Which computer should I get?

Hello,
I'm setting up to make my first independent movie, and I'm planning on using an Apple instead of a PC. So, my question is -- because I'm new to the Apple World -- should I go with a MacBook Pro or a G5?
Also, I'm using the Panasonic HVX-200.
Thanks.

Hi there,
I was in pretty much the same spot as you are right now 18months ago, and I got loads of good advice on this forum. Hope you'll be just as lucky. So here's the little I can offer you:
yes, I'd definitely get more RAM, OSX tends to run a lot smoother when you don't starve it of RAM. On the G5s I'm working on, I've got 4.5GB each, which works great. Maybe you'd need less, if you're only editing on your Macs, but as soon as you have After Effects or Photoshop or DVD Studio, for example, open at the same time as Final Cut, you will certainly enjoy the fact that you've got more RAM.
I don't know what format you will be shooting and editing on, but bear in mind that while Final Cut takes all sorts of material (DV/SD/HD), you have at your disposal only the firewire port to get the stuff into your system and onto your harddrives. If you plan on using DigiBeta tapes, for example, you would then need a capture card to be able to capture the material and work with it.
In addition to that, you will need additional harddrives. Which is easy if you buy the G5 (and the QuadG5s are veeeeery powerful indeed.....), simply get an additional HD, which will work nicely with DV stuff and even on a simple level for 8bit SD. At least it did for me. If you go for the MacBook Pro, you will have to buy an external harddrive. One thing the guys on this forum will always tell you is to NEVER EVER use your harddrive where your system and your applications reside as the harddrive where you keep your captured material. Did I say never ever? Oh, I meant NEVER EVER EVER. Did it once, and I learnt my lesson.
And while I'm talking about harddrives, same applies as with the capture cards. For DV material, you don't need a super-fast RAID solution, a firewire HD does the job just as well. If you want to use SD or even HD material, then you need drives that are a lot faster.
Oh, and then you might consider getting a nice mixer, some speakers to monitor your audio, and maybe a tape deck.
Hm, gotta get back to work, hope this helps, let me know if you need more info.
Cheers,
Colin

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