Which laptop for FCP?

Hi guys,
Sorting a mobile FCP kit out for a friend - think we'll go for a 15" Macbook Pro with an external screen to hook up when she's working at home.
BUT: should we get
a) 2.2GHz chip, 120GB hdd, 128MB video ram
or b) 2.4 GHz chip, 160GB hdd, 256MB video ram
I don't think anyone would spot the difference in clock speed without a stopwatch, I wouldn't be bothered about the hard disk size given that all the media will be on external drives, so it comes down to the video ram.
What practical difference will having the extra video ram make? And would it be worth the extra £300/$500?
any thoughts really welcome
cheers

go with b)
as for the video ram, FCP is not GPU dependent so at this time FCP itself will see little direct benefit although it is beginning to use FxPlug's which can and do use the video card ( and that trend is likely to continue ). of course, the extra power will help drive her second monitor as and when that gets plugged in. also, if your friend has any intention of ever using Motion then she definitely wants the better video card as that app is very much GPU dependent ... and don't forget that later on, if she changes he goals, you can easily upgrade the RAM and (less easily) the HD, but you can't upgrade the video card at all.
elitist mode on: personally I wouldn't consider a 15" for any serious editing at all as the screen just doesn't have the real estate for FCP's interface... I'd go with the 17" MBP w/ 2GB RAM minimum (pref. 4GB) and the 256MB SDRAM video card option

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Which Mac for FCP budget-minded

I'm really excited to join your group...being a current user of "other" brands of PC and editors and want to switch to FCP.
Heading to the Apple store today so I can start using FCP. Which Mac is recommended for FCP to edit small features, shorts, music vids, et al.
Choices =
iMAC 24 fully config'd (great screen, but not really portable)
Macbook Pro 17 (portable but smaller screen)...and if so, the 100gb 7200 disk or is the 160gb 5400 disk ok for a boot drive.
Can't afford a Mac Pro.

If, despite all advice to the contrary, you still go for the MacBook Pro then I'd recommend the base 17” MacBook Pro (MBP) configuration, with 160GB 5400 RPM hard disc option, and an additional 1 GB RAM (to make 3 GB total).
Why the 17” model?
Because when editing you need as much screen space as possible. Yes, it is bigger and heavier than the 15”, but I think that it’s larger and higher resolution display is worth that sacrifice.
Why the bigger but slower 160GB 5400 RPM hard disc option?
Laptop drives already have a much smaller capacity than their desktop cousins and those little drives, inevitably, fill up quickly with all your stuff!
And of course, you're planning to get an external media drive too, right? If you don’t have one then your internal disc will be eaten up by clip media in no time (especially if you opted for the smaller faster internal disc).
Why 3 GB RAM?
Well OK, thats an expensive option, but seriously, if you can afford it the money is well spent.
I'd also strongly recommend the extended AppleCare Protection Plan.

Which keyboard for FCP?

I was a video editor years ago for a local TV news station and the extent of my editing was with 2 BETA-SP machines and a cuts-only "controller" (remember the kind with a shuttle/jog wheel on each side that you'd bang on and spin with one finger to get to the frame you were looking for?).
Years later, I'm just starting to get my feet wet with FCP6 and am missing my old shuttle/jog wheels.
Are there any special keyboards or separate controllers out there with shuttle/jog wheels that are well-suited for Final Cut?
Jason

I use the Bella 5102 EZ Keyboard for FCP, which has a "jog/shuttle" control, which is just a tactile J,K,L (shuttle) and left/right arrow (jog) controller. It doesn't respond in the same manner as an actual controller, but I do find myself using the "shuttle" occasionally (out of habit).
If you want more functionality/customizability, check out the JL Cooper MCS3 SP USB controller, but it also uses keyboard commands (and is like $800!).
I'm not sure FCP can even be controlled with the same response as an edit controller, since the controller functions refer to keyboard commands.
tim
Message was edited by: ADCNR_Tim

Not giving up. Need laptop for FCP

Well I posted last week about owning an old laptop without a firewire port.
I have decided to look for a used Macbook Pro to do my editing on this boat trip.
I will be shooting with a Sony HVRZ5U (HDV to cassette tapes) and editing on FCP 6.0.6.
I have started looking for a reasonable Macbook Pro. I want something somewhat current, but I
do not think that I need the latest and the greatest. Setting my budget around $800.00 or
so, but will spend more if necessary.
A lot of the used computers come with Mavericks. I would like to know if I would be OK
reformating and installing Snow Leopard. That is the operating system I am using on my
MacPro and all seems to be working well. Are there any newer laptops where this would
not be possible?
On the other hand, I probably should get the best laptop for future use when i upgraded to
more current editing software.
I kind of feel like I am in the middle somewhere between the past and the future. I am leaning
towards Premiere pro and a new HD camera in the near future.
Any suggestions or cautions would be much appreciated.
Kirk

Shane Ross wrote:
I know you want to help...but this application just isn't your area of expertise...
Not wanting to overstep my bounds here, Shane, but the OP's app is version 6.06 of FCP, not 7. Hence it will install into Snow Leopard much more easily than it will in Lion, as you have just suggested...
or:
As I suggested to Kirk in his last thread:
Installing FCP6 in Lion, Mt. Lion and Mavericks:
1) Pacifist: http://www.charlessoft.com/
2) Jeremy Johnstone Terminal method: http://www.jeremyjohnstone.com/blog/2012-03-11-installing-final-cut-pro-studio-2 -0-on-mac-os-x-10-7-lion.html
Pick your poison!
I just used the Pacifist method to install FCS2 into Snow Leopard Server running in Parallels in a test of virtualization, and the installation was very simple and straight forward.

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Which machine for fcp

I am looking at either the 17" mac book pro or the new g5intel chip
anyone lean any particular way for final cut studio?
portability is nice option /// am i really sacrificing alot of difference in power?
thanks

Your right Patrick
I mean the Mac Book Pro
Using FCP Studio? If your budget allowed only one machine
and provided that I also hook up a raid with it? would you go with the MAC PRO or the Mac Book Pro?
MAC BOOK PRO SPECS:
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1680 x 1050 resolution
2.16GHz Intel Core Duo(1)
2GB (single SODIMM) 667MHz DDR2 SDRAM
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One FireWire 400, one FireWire 800, and three USB 2.0 ports
MAC PRO SPECS:
Two 2.66GHz Dual-Core Intel Xeon "Woodcrest" processors
4MB shared L2 cache per processor
1.33GHz dual independent frontside buses
1GB memory (667MHz DDR2 fully-buffered DIMM ECC)
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250GB Serial ATA 3Gb/s 7200-rpm hard drive1
16x double-layer SuperDrive (DVD+R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW)
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Regards
Dave KC

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Hi guys,
will be using the macbook for editing gigs/events/music video's etc. what specs would be best?
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If, despite all advice to the contrary, you still go for the MacBook Pro then I'd recommend the base 17” MacBook Pro (MBP) configuration, with 160GB 5400 RPM hard disc option, and an additional 1 GB RAM (to make 3 GB total).
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