Thinking of getting a 15" MBP for FCPX... few questions...

Hey everyone,
I am thinking of getting a MBP for FCPX.
I am new to Mac's and have always used PC's but with all of the trouble I have had with my PC's lately, and the fact that I have an iPhone, iPod, and everything seems to be moving to the "cloud" I think it is time to go with what seems like the superior product, an Apple Laptop
So my question to you:
I am on a budget, but don't want to be regretting not spending enough in the long run.
I want to do some video editing and I have always used Sony Vegas in the past. With FCPX only being $300 now, that seems much more reasonable than the way FCP7 was previously priced.
What sort of system spec's should I shoot for?
I am reading that the minimums are as follows:
Mac computer with an Intel Core 2 Duo processor or better.
2GB of RAM (4GB of RAM recommended).
OpenCL-capable graphics card or
Intel HD Graphics 3000 or later.
256MB of VRAM (512MB of VRAM recommended).
Display with 1280-by-768 resolution or higher.
OS X v10.6.8 or OS X v10.7.5 or OS X v10.8.2 or later.
2.4GB of disk space.
So if I got a 15" Macbook Pro (without Retina display... do I really need the Retina?) here are the specs and my questions:
2.3GHz Quad-core Intel Core i7, Turbo Boost up to 3.3GHz Or should I go for the 2.6GHz Quad-core Intel Core?
8GB 1600MHz DDR3 SDRAM - 2x4GBI figured this would be a good upgrade from the 4GB of RAM
500GB Serial ATA Drive @ 5400 rpmATA versus SSD? What size do you think?
MacBook Pro 15-inch Glossy Widescreen DisplayAre the high-res glossy or anti-glare any better? Is the regular screen pretty easy on the eyes?
Any other tips or suggestions for what to get? I want this to run as smoothly as possible, and I want this to be a computer that will last me a few years. I am currently on year 5 of my laptop PC, so I hope that the Apple's are as good of a product.
Thanks!

As Tony writes, try to get the faster machine if you can afford. fcpx needs: a fast hard drive, a fast processor and lots of memory (ram).
Just a bit of my own experience: I am presently working with fcpx 1005 on a retina macbook pro (15", 2.7GHz, 16GB ram, the faster video card, and 500GB SSD internal drive). I was waiting for a mac pro so I settled for this machine and it lives up to all my expectations. I am editing material in ProRes 1080p30 with a lot of processing (effects) and usually 4-5 layers. The machine performs better than I would have imagined.
- Internal hard drive: of course the internal SSD hard drive helps but you can skip that if money is tight. Try and put a 7200 rpm drive, the price difference should not be so great and there still will be a difference.
- RAM is vital: on a regular project, as soon as you use color correction and plugins fcpx eats all the ram it can get. I used to work on a 6GB ram macbook pro until last summer and needed to quit and relaunch fcpx constantly. Now I have 16GB in the new macbook pro and the memory-hungry situation is just slightly better. The performance of course is much better in the sense that fcpx tends less to forget things, to show the beach ball or to act erratically. All this is due to lack of RAM. So do not spare on that and put in the maximum your machine can take.
- The speed of the processor will make a difference between smooth and less smooth performance, and render times of course.
- fcpx, also, is now GPU optimized and a faster video card in the macbook pro will make a definite difference. Same as for CPU.
- external hard drives: don't even think of editing on your internal drive. Think that all your system and apps are installed there, so you want to keep this drive from running hot and die prematurely.
Use USB3 or eSATA drive enclosures. With an adaptor expresscard (like sonnet) you will get a decent performance and be able to read several ProRes 422 layers and a lot of ProRes Proxy layers and not despair in front of a sluggish machine. (I just upgraded from eSATA to TBolt RAID. This also helps with hi-res material and when you load an event with a lot of video files - much faster display). But both usb3 and eSATA are quite fine. If you can try and use a dual-drive enclosure you will get a real measurable performance boost.
- Screen: the retina is showing the images with a LOT better definition than the regular monitor. It is not too relfective. In studio, with a normal lighting arrangement it is fine. My other machines were all non-reflective and of course that's perfect. Stil the retina without question is better.
What else… well good luck.

Similar Messages

  • Thinking of getting an iPad but have a few questions

    After using the iPhone 4 (3GS previously) and really liking the OS on it, I am thinking of purchasing an iPad to make reading ebooks easier, also, having the iPad would be more convenient for me to quickly go on the net in my home (or other wifi area, but mostly home use) to seek information and also check, send emails, rather than having to switch the computer on all the time and then having to wait for it to load up and also with the iPad, the larger screen would make email, internet use and ebook use more pleasurable due to the iPad's larger screen when compared to using my iPhone.
    I have a few questions that I would like to ask to iPad users, who could perhaps answer them for me?
    In my household we have 2 iTunes libraries, one for my iPhone and one for my girlfriend's iPod. I created a separate iTunes library for each of the devices so that each one would have a totally separate library and therefore the possibility of having one overwriting the others library would be impossible.
    Now ideally I would be wanting to create a separate iTunes library for the iPad, but I would want to add the music and apps, email accounts, bookmarks that I have on my iPhone and add them onto my iPad. Would this possible?
    Also. I believe some apps have specific versions for either iPhone or iPad, so would the iPhone versions of the apps run on the iPad, or would I need to download the iPad versions of those particular apps?
    Also. I have a number of DVD's that I have converted and then dragged and dropped the video off of them into iTunes. If I am correct, would I need to reconvert those videos/DVD's again, as the video size (screen size) would be for the iPhone and therefore a smaller screen, which would not look very good on the iPad's much larger screen. If this is the case, can anyone recommend a good video converter for converting video for the iPad and what settings need to be used for the iPad?
    I also would be wanting to have a number of photos on the iPad. To get them onto the iPad, is it just a simply matter of selecting the pictures I have on my computer that I want added to my iPad, and then just dragging and dropping them into iTunes, then connecting and syncing the iPad to get them added on to the iPad, or is there an easier method?
    Thanks in advance

    Funny you should mention Macs, but I'm thinking of my next computer been an iMac, and using the Parallel Desktop software so that I can have functionality of been able to switch to Windows when needed to run the programs that are not Mac compatibly. I'm swaying towards Mac has I have heard their OS is more reliable and secure compared to Windows, and the need to have anti virus and anti spyware programs on a Mac is not really needed, but I figure if I can run Windows on a Mac then I have the best of both worlds, anyhow back on to topic
    I do indeed take backups of the various libraries and related data for them.
    I have used the Dropbox app and was impressed, but I did prefer an app called iFiles which allows me to carry various files/files types around with me on my iPhone, such as PDF files, Word doc files etc.
    The reason I use the method of having a separate iTunes library for each device we use on the computer, (my iPhone, girlfriend's iPod, and soon maybe an iPad) is because I accidentally replaced the music I had on an iPod I had at the time with my girlfriend's music. So from then on, that's why I have created a separate library for each Apple device, and so far I have never accidentally messed up another devices contents.
    Thanks for the help its much appreciated.

  • HT5312 i try everything to get back my answer for my security questions...but it is not working

    i try to get back my answer for my security questions but it is not working

    You need to ask Apple to reset your security questions; ways of contacting them include clicking here and picking a method for your country, phoning AppleCare and asking for the Account Security team, and filling out and submitting this form.
    (97524)

  • My iPhone 3G phone button no longer works. If I push it I get a black screen for a few seconds then back to the home screen. Everything else is ok. Any ideas how to fix this?

    The phone button on my iPhone 3G no longer works. Everything else on the iPhone works fine. I can receive incoming calls. I can make calls directly from Contacts. But if I press the phone button I get a blank white screen for a few seconds then it goes back to the home screen. I've tried the hard reset and also restoring orignall settings via iTunes but keep getting the same problem. Does anyone know how to fix this?
    Thank you, Neil.

    Thanks for the advice but I've tried resetting network settings and also the reset by pressing home and sleep buttons until getting the Apple logo. Still have the same problem. To be clear (because I mistakenly typed black instead of blank in the title to this thread): If I press the phone button I get a BLANK WHITE screen for a few seconds then it goes back to the home screen. I doubt it's the SIM card as I can receive calls and make them directly from contacts. What I can't do is view my favourite numbers or missed calls or access my voicemail, i.e. all the things you get to via pressing the phone button.

  • Suitability of MBA and MBP for FCPX ...

    Hi there,
    i am going to purchase either a 13" Macbook Air or Macbook Pro & plan to use FCPX on it.
    the problem is I discovered the following:-
    a) the anount of RAM is so low as compared to my iMac whic has 32gb RAM.
    b) i always read that it is better to get a dedicated video RAM but most of the latest MBA and MBP only comes with on board video RAM.
    c) the HDD though is a flashed based but is so small, start from only 128gb. Could it be that Apple wants us to buy an external HDD  ?
    cheers & thanks

    RyanManUtd wrote:
    … But for me, what is important is that when I am editing on the timeline, I hate it when it becomes slow. Sometimes even the beach balls appear.
    So in my case, better to have a fast processor or a bigger RAM ?
    I have never seen a beachball using FCPX (see my specs: I'm on the very low end of hardware).
    (I've seen crashes … it's not all pink here ) 
    Aside 'no background rendering' … or manual initiated rendering (to see complex compos in real-time…) :
    Imho, it's all about 'delivery': put each stream on its own 'platter' = no beach balling, no stutter
    And with stream I don't mean the source(s), but what you see on screen:
    in case, you do pic-in-pic, compounds, MultiCam, you see 2/several streams - then, I recommend 2/several drives …
    to over-exaggerate:
    when you put the sources of a 4x camera MultiCam on 4 different drives ==> no stutter, no beach balling at all, even on antique, underpowered systems… ok, that's over-the-top, my several external, simple usb3 drives deliver each 2-3 fullHD streams flawless ...
    best practice is it anyhow to separate Events from app/OS/cache…
    I would suggest a min. of 16GB Ram.
    The number-crunching (rendering) is mostly done on GPU, not CPU.
    Last, silly comment: benchmark tests test benchmarks!
    Means: FCPX + MacOS + Apple hardware sums up 'higher' than expected.
    Don't be too focussed on GHz and stuff, no -user is interested in …
    Shall I link again to my stunt? (some board members: "Nooo, not again!!" <yawn> )
    I do link to my stunt ... >> 4x 4k Multicam on MacMini

  • Thinking of getting that dock extender for your iPhone? Read this 1st

    I recently tried using the new Sendstation dock extender to allow docking of my iPhone WITHOUT having to remove the Belkin clear plastic (very hard to remove as well as put on - for disabled folks like myself especially) from the iPhone. Like many others, I also use the Apple Bluetooth headset and love the elegance of the combo phone/bluetooth dock that Apple supplies with the Bluetooth headset. Very nice. I also wanted to stick with this case as I felt it gave the most protection without obscuring the beauty of Apple's hardware design.
    UNFORTUNATELY, the Sendstation dock extender (which works fine in Universal iPod docks) does not fit very well at all in either the standard iPhone dock or the iPhone/Bluetooth combo dock - yes, even with the little stand gadget they include with the different rubber bumpers to adjust for different models of iPods. In the combo dock, it's a little tenous and it seems that the pins of the connectors could bend really easily given how flimsy the seating of the phone on top of the port is.
    This is a business opportunity for someone (make an extender that is better designed, basically) OR Sendstation needs to get busy and make an insert that sits IN both the standard iPhone dock as well as the Apple combo iPhone/Bluetooth dock such that the phone fits properly and all pins of the connector are well connected. Also, Apple might consider re-thinking it's dock design at least for their combo dock. Had they raised the pin connector up higher and made the cavity it sits in a bit larger front to back, there would have been room to stick in one of the adapters. Maybe someone else here has the new set of adapters available and that might help with fixing this problem. If so, please post.
    If you're contemplating buying the Sendstation dock extender, be aware of this design flaw/inadequacy before you plunk down your $.
    If this post is not helpful to you or you don't like it, there is no need to flame. Simply ignore and move on.

    It's misleading - that "disclaimer". The problem wouldn't be so bad if it just didn't "fit fully" into the dock. I mean - so big deal as long as it works and nothing is harmed. But... that's just it; the way it DOES fit - i.e., kind of a 1/2 arse fit - could possibly bend the tiny pins in the connector. THAT is a bigger problem then simply characterizing it as "...doesn't fit fully..."
    Therefore, beware people thinking of buying this per my 1st post here.

  • I'm having trouble getting my reset link for my security questions because I no longer have access to the recovery email address

    I'm having trouble resetting my security questions because I no longer have access to the recovery email account that the link gets sent to and I can't make any purchases in the app or iTunes Store until this is fixed because I'm on a new iPad and it won't let me make any purchases until I've done so

    You need to ask Apple to reset your security questions; ways of contacting them include clicking here and picking a method for your country, phoning AppleCare and asking for the Account Security team, and filling out and submitting this form.
    (97070)

  • HT5312 I can't seem to get the rescue email for my security questions to reset them plz help idk what to do :o

    Plz help me idk what to do

    If you aren't receiving the email (and you've checked the spam folder on your rescue email account as well as the inbox, and tried clicking the reset link again), or you don't have a rescue email address on your account (you won't be able to add one until you can answer your questions), then you will need to contact iTunes Support / Apple in your country to get the questions reset.
    Contacting Apple about account security : http://support.apple.com/kb/HT5699

  • Getting not authorized message for a few songs

    I reordered some of my play lists, now 9 songs show as "not authorized". I did the authorization step, and I get that I was successful, but I still get "not authorized" on these few songs only. How can I fix this?

    edkertman,
    Mind telling us what you are trying to do exactly? What was the reason you re ordered playlists?
    The more info you give, the better the help.

  • HT204655 Get started with Photos for OS X - questions?

    What if I want to use a different cloud service? There is no option for backing up to another cloud service? Hope you add that option soon. And it's fine to do away with Events and use Albums, but why not convert all Events to Albums for consistency?

    iCloud Library is not a back up service. It's your actual library in the Cloud. You still need to back up your Library on your Mac. But that's a different thing. Events are converted to Albums when you migrate.

  • Can't get any decent help for a simple question...

    I would like to buy albums and music from Armada Music on Itunes. But they are only found in european stores. I was wondering if it possible to still buy them through Itunes even though they are on a foreign?

    No.
    You can ONLY buy from the itunes store in your country of residence.

  • My Samsung died thinking of getting the X240

    http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-NP700Z5B-S01UB-i7-2675QM-2-2GHz-Silver/dp/B007IJPVP0/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF...
    I am thinking of getting the x240 and have a few questions
    1. Does it have a backlit keyboard..
    2. Can I put my PC14900 DDR3 (vs X240's DDR3L) 204 pin ram into it into it?
    3. I have a dual band Intel 7260 AC card, can I put that into it?
    4. I have three samsung power adapters http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008KPKTVW/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1 Can these safely work with the X240 ( I am confused at how it's pin looks, the X240 from what I understand has a non-round or even a USB adapter port/pin)?

    If I buy the MacBook now, I may not get the new Leopard OS when it comes out.
    While it won't be free, you can just buy a retail copy of Mac OS X 10.5 (Leopard) when it is released… just like the rest of us. It will work just fine.
    I'm not sure about the degree of hard disk upgrade (can it use the normal laptop hard disks) and RAM (does it use the normal laptop RAMs).
    When it comes to RAM the general thinking is to buy as much as you can afford. Although for most people an upgrade to 1GB is sufficient. An upgrade to 1 or 2GB is highly recommended.
    As for your hard drive, it really depends on what you're thinking of doing with your MacBook and what sort, and how much, media files you're wanting to store. Without knowing that it's a little difficult to recommend anything.
    Is the black version really worth to buy compared to the white one which has arm rest discolouration issues.
    Given new white MacBooks do not have these problems, and if they do they're a free repair, the black MacBook is as good value when you look at it from a purely technical stand point. Even when you take into account the larger (extra 20GB) hard drive you're basically paying more for a colour which would more than pay for a 1GB RAM upgrade.

  • Is the 13inch MBP for $1199 practical for graphic design?

    Hi,
    I'm wondering if someone can please advise... my wife wants to get into graphic design, and I would like to get her a laptop for a gift... I use a macbook pro 2.53 but that's not in my budget...
    would the macbook pro for $1200 (13inch 2.26 2gb 160hd) be better than the macbook for 999?
    do you think those specs are sufficient for running PS, Ilustrator etc..?
    I'm looking for something she can use to learn graphic design on and actually do work... is 13in screen practical?
    Thanks

    Hi chaimdan,
    Photoshop is actually more dependent on the CPU /RAM/HD than on the Graphic processor, so the absence of the dedicated GPU won't hurt her with the base model MBP compared to your own. It will be a little slower with Photoshop than your own because of the ten percent or so difference in CPU speed, but not much.
    I'd be inclined to bump it up to 4 Gig of RAM though (i installed Corsair "MacRAM" in my own which was much cheaper than ordering the computer with the 4 Gig configuration). I found a substantial improvement with various graphics related apps after upgrading.
    To connect to a large monitor you will need an adaptor - either "MiniDisplay Port to DVI" or MiniDisplay Port to VGA", depending on the monitor . Almost all current flat screen monitors will support DVI, which is the way to go if you can.
    Personally I'd get the MBP rather than the MB because of the FW port. While USB is Ok for backing up, to avoid filling up her internal drive too much (Photoshop likes plenty of room to move for optimum performance) she is going to need to think about getting an external drive for storing images, or even for use as a "scratch drive" when using Photoshop, before too long. FW800 is vastly better for this sort of purpose.
    Cheers
    Rod

  • What do you think of applecare on a MBP?

    1. What do you think of applecare on a MBP for an extra $309?
    2. Do you know if you can buy an apple care plan before your 1 year runs out.

    Generally, it makes sense to purchase extended care if you plan on keeping your unit. Just keep in mind that there are certain issues which your Applecare warranty will not cover. Make sure you read and understand those clearly.
    The other thing you should know is that you have up to a year to decide whether or not you want it.
    You should also check with your credit card company (if you've bought it on a card) if they will extend the warranty on any of your purchases. In some cases they will extend it beyond the existing warranty by one year. But don't expect the same turn around and repair/refund policy you get with Apple -- they'll be a little harder to deal with, but will ultimately stand by their warranty when you hold them to it.
    Golan.

  • Looking to get a mac for fall semester, have a few questions on which one I should get.

    Hello everyone, this is the first time im posting here and i hope i can get some help. Im in the need of a new computer; I have been wanting a mac for a long time and i figured since im a junior in college that i should get myself something decent to finish school with. Any who i have been thinking about getting a refurbished mac for a while now, to me saving a few bucks is always a plus. I was just wondering though, do you guys think i should get one of those older products or maybe get one of the newer models just announced at wwdc? I had my eye out on a macbook pro, but the air has also been looking really nice. Im really having a tough time trying to decide which one i want get. This will be my main computer btw, and i currently do have an iphone and ipad 2 to go along with it. Here are the notebooks i was considering and also i usually will not be carrying it around campus that much.
    macbook pro 13in http://http://store.apple.com/us/product/FD313LL/A
    macbook air 13in http://http://store.apple.com/us/product/FC965LL/A
    macbook air 11in http://http://store.apple.com/us/product/FC969LL/A
    Hopefully you guys can help me out, im really looking forward to owning a mac. If it wasnt for the os, i wouldnt be considering one, but i just fell in love with it when one of my high school teachers was showing some of the things he could do with his mac. Also if anyone has any other suggestions, please tell me, im all up for new ideas.

    I'm in exactly the same boat as you... gonna be using it as my primary computer, graduating college soon, and my first mac. I'll be going with the 13 inch MacBook Air.
    The Pro and the Air are nearly identical performance-wise and so that means the only advantage of the Pro is the storage space (unless you count the cd drive as an advantage). The Air is way more portable and has a better display, I don't know about you but my current cd drive rarely gets used so might as well get rid of it.
    I have also compared them side-by-side in the store and that was really what won me over to the Air. The 11-inch Air was there too but the screen just seems too small, especially if you are doing work/writing essays etc.
    Hope that helped

Maybe you are looking for