Which MBP features best for Final Cut?

Hi folks. I need to buy a MacBook Pro that will be used primarily to run Final Cut Pro (and the other FC Studio programs). Can anyone help a fairly tech-unsavvy consumer understand which processing/memory features will have the most impact on FCP performance? For example, if I'm picking and choosing where to spend my money, should I go with the 2.16GHz processor, or would I be better off adding more RAM and/or a faster hard drive instead? What's going to give me the most bang for my buck? Also, which of these would be easiest/cheapest to upgrade myself rather than paying Apple the big bucks for the upgrade? I'm pretty ignorant about how these various hardware components actually impact performance, so any guidance would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

First, Apple's is obscenely expensive, and you expressly do not void the warranty by adding or replacing system RAM, so you should not hesitate to do it yourself. All you need is a nubmer 0 or 00 Philips-head screwdriver and 10 minutes.
Second, take the recommendations of the users here and avoid Corsair and Patriot memory. The consensus seems to be that Other World Computing (OWC) and Crucial are reliable sources with good prices.
One thing about Crucial: If you use the product locator and answer the questions about manufacturer, model and spec, you'll be led to a more expensive option if you tell it you have a 2.0 GHz or 2.16 GHz model (at least that was the case up through yesterday—these things change rapidly, of course), but there's no reason to pay more for the exact same SO-DIMMs!
Randall Schulz
iMac 20" Core Duo; MacBook Pro   Mac OS X (10.4.6)  

Similar Messages

  • Which MBP is better for Final Cut Pro?

    Hi Everyone,
    I'm looking to replace my 2010 MacBook Pro 13" on a budget. I'd like to get a retina 13" macbook pro, either the refurb 2012 with 8GB ram and the i5, or the refurb 2013 with 4GB ram, i5 and the new Intel Iris graphics card. Which is better for medium to intense final cut pro, photoshop, and dreamweaver work? Does the Intel Iris card make a big difference or should I be getting more RAM?
    Thanks

    First, check the Model Identifier in your Mac's Apple Menu > 'About this Mac' > 'More info' > 'System Report' > 'Hardware Overview'
    Next, check OWC to find out exactly how much RAM your proposed MBPs can take. Apple gives correct specs at time of development. Later, larger RAM is developed that will work with some Mac models.
    For video, FCPX will use as many processor cores as are available. It will use all 12 cores of the latest Mac Pro. This makes FXPX run very fast. Most other programs don't use multiple cores at all and a few only use a couple of cores. With more cores comes slower clock speed, which is needed by programs that dont use multiple cores.
    Eventually, all high-end programs will use multiple cores, so, if you have the option, get as many cores as you can with your current purchase. This will especially benefit FCPX immediatly, it will help higher-end programs later, and the slower clock speed won't really affect the more run-of-the-mill programs (like word processing) because clock speeds are pretty reasonable these days (for a laugh, read this in fifty years time).
    Get the minimum RAM available because you can upgrade later and will probably have to sacrifice the RAM you have. Third party RAM (again, you can check OWC) is cheaper than buying it with your computer pruchase. Make sure it's designed for your Mac.
    You can use Activity Monitor to check if FCPX (or any program) is paging. You don't want this. It means it is writing to disk—effectively virtual memory—that should be handled in RAM. This is very slow and inefficient. It only does that when it needs more RAM than is available. That's when you upgrade your RAM (which could be immediatly after you buy).
    The single most effective thing you can do to get FCPX to perform better on an existing computer (or any comuter) is to swap your hard drive for an SSD. SSDs read and write so fast compared to even the fastest hard drive that you can do multicam edits in real time without dropping frames. Rendering is a lot faster becuse it writes the render to disk, and so is launching and exporting (or, as Apple insists, 'Sharing'), which also writes to disk. SSDs may seem expensive (they are coming down in price), but the productivity gains are absolutly worth it.

  • I have jvc gy-hm100 video cam.I would like to know which format is best for final cut pro?

    My camera has a every size of resoloution. From 1080-60/30 to 720-24.It is totally compatiable with FCP.What i would like to know is what format is recomended for music video's and film production.Any info is greatly apprec!!!! Thank you!
    P.S. Ive been producing music for 15 years.Recording on Logic plat.Mastering and remixing every thing. I love mac!!! Now going into video i want to be just Pro with it as i have been with my music.I purchased the jvc because Mac Recomended it and how it plugs right in. FCP 7 is intense!

    All the available formats are "OK" for FCP7, the more important question is what's good for the movies you want to make?
    In my limited experience, music videos tend to favor 24p for it's "film-like" qualities. The 1080 vs. 720 decision is frequently based on intended use; if you're going to release on the web, 720 is fine and brings much less filesize and overhead to the edit.
    My personal preference is towards high-bandwidth footage like the 35Mbps HQ Mode your camera offers because it behaves so nicely in Color.  Many people advise staying away from interlaced (HDV) footage unless you totally need it for action scenes.
    I think the last 4-5 music videos I've done were all 720p24 and were web released.
    Hope this helps...

  • What version of Quicktime is best for Final Cut Pro version 6.0.5?

    Hello,
    Could anyone tell me what version of Quicktime works best with Final Cut Pro version 6.0.5? Currently I have QT version 7.6.2.
    Unfortunately, all the clips are digitizing at 640 x 480 instead of 720 x 480 (I have trashed prefs and checked the sequence settings and Easy Setup, both are set at NTSC 720 x 480). I have also completely re-installed FCP from the original disks.
    When I digitize a clip, it digitizes at 640 x 480. When I open the clip itself and look at the properties, the "Presentation" is set to "Clean" (640 x 480) instead of "Classic" (720 x 480). It keeps defaulting to Clean, and therefore digitizing at 640x480.
    Should I uninstall QT and go back to an earlier version? If so, which one would be best? Or is there an easier way to solve this problem?
    Thank you in advance for any help. I've been struggling with this problem for over a week.

    unfortunately, all the clips are digitizing at 640 x 480 instead of 720 x 480 (I have trashed prefs and checked the sequence settings and Easy Setup, both are set at NTSC 720 x 480).<</div>
    You list Sequence settings and Easy Setup, but is there any chance your Capture Preset somehow got tweaked to NTSC 4x3 (640x480), instead of it's normal setting of DV NTSC 3x2 (720x480)
    From the extent of troubleshooting steps you've taken, this would be unlikely, but heck your Capture Preset and make sure it's correct.

  • Which camera to get for Final Cut Express 3.5HD/ upgrade to FCE 4?

    Hello everyone!
    I know this has been discussed frequently, but i am sort of looking for a costum made solution for me
    Following situation: Macbook, 2.16Ghz, 2GB Ram, 320GB HDD @ 5400rpm.
    I am running 10.5.3, have Final Cut Express 3.5 installed and am used to work in it,
    mainly for editing video files not coming from a camcorder.
    I have some experience in SD miniDV recording/editing though.
    NOW I was thinking of getting a new camcorder in the 1500$ max range.
    I want to edit video files, sometimes burn DVDs, at other times only to have them on the mac.
    What i like about some of these new HD consumer models they can record AVCHD and mpeg2 SD in DVD quality. That should allow me to record in mpeg2 and have less hassle with importing/converting into Final Cut Express 3.5 if lower quality is fine (which it is as of now)
    At the same time I could upgrade to Final Cut Express 4 and import the AVCHD files, but I still taken aback from how time and resource consuming it is. Plus it does not allow full HD 1920x1080 in FCE 4 does it?
    So I was looking at the Sony HDR SR11 as a nice camcorder. Seen it live, seems decent.
    On the other hand, is a camera which records in HDV a better solution for me?
    I could keep Final Cut 3.5, no need to upgrade right?
    Is it less hassle to transfer files to the mac and edit them?
    I am very unsure which way to go right now...

    Hi Flore
    This a huge debate. There are very few advantages to the new AVCHD camera's and the vgery long list of negative aspects of AVCHD camera's outweighs any usefulness of them. They are designed for Grandad to pick up and shoot good quality pictures and not for editing.
    I have posted below the wiki address for AVCHD, please read the page. It is very important you do read it. It explains in depth about AVCHD.
    I feel the is no real place for the hard drive based AVCHD camera. There is a place for a mini-dv tape based camera.
    Life will be very hard if you go the Hard-drive camera route. Stay with tape.
    Tape is cheap, hardy and easy to move around. Hard drives not so!!!
    Take some time to read the following wikipedia page...PLEASE READ THIS PAGE!!!
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AVCHD
    You will see that AVCHD is not all the bee's knee's.
    I personally hope it dies an extremly painful agonising drawnout death.
    AVCHD has no place in the professional domain.
    Justin... Durban.. South Africa

  • Which processor to choose for Final Cut Pro working with files from DSLR?

    I am shooting in hd with Canon Eos 5d MK II and another camera the Panasonic HDC sd700.
    I am considering upgrading my Mac to either a stationary Mac Pro or an Imac 27 inch (which is a bit more flexible).
    1.) How much difference in performance of FCP between the 2,8 GHz Quad-Core Intel Xeon "Nehalem" and the 2.8GHz Quad-Core Intel Core i5 (the latter installed in the Imac)??????
    2.) How much need is there for external esata drives which I can get with the Mac Pro option in regard to performance needs in comparison with the slower FW800 I get with the Imac? Is this crucial? Will FW 800 external drives be to slow?
    I am thinking of installing 8GB of ram if I go for the Imac and 6GB of ram if I go for the Mac Pro.

    A point to remember Motion uses the RAM on the graphics card for rendering not the machine RAM .. I have also read that while FCP is still 32bit it can only access something like 4 / 6Gb RAM at a time .. so as a previous post says you can always add more RAM and more HDDs in a MAC Pro .. indeed it is a breeze to upgrade a graphics card too .. I have both a MAC Pro and an i7 iMAC I never use the iMAC for FCS work .. it is powerful enough but Geekbench (free benchmark tool http://www.primatelabs.ca/geekbench/) puts my MAC Pro way ahead of the iMAC .. my Pro is a 2 X Quad Core 2.26 with 12Gb RAM
    Regards
    Jim

  • Which is better 12 powerbook or 14 ibook for final cut exprees  hd?

    which is a better for final cut express HD a 12 powerbook or a 14 ibook? which one should I buy (refurbished of course)

    In another post i resolved that a 12 powerbook would be a better choice than a 14 ibbok

  • Student Help advice! what is best iMac model for Final Cut Pro and logic pro

    Hi
    I am currently looking into getting a iMac, but is toggling to device if I need a 27inch or a 21inch(top model),which will be used for Final Cut Pro and logic
    There is a lot of money being invested iMac, and I really not want to be stu k with a computer that not going to keep up with the amount of work load in the future.
    The specs that I have on mine are..
    21inch 
    Upgrades include
    Sdd drive 512gb
    Intel core i7
    16gb of ram
    Or
    27 inch
    Upgrades
    Fusion drive or sdd 250gb
    Intel core i7
    (Possible graphic card) NVIDIA GeForce GTX 680MX 2GB GDDR5 [+ £105.60]
    (Ram is way to expensive so will buy from second party)
    Anyone who has brought a iMac for final cut or logic what would you likely buy?..Am really stuck on the hard drives between the 27inch fusion and 512gb on the 21inch
    My budget is £1900
    My fear is that the 21inch top model's graphic card may not be good enough for advance editing on Final Cut Pro In the future when I start to get more deep into editing..logic really only needs 8gb to run smoothly..buts its the final cut specs that am having problems deciding. I know iMacs are not future proof or technology lasts for that matter, but I do expect to have it run good for a number of years before I upgrade again.
    If anyone can give me some advice, or even tell me about there set up they have for media work please let me know.

    All kinds of things affect system & HD performance, I can't tell you why your 4 year old Mac is slow.  Just because your old Mac is slow doesn't mean that a new iMac will be equally slow.
    You are correct about the issue with the smaller fusion drives.  It's one of the reasons I am not high on recommending them.  Everyone thinks they want power & performance but don't understand the gap between marketing and real life performance.  The 1TB fusion drive however should give you a good combination of rapid access and sizeable storage capacity.
    I have used external FW800 / 7200rpm drives for years and have never had a problem with any of them.  I consider them very reliable but admittedly I DO NOT use consumer drives like the WD MyBook that the big-box stores sell.   For the most part I assemble my own with OWC Mercury Elite enclosures.  In the past few years I have centered on WD Caviar Black and WD Scorpio Black drives.  I also have some Seagate Barracuda 7200.xx drives.  They all perform excellently and reliably.
    Pls. refer to my earlier post for what i recommended to you.

  • 12 powerbook or 14 ibook for Final cut?

    which is a better for final cut express HD a 12 powerbook or a 14 ibook? which one should I buy (refurbished of course)

    Not really.
    PowerBook doesn't have a card bus slot. Neither does the iBook.
    Then you are left with a single firewire bus PB or iBook and no way to create a second bus.
    That isn't an optimum config especially for FCStudio.

  • Which firewire interface for Final Cut Pro on MacPro?

    I currently own a Presonus Firepod, and it seems to work pretty well, but may sell this when I upgrade from a MacMini to a MacPro. I use my Mac for Logic Pro currently.
    I anticipate running Final Cut Pro in the near future, so I'm wondering about the ability to read/generate SMPTE time code that the MOTU traveller supplies?
    There will be no external mixer, so this interface will connect directly to speakers & headphones. (would be nice to be able to mute speakers and control headphone mix using just the firewire interface).
    I don't anticipate needing more than 2 Mic inputs - and my current mike is a Rode NT1. (As the NT1 is not a top-of-the-line mic, unsure if I should place a lot of emphasis on worrying about the pre-ams?)
    I would like decent mic preamps, and ability to graphically monitor input and output levels (is this graphic monitoring necessary, or is just the single overload indicator sufficient?).
    Which interfaces in $600-$1500 range would work best with Final Cut Pro - and Logic Pro?

    I saw the Traveller ads in Videography mentioning
    time code, so I presumed it had an advantage over
    other interfaces.
    I found this in some ad copy:
    """The Travler provides on-board SMPTE time code synchronization features that allow you to slave your Traveler system to SMPTE time code without a synchronizer. The Traveler provides a DSP-driven phase-lock engine with sophisticated filtering that provides fast lockup times and sub-frame accuracy. The included MOTU SMPTE Console software provides a complete set of tools to generate SMPTE for striping, regenerating or slaving other devices to the computer."""
    So it likely uses an audio port for timecode I/O. However, unless you have external equipment that you want to slave to Logic Pro, (or have Logic slave to) e.g. a timecode DAT, then this really is not necessary. FCP would not see the Travaller as a "controllable" device.
    For Final Cut Pro use, I'd probably shoot in HDV.
    When shooting a green screen near my computer (or
    maybe even on-site), I wondered if there would be an
    advantage to recording the audio thru an interface
    like the traveller.
    The advantage is that you could capture additional mics and audio tracks with your mac while the cameras shoot. Just slate your takes and sync up later.
    Do I actually need an interface that provides time
    code, or is that only needed for movie work?
    I have SMPTE I/O on my Unitor8, directly accessable in Logic Pro. In 8 years I've probably used it twice to capture audio from some modular digital multitracks. So, unless you have some specific need.....
    Maybe it is simpler just to connect to the mic
    directly to the camera's input?
    Indeed. You should always have camera audio available. Anything else is supplemental. Alternatively, you could use the Travaller or RME, etc. as a "live to camera" mixer in a studio situation. Plug your mics into the interface, create a submix and send it to the camera while simultaneously capturing each mic to an individual track in Logic Pro. There are many possibilities.
    G5 QuadPPC2.5, Ram:12.5g, Magma PCIe-PCI expansion   Mac OS X (10.4.8)   2X Hammerfall DSP Digiface+Multiface, Digi 002r, 4X UAD-1

  • WHAT IS THE BEST VIDEO CARD FOR FINAL CUT PRO and MOTION?

    Hello folks,
    I have found a lot of posts regarding all kinds of troubles with ATI READEON X1900 video card.
    When I talked to people from Apple, trying to decide which videocard to install in new MAC PRO, Ati Radeon X1900 was the one they did recommand for FCP and Motion. So are there any other cards which would actually suite better for Final Cut Studio2, or is Ati Radeon X1900 really the one to go with?
    Thanks for any suggestions,
    Kootenay

    Techreport has some more information on the new 55nm Radeon (X3000) which should be another "mid November" releases, as well as an updated 8800 GT that still is under wraps.
    So seems Intel and everyone else is trying to get new products out before the end of the year, if possible.
    Drivers for graphics controllers may or may not need the work that sometimes seems to plague companies.

  • I need to buy a camcorder -- upgrading from a Flip. Which would you recommend as easiest to use with iMovie 11? Which for Final Cut Pro? Thanks!

    I need to buy a camcorder -- upgrading from a Flip. Which would you recommend as easiest to use with iMovie 11? Which for Final Cut Pro? Thanks!

    You can't run iMovie 11 on a PPC G5 running the old OS 10.3 Panther - which is what you say you have.
    iMovie 11 - cameras supported:
    http://help.apple.com/imovie/cameras/en/index.html?lang=en_US
    iMovie 9 - cameras supported:
    http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3290?viewlocale=en_US
    iMovie 8 Camcorders supported:
    http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1014
    Digital camera RAW formats supported by OS X Lion:
    http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4757?viewlocale=en_US
    Digital camera RAW formats supported by OS X Snow Leopard:
    http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3825?viewlocale=en_US

  • IMac to TV for Final Cut Pro

    I'm a newbie so forgive my ignorance.
    I have a mid 2010 iMac and I would like to hook it to my HD insignia TV to view playback for Final Cut content.
    I just need to know which method is the best (VGA, Mini DV, Hdmi, etc)
    What cords &  adapters do I need?
    I'm running OS X mountain Lion with Final Cut Pro X.
    Insignia 32inch HD TV model # NS-32LB451A11 (rev A)
    Thanks!

    Oh. I also have a Cakewalk US-25 EX 24bit 96 kHz sound card too.

  • Can I add a secondary location for Final Cut Pro Documents?

    Hi Guys,
    I'm working on a large project which has taken up most of my 2tb hard drive which I use for my final cut pro documents (capture scratch, render files etc). Is it possible if I plug in another hard drive to use that as a secondary location for final cut pro documents as I have other (smaller) projects which I could be uploading and working on in the mean time? If so, how is this achieved and what are the pros / cons?

    Sure -- go to Final Cut Pro menu on your menu bar and select System Settings.
    The first tab is SCRATCH DISKS -- that's the term too -- not secondary folder for FCP Documents.
    Change it there.
    Drawbacks...
    It has been a while since I've had to deal with this, but FCP used to not remember (feature or bug??) a project's original scratch disk location and if you change it for ONE project it will be changed for ALL future AND past projects... until you change it back.
    Now, that in itself isn't a BAD thing. All that that means is that if you continue to capture material into that old project it will now put it over here instead of over there. Also, other things like render files and such which won't really matter much unless they do... and now you've got stuff spread over a coupla drives.
    FCP's projects don't care. They've already mapped where they need to go to get the video and render files it needs. Move your Scratch Disk 33 times... won't make a difference to the browser and timeline. -- UNTIL you remove one of the important drives. THEN red lines galore! Un renders, missing files... messy messy messy!
    Much better to start and finish a project in scratch disk. Makes for easy cleanup. Kinda like cooking thanksgiving dinner (American??) in 5 houses at once.
    Good luck,
    CaptM

  • Following Media Files Are Not Optimized For Final Cut Pro

    I'm sure you've seen this before and I've tried to search for a thread on it here and fell asleep, so sorry if this is a repeat.
    I have edited projects in Premiere Pro (on my PC) and I have tried to transfer them in FCP. It worked with the exception of two things:
    1. the error message, "Following Media Files Are Not Optimized For Final Cut Pro"
    2. the quality *****! watching it on the playback in FCP it looks great, but then when I burn it to Disc it's pixelated in spots and generally has a lower quality picture.
    I know that it's Standard Def. and can't expect the best, but I've done it before (once or twice) and it didn't seem this bad.
    Can someone suggest anything to help the quality? Should I run my AVIs through MPEG Steamclip to make it a QT file and if so what is the best format in that since there are many to choose from and most I'm not familiar with?
    Thank you,
    Crayton

    I did compress them to DV NTSC then burned it to DVD and the result was no bueno.
    I thought what I would do is try compressing them again before I send them on over to DVDSPRO. Here is a simplified break down of the situation:
    - I have edited the raw footage in Premiere Pro on my PC. They were recorded and captured as SD.
    - I rendered them in Premiere, then transfered the rendered AVI file to FCP.
    - When went to place the files in FCP, I received the warning message; "Following Media Files Are Not Optimized For Final Cut Pro" but I went forward anyways and it allowed me to do so.
    - Originally I went ahead and compressed them from FCP to QT Movie as a DV NTSC, which ended up poorly.
    - Therefore my question is, should I compress them using another file type (other then DV NTSC)? Which leads me to another program that I have called MPEG Streamclip, which offers tons of file types of which I am unfamiliar with most. I want the best quality of course but don't know what file type is the highest going from AVI to a format that can be accepted by FCP and ultimately DVDSPRO. Keeping in mind that I only have FCP5 and do not have Prores.
    Did that make sense?
    Thank you again,
    Crayton

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