is not a lot. You should install as much as you can afford as well as looking at the quality of your physical network, cabling and suchlike. Get the best network switches you can afford (don’t be tempted to skimp and use hubs). Upgrade and install Cat6 if you can. Try and use a mac that is as high a spec as possible for the server (fast processors, fast data bus, large fast drives). Once you start contemplating video creation and editing the ante in terms of hardware and network goes up big time for client macs and servers.
Tony

Similar Messages

  • Best Video Card for my MDD Dual 1.25 and Video Editing?

    I know that this has been discussed several times before. I just never saw any real answers. I was planning to a little more intensive video editing so I got the Motion 2.1 Trial. Well, doens't allow me to install saying that my video card doesn't meet the specs. I'm confused, I read the requirements and read me files and my ATI Radeon 9800 Pro seems to meet the basic requirements. However, the About this Mac says that it doens't support Core Image.
    I guess my question is what would be my best and least expensive video card upgrade? Or is mine set up incorrectly or something? I've read elsewhere that this card should work. I'm just a little confused why it doesn't support Core Image....I may go all the way to Final Cut...Will this card work with that application?
    Any info would be great.
    Thanks.
    Robert

    Thanks and sorry for the confusion...I just realized
    that mine is only a 64mb card. It's the stock that
    came originally in the MDD dual 1.25 I believe. I
    had no idea that the same model card can have
    different amounts of memory. It still says that it's
    the ATI Radeon 9800 Pro...just 64mb and no core image
    support
    It sounds like you may be mistaken and have an Apple OEM ATI RADEON 9000 Pro. That had 64MB, was stock with the MDD, and does not support core image.
    There was also an Apple OEM ATI RADEON 9700 Pro with 128MB available as a BTO option with the MDD Dual 1.42GHz. Sometimes they pop up on eBay, although they are sought-after because they support core image and have both an ACD and DVI connection allowing for two digitally-connected LCD flat-panel monitors.
    To my knowledge there have only been 128MB and 256MB versions of the ATI RADEON 9800 Pro Mac Edition.
    PowerMac G4 MDD Dual 1.25GHz   Mac OS X (10.4.10)  

  • I'm looking to buy a macbook pro. I will be doing some video editing with it. Would it be better to go a bit pricier to get the 2.0ghz quad core or stick with the lower priced 2.7ghz dual core?

    I'm looking to buy a macbook pro. I will be doing some video editing with it. Would it be better to go a bit pricier to get the
    2.0ghz quad core or stick with the lower priced 2.7ghz dual core?

    Video is the magic word for fast CPUs, large screens, maximum RAM and large HHDs.  Ditto what eww says and do not order RAM and HDD upgrades through Apple.  It is much, much less expensive through third party vendors.   
    Ciao.
    I do some video work myself so I have an understanding of your needs.

  • Dual 17'' Displays and an NTSC Monitor for Video Editing

    I am trying to hook up two 17'' apple monitors and an NTSC television monitor for video editing, but all I have on the back of my G5 tower is one ADC plug and one DVI plug. Any advice on how to make this work would be greatly appreciated.

    If you run in anything other than the LCD's native resolution your graphics card will be resampling the image. This inevitably distorts the image as pixels must be discarded to create the display. Typically this softens the image.
    Cheers,
    Neale
    Insanity is hereditary, you get it from your children

  • Which G5 for Video Editing?

    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:
    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?
    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?
    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?
    Thanks for your advice!
    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

  • Best Raid 5 expandable external harddrives for video editing & storage.

    Hi,
    I'm hoping to get opinions and recommendations from the community concerning the best Raid 5 expandable external harddrives for HD video editing and storage. Initially, I'd like to start with an 8tb and have it expandable to 16tb, that will work with both Mac and PC. There seem to be a number of options, but it's difficult to find reviews from video editors. It would be nice to stay under $ 2,000.00.
    Thanks for any input.
    Heather

    If the brief includes "fast enough for video editing", you are looking for an editing solution.
    If you want it to be fast enough to edit video and be shared by two computers, you are looking at a server type system connected through a very fast network interface (fibre, dual channel iSCSI)
    If this is the case, $2k is not going to do it.
    What it comes down to is this - Basic backup can be had relatively inexpensively as can direct connect RAID systems. The complexity and cost comes from the shared network storage with enough bandwidth to support multiple systems.
    What do you want for your $2000?
    Regards,
    x

  • New video editing pc.. will this work ? i'm new here, please help me out

    hi everybody my name is mark, . i really hope i write and express myself correctly
    first of all i'd like to say i love this forum. there are some brilliant ppl here with great advice.
    special props to Mr Harm Millaard.. wow u know sum serious s*** !
    i'm a pro musician my thing has always been protools, recording production etc. its time for me to get into video using adobe premiere pro
    mostly i'll be doing my own music vids for my solo projects and for my band as well as professionally done as possible. i'm a nebie at all things video but i'm totally obsessive when it come to creative projects. it helps with the learning curve (:
    this is my courant rig setup
    http://http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131405
    http://CPU INTEL|CORE I5 750 2.66G R
    http://MEM 4Gx2|GSKILL F3-10666CL9D-8GBRL
    3 Wd hd's 160 500 and 640 gb's
    2 monitors 22' hanns g and a 19 "something
    i believe a 400 or 450 w powersupply
    stock vidow card
    2 cd/dvd
    i think that covers the basics
    AFTER OVER A WEEK OF RESEARCHING AND NO SLEEP THIS IS WHAT I CAME UP WITH FOR MY NEW RIG
    http://ASUS P6X58D Premium LGA 1366 Intel X58 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
    http://Intel Core i7-950 Bloomfield 3.06GHz LGA 1366 130W Quad-Core Processor BX80601950
    http://G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 12GB (3 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9T-12GBRL
    http://HITACHI Deskstar 7K3000 HDS723020BLA642 (0f12115) 2TB 7200 RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
    http://Western Digital VelociRaptor WD1500HLFS 150GB 10000 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
    http://EVGA 012-P3-1470-AR GeForce GTX 470 (Fermi) 1280MB 320-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card
    http://Thermaltake Black Widow W0319RU 850W ATX 12V v2.3, EPS 12V v2.91 CrossFire Certified 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Modular Active PFC
    http://Antec Nine Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
    total 1,399.92      i'm pretty much at my budget max
    will this setup be able to handle both my protools and adobe premier cs5? am i missing something ?
    what would be the best  HD set up wise for max audio/video performance  ? i was thinking a dual boot ?
    with  2 new hd's i'll have 5 all told.
      3 for video... 150 veloci raptor  2tb Hitachi and WD 640
    ..2 for protools... the wd 160 and the WD 500
    i guess i'm looking for the best way to set up my rig for max audio/video performance and pass the information on to my cuz who's in the pc building biz his thing is gaming not so much video editing.
    i really hope i wrote this out correctly so everybody can understand what i'm trying to say and will be able to give me the proper guidance i need
    let the suggestions begin
    thank u for your time
    Message was edited by: iammajick

    thanks for your support guys. it now looks like i'm changing up  my rig again. looks like were going to be going with a RAID set up
    3 x http://Western Digital Caviar Black WD1002FAEX 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
    1  http://Western Digital Caviar Black WD6401AALS 640GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive which i already have on the rig i'm using
      my cousin gino orffitelli who's mainly a gamer builder for his company  ePro had this to say in an email to me last nite.. he gave kool props to the adobe forums
    'finally had a few min read through your email and skim the links you made in adobe'.....'as far as storage is concerend i believe the mobo's your looking at support RAID and from what i read thanks to your links, RAID 5 offers the best performance and saftey which means 4 HDD's.....' with the knowlege base your building and contacts u have you and i may just open a new direction for ePRO'.....
    i try my hardest to understand RAID but since i'm a novice with computers its really hard for me to grasp it...http://forums.adobe.com/thread/525263
    my brain is in overload insane trying to process all this (:
    so guys... RAID 5 with the rest of the hardware i'll be using  ?
      like i said i'd like to have  the max performance for my  audio/vidio rig.
    thanks again guys
    mark

  • Considering dumping my iMac for a PC used for DSLR video editing on Premiere CS6. Help!

    So I edit mostly 1080p DSLR footage taken from my canon T3i camera. I purchased a 2011 (the latest model) iMac a little over a year ago, upgraded the RAM to 12GB and it has worked reasonably well. I purchased the base model for $1200 which has a quad core i5 processor, 512mb of video ram, and a measly 500gb hard drive. The past couple of days I have come to the realization that I only use Adobe Programs for graphically intensive work (premiere, after effects, etc). I originally bought my iMac for final cut, but FCPX SUCKS and I switched to Premiere CS6 which works like a dream. Anyways, I'm a senior in high school and do lots of video editing (going to major in video production in college). I'm likely going to differ college for a year and continue my video production business (pretty informal) as well as video production internships at a couple companies (so don't suggest that I get a laptop for portability, not an issue). I just shot an entire wedding with 2 DSLR's and the footage takes up over 20% of my hard drive which is unacceptable. This is very troublesome for me and has been clogging up my computer considerably. I have realized it would make a lot of sense to sell my iMac and purchase a PC that's not only faster, but has much more space. I was ideally looking to sell my iMac for $1000, and from that get a better and faster PC setup for my video editing. $200 would be allocated for a 24" 1080p LED 5ms Asus monitor (from newegg) which would leave $800 remaining for the PC. Ideally it'd be nice to have a little cash left over. Some things that sound appealing to me are: an intel i7 quad core proccessor at least 3.0+ Ghz,  16 GB of ram (maybe 8 to start), 1 GB of video RAM (here is where I'm stuck, my Imac had a Radeon 512mb video card in it, but I've heard premiere runs especially well with nVidia CUDA cards? Don't really know too much about this stuff.) I have no idea what type of card to get, and if I would even see a performance upgrade from my iMac. For storage I'd like at least 2TB of space, should I get two seperate 1 TB drives? One for boot and software and another for video files? Anyways, I assume I can benefit from selling my 2011 i5 iMac to get a faster PC equivalent at a lower price since I mainly edit videos (which is pretty graphically intense) from an HD DSLR camera. I've noticed premiere rendering times on my mac are starting to get pretty slow these days. Ideally it'd be nice to buy a desktop (already assembled) maybe from HP for around $600 (not including the monitor). I'm not completely against building a PC from parts (since I know a friend who can do it for me) I just need help figuring out WHAT exactly it is that I need and would benefit from.

    Buy a Desktop Video Editing PC
    http://www.adkvideoediting.com/
    -ADK Kudos http://forums.adobe.com/thread/877201
    Build a Desktop Video Editing PC
    -http://ppbm7.com/index.php/intro-part-1
    -http://forums.adobe.com/thread/1098759
    -http://forums.adobe.com/thread/878520?tstart=0
    -http://forums.adobe.com/thread/815798
    -http://www.shawnlam.ca/2012/premiere-pro-cs6-video-editing-computer-build/
    -http://www.videoguys.com/Guide/E/Videoguys+DIY9+Its+Time+for+Sandy+Bridge+E/0xe9b142f408a2 b03ab88144a434e88de7.aspx

  • I have the G Drive 1 TB (GEN4 1TB) external drive purchased in 2010. I need to connect to my new MacBook Pro. I'm using the external drive for media storage of my video editing projects. Will a 800fw to thunderbolt adapter cable work?

    I have the G Drive 1 TB (GEN4 1TB) external drive purchased in 2010. I need to connect to my new MacBook Pro. I'm using the external drive for media storage of my video editing projects. Will a 800fw to thunderbolt adapter cable work? I understand that using a USB port connection is not fast enough for video editing. I read somewhere the G Drives don't connect well to MacBook Pro.
    thanks
    larry

    I doubt this can be relocated or moved so you might want to just repost in the macbook pro area.
      MacBook Pro
    https://discussions.apple.com/community/notebooks/macbook_pro
    https://discussions.apple.com/community/mac_os?view=discussions
    Can you afford a new Thunderbolt case and cable? any case with FW800 is going to be slow 72MB/sec and less, and any new 1TB drive is capable of 75MB/s minimum up to 125MB/sec.
    Thunderbolt storage can of course when setup properly reach 100's of MB higher using multiple drives.
    Use what you have for a system backup or for secondary backup storage.
    you might be able to take the drive - most cases allow you to open and swap drives - and use this:
    G-Technology 1TB G-DRIVE mini High-Speed Portable Hard Drive                                   
    or this:
    http://store.apple.com/us/product/HB137VC/A/g-technology-4tb-g-raid-professional -high-performance-dual-drive-hard-drive?fnode=5f

  • Setting up/extending a Dual Band network

    Any recommendations regarding dual-band vs. the n/b/g blended network? Is it possible to set up a dual-band network on an AEBS-n and also boost the "n" side of the network with an AX-n? I've searched the discussions but have not found much on the topic, other than some comments regarding iMacs not liking "n" or 10.5.3 or airport utility 5.3.1 or maybe the "automatic" channel setting or possibly something else.....
    A little history:
    We have 3 iMacs (new 3.06 Ghz, 17" late 2006, 20" late 2006), 3 MacBook Pros, and one dual-2.5 Ghz G5 that all shared internet access through a Motorola modem/Comcast cable via an Airport Extreme Base Station b/g. The AEBS was in the basement and configured as a WDS with an Airport Express b/g that served to extend the network's reach to the second floor and remodeled kitchen (new steel beams). This setup has worked nearly flawlessly for years until recently, when both of the older iMacs started experiencing intermittent airport signal drops--supremely annoying. The modem seemed to work fine, however, and the AEBS light stayed green and the G5 and MBPs weren't having issues (some running Tiger, some Leopard).
    I thought that upgrading to Leopard (erase and install) might take are of any weird settings or corrupt files and thus improve the iMacs' airport connections, so I upgraded the first one, and it seemed to fix the problem--no drops of airport or internet for several hours. I then decided it was time to upgrade the network as well--swapping out the old b/g AEBS and AX for a new AEBS-n and AX-n. (Yes, I know, not too smart to change both the OS and the network at the same time ... but here we are.) Since the G5 in the basement can't connect to an "n" network, I decided to set up a Dual Band network with the AX-n acting as the old AX b/g had to extend the network.
    This is what it looked like:
    cable modem ------>
    AEBS-n ------> wireless to Airport Extreme-n ---> wireless to older iMacs and MBPs
    AX b/g (connected via ethernet to AEBS) -----> wireless to the G5
    This worked, sort of, in that all but the G5 could all pick up and join either the "n" or the b/g network. Problem was, the network was very unstable-- the airport signal would suddenly drop out for no reason then recover, or the airport icon would show a full 4 bars but have no internet connection. This was happening on all of the macs, perhaps more so on the two older iMacs, while the modem itself showed no change in status, and the AEBS-n light would remain green. When I removed the AX-N from the setup to see if that was causing a hiccup, the drops were a little less frequent but the kitchen iMac was marooned with 1, maybe 2 bars in the airport icon and the signal strength on the second floor was decreased. Oh, and the drops continued to happen. I've now reverted to a b/g-compatible network, which is better, but still hasn't prevented all of the drops.
    My questions are:
    1-Any ideas about why the airport is acting wonky? Are 'n' networks proving to be more problematic than the old ones?
    2-Is it possible to use an AX-n to extend the range of the "n" side of a dual band network?
    2-If so, any ideas for improving the network's reliability?
    3-If not, will going back to a b/g-compatible network negate the supposed speed benefits of 802.11n? Would I go back to using a WDS setup then?
    I've tried so many different settings, combinations, configurations trying to get this up and working, that I'm ready to pull my hair out. Any help will be greatly appreciated!
    Message was edited by: wiswic

    Thanks for your reply. Looking back at my sorry attempt at a diagram, I realize I wasn't clear about a couple of things. The modem is connected via ethernet to the AEBS-n. The AEBS-n is connected via ethernet to the AE-b/g, which provides wireless coverage to the G5 and others. So far, everything is in the basement.
    We live in an old house--no way to set up the network via ethernet--and so rely on the airport network to provide internet access to the computers on the first and second floors. In our old network, I had an AE-b/g as a WDS remote located in the kitchen that provided the first and second floors with their internet connection.
    When I upgraded our network, I set up the new AEBS-n as a 5.0 Ghz an-only network (create a network/allow network to be extended) and connected the old AE b/g to it (bridge mode/create a network) to provide wireless internet for the G5. The iMac in the kitchen could hardly pick up the "n" signal at all, and it could receive only a weak signal from the b/g network. Lots of dropped airport signals and also lots of dropped internet connections. Strangely enough, the MacBookPros on the second floor could pick up both signals pretty strongly, but they, too, had lots of drops. The 2nd floor iMac was even worse than the kitchen iMac--spotty reception at best, and lots of drops. The G5 and the iMac in the basement, meanwhile, were fine--strong signal and only intermittent drops.
    Hoping to extend the reach of the "n" network and thereby eliminate the drops, I added an AE-n to it (bridge mode/extend the network) and put it where the old b/g had been. This boosted the "n" signal to the kitchen and 2nd floor, but the drops seemed to become more frequent and for longer durations. Perhaps this was merely coincidence, but it made me question whether adding the AE-n in a dual-band network was advisable. Not finding any info that specifically addressed that scenario, I turned to the discussion forum for guidance.
    Further research leads me to believe that the iMacs' issues may be more due to their being iMacs in the first place, but I was still left with a very unreliable dual band network for the rest of the Macs. Reconfiguring the AEBS-n and AE-n as an n (b/g compatible) network has led to far fewer drops, but like you, I'd prefer to keep my  "an" devices separated from the G5 to make use of their higher wireless speed.
    So....I guess what I need to know is whether anyone else been having so many dual band dropouts? Have you had any success in eliminating them? Have you successfully extended the "n" side of their dual band without adversely affecting stability?
    As long as I know this isn't a lost cause, I'll give it another go and keep tweaking settings in hopes of finding a stable setup....

  • 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

  • Need advice on computer for photo and video editing

    I do mostly routine stuff on my home computer (word processing, e-mails, internet, etc), except for photo and video editing (hobby, not professional)
    I'm upgrading my 4 year old set up, as it has 2 GB ram, dual core vs quad core, 256mb video card, etc, etc.  Better to buy a new rig than upgrade several different components.
    Costco has a pretty nice set up in the store (HPE 257 c-b), but for an extra $200, I can order online and get the HPE 170t, which is essentially the same except for 2 upgrades:
    -Radeon HD 5770 video card vs Radeon HD 5570
    -Two 1 TB 7200 hard drives vs one 1 TB 7200 hard drive
    My question is this.....is it worth the extra $200 to get the better graphics card and the dual hard drive set up?  Will it really make that much of a difference in the performance?  I'm thinking it will, especially the ability to set up the 2nd hard drive as my scratch disk.
    For what it's worth, both systems have the i7 860, 8 GB ram, and Windows Home Premium 64 bit.
    Thanks.

    In very general terms, the requirements for Video will exceed those for Photoshop (PS). If you are looking at PrPro CS5, then the video card WILL make a difference, and PS CS5 now takes advantage of the video card, than before.
    For PS, the minimum HDD setup would be a 2x system with physical (not partitions) HDD's. Video has more requirements in this area, and I would say that a 3x setup is the minimum. Do read Harm's linked article, as it is the best that I have ever run across.
    For the PS setup, just locate the Scratch Disks for PS on your extra HDD's, the ones with your Project and PrPro Scratch Disks.
    Enjoy the new computer, and welcome to the forum,
    Hunt

  • Video Editing on Macbook

    Im thinking about purchasing a macbook or macbook pro. I was curious to know if the macbook has enough power to do some decent video editing on it. If i purchase the macbook, i will upgrade to 1GB Ram and 120GB Hard Drive. Any information would be helpful.
    Thanks
    BigWhit

    Depend on what software you want to use for editing and what quality you want to achieve.
    If you using iMovie and iDVD or maybe latest Final Cut express, I believe the MacBook still be able to served you well.
    I use it to edit my project of 55 mins of video with a lot of FX and transition, and it work smoothly.
    I would suggest instead upgrading 1 Gb and 120 internal HD, you better consider upgrading 2 Gb (1Gb x 2) of ram, and invest a decent (7200 rpm/8mb or 16 mb cache) external firewire or dual interface (USB & FW) HD, that around that amount you want to spend for your upgrade plan.
    Also buy an external screen adapter if you have a monitor laying around to extend the screen view to make your editing process easier.
    Here is the option, but check your external monitor first.
    http://store.apple.com/1-800-MY-APPLE/WebObjects/AppleStore.woa/wo/0.RSLID?mco=C A995172&nclm=B30BC981
    Good Luck.

  • Best Monitors for video editing??? NEC LCD2690WUXi² Vs 24"Apple GLOSSY LED

    I am so stuck finding the right monitor for video editing in my price range i just cant afford the 30" apple cinema display, what is next best solution out there...?
    Is Anyone using the NEC LCD2690WUXi² Monitors? from what i can tell they are better than the 24" apple LED displays for video editing as...
    a) anti glare screen & can be properly colour calibrated
    b) 26" screen Vs 24" screen size
    c) got DVI-I & DVI-D Connectors so compatible with NVIDIA GT 120 outputs (1 Mini DisplayPort and 1 dual-link DVI-D)
    i would love the 30" apple but the NEC comes in at 1/2 the price so i can eventually buy two & i would have definitely taken the 24" but its just not suitable for professional video editing from everything I've read - mainly due to glossy screen, colours & calibration
    pls can anyone help with any display solutions/setups
    warmest regards
    graeme
    Oh PS do the NEC LCD2690WUXi² work flawlessly with the latest "Nehalem" Mac Pros?

    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.
    http://www.necdisplay.com/Products/Series/?series=171d9fbb-281e-44d8-be67-14d146 e8ada0
    Third party monitors are having some trouble with the new Macs. Mostly because of the mini-display ports on the newest Apple supplied cards, but there seem to be other issues as well. You can definitely expect to use the DVI port and leave the mini display for whatever Apple will force on us next.
    Apples 24"? Well, it works fine for most but in Apples own description of the display it was made to connect laptops to.
    Edit: I'm sorry, for video work? Most anything in the upper end is fine.
    Message was edited by: Samsara

  • For those of you who cannot afford a proper video editing system...

    ...don't buy any prosumer video editing program (including Premiere Pro CS5.5). Here's why:
    Last night, I ran the PPBM5 test on an Intel i3-2100 system with 4GB of DDR3-1333 RAM, a 500GB OS drive and a 1TB project drive (both drives are 7200 RPM) and integrated (onboard) Intel HD Graphics 2000. (This is the kind of system that one might buy for the purpose of Interner surfing and some limited gaming.) I have just submitted the results to the PPBM5 site.
    The result?
    With a total time of 976 seconds, that system is around 20 times slower than a fast i7 system (although it was marginally faster than the other systems with dual-core CPUs on the PPBM5 results list). That i3-2100 system also proved that no system with a dual-core CPU performed as fast as a system with even a mediocre-performing quad-core CPU.
    In other words, at the lower end, you get what you pay for. This post and thread is to inform how senseless it is to cheap out on the components when building a video editing build.

    If you absolutely can't afford the "fully ready" cost of...
    16GB DDR3-1333 RAM: $120
    4 x 1TB 7200 RPM SATA hard drives: $240
    320GB or 500GB 7200 RPM SATA hard drive (for OS): $45
    You could START with...
    8GB DDR3-1333 RAM (2x4Gig)
    2 x 1TB 7200 RPM SATA hard drives
    320GB or 500GB 7200 RPM SATA hard drive (for OS)
    And then add Ram and/or hard drives as need and $$ is available
    The computer I built a bit over a year ago is described at http://forums.adobe.com/thread/652694?tstart=0
    My 3 hard drives are configured as... (WD = Western Digital)
    1 - 320G WD Win7 64bit Pro and all program installs
    2 - 320G WD Win7 swap file and video project files
    3 - 1T WD all video files... input & output files
    Search Microsoft to find out how to redirect your Windows swap file
    http://search.microsoft.com/search.aspx?mkt=en-US&setlang=en-US
    For home hobbyist editing of AVCHD my computer does very well... for me

Maybe you are looking for