Will specs on an iMac 24in 2.8ghz be good enough for video prod-Mac Newbie?

Hi guys, I do pretty high end editing in Sony Vegas but wanted to move to Final Cut Pro and Mac workflow. I've been a life time windows user and have been thinking about taking the plunge for about a year now.
I finally just purchased an iMac 24inch. The related specs are the standard 2.8 ghz, 2 GB ram, and ATI radeon 256 mb. It's still in the box. On my way home I kept wondering about the specs especially since I'm new to Mac. On a windows, those specs might not be that great. Will this be good enough for workflow in FCP. I'm going to upgrade the memory in the near future.
I was concerned about the graphics card? Will I see slowness or stuttering while editing with a lot of footage, rendering, etc. Thanks so much! I want to take it out of the box so bad!

It'll be fine for DV and HDV...footage imported from tapeless systems like P2 or XDCAM EX.
The graphics card doesn't come into play much with editing...only certain filters really use the GFX card...otherwise it is not important.
It is limiting in that you are only able to use Firewire drives, and since the computer only has one firewire bus, you might run into issues capturing this footage from firewire cameras...the drive and the camera will be using one firewire bus. But I haven't had too many issues with that...daisy chaining works for most of us.
Shane

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I Want to buy the new mackook air (2013) .Will it be good enough for ios app development as i will be installing xcode.Is 1.3hz processor good enough.

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The MBA is so small and thin many people can't help thinking it is like a Windows netbook - an underpowered toy. It isn't. There's nothing I do on my top end iMac that I can't - and don't - do on my MBA. Of course the iMac has a faster processor, bus speed, and a discrete video card so it is much faster than my MBA. Then again, my computers spend more time waiting for me to do something than I wait for them - and this includes using Photoshop and compiling code.
If I were writing large programs - something like Word for example - I'd want a very fast processor to speed up the compile/debug/compile cycle. But for iOS development your codebase will be much smaller. Frankly I can't see that much difference between a 13" MBA and a 13" MBP for development purposes. Now a top of the line 15" MBP is a different matter with its much faster CPU and separate video card.

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It doesn't have to be that complicated, Verizon iPhones come unlocked, just tell VZ you're going on Holiday/Traveling and suspend the service, no need to pay for service if you're not going to be using it. Pick up local SIM cards in the countries of your choosing, pop them in, re-activate iMessage and you're set!
I recommend getting a SIM card from the Three network in England, they have great EU roaming rates and free like-home roaming in Italy.
Set your phone's region to match the country you're in, it'll save from some headaches when calling local/international numbers.
To answer your questions,
1. If you choose not to have a local SIM card, it is good to keep your phone in Airplane mode to save battery.
2. Make sure the two iPhones have different names to reduce sync/restore issues.
3. If husband has an iPhone also, you can chat with iMessage/Facetime, just give him heads up about the new number you'll have. Otherwise, use Whatsapp if he's got an Android. You can activate Whatsapp with your American number or the international number if you choose to get a SIM in Europe.
Also, Get the MagicJack app and/or Google Hangouts, both of those apps provide you with free calling to the USA and Canada using any internet connection. Google Voice is another good way to SMS across the seas.
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Will 13 in Macbook Pro with Retina 2.6 ghz be good enough for engineering student

I'm purchasing a new macbook and not really sure which one to get. I have been thinking about getting the 13 in 2.6 ghz Macbook Pro with Retina, but will that be good enough for engineering programs such as AutoCad?

I agree that it would be slow, but the biggest limitation is RAM. 4GB simply won't, er, cut it.
A similar mac with at least 8GB, and a fast external drive, would work, even if not very speedy.
It really comes up to time, as babylonslim said.
If you need to cut very quickly, you need a machine like he described. On the other hand, I have no doubt that my very own, very old 2010 17" MBP could do the job - it has 8GB, and I use an external drive connected through e-SATA. The GPU is not nearly as fast as present day ones, and it only has a dual core i7 GPU. It would take longer, but it would work.

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I am wondering if the standard entry level iMac is good enough to learn Logic Pro. From what I have researched the top of the line 2012 Mac mini is more power full than the entry level 2013 iMac and I would end up paying more for the iMac. But I am also thinking about how the new 2013 iMac has the new haswell processor which is supposedly better than the ivy bridge on the 2012 Mac mini (I do not really know about any of this I am just going off of what I have been researching) so the 2012 Mac mini may be more powerful than the 2013 entry level iMac technically but maybe the iMac will run more efficiently because from what I hear it does not get as hot and uses less power or something. Also, should I wait for the Mac mini to come out with a refresh with the has well processor or will I be fine with the current 2012 Mac mini with the ivy bridge processor. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you. P.S. Does anyone know exactly just how much better if at all the haswell is than the ivy bridge because if it is not that big of an improvement I would just get the current top of the line 2012 Mac mini, as I really would like to get started on learning Logic Pro.

The latest top of the line Mac Mini is much more powerful than the latest bottom of the line iMac..
It is much easier to add your own memory to a Mac Mini than an iMac... and much cheaper!
More memory = better performance
Mac Mini 2.6GHz Quad-Core Intel Core i7 + 4GB RAM = $799
Add 16 GB RAM from Amazon for $160
Total = $959

Is iMac Quad Core Good Enough for AVCHD In Premiere Pro CS4

Hi there.
I have a quick question....
I'm thinking about buying a new 27" iMac so that I can edit my AVCHD files in Premiere Pro CS4. I'm presently using a Macbook Pro with a Dual Core and the video playback in Premiere Pro is choppy.
I also read that Premiere Pro doesn't support AVCHD without an expensive plugin.
Does anyone know if the iMac, with the specs below, will playback AVCHD in PP smoothly?
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8GB 1066MHz DDR3 SDRAM - 4x2GB
1TB Serial ATA Drive
ATI Radeon HD 4850 512MB
Thanks,
David

Hello again.
I have now upgraded to an iMac, quad core i7 with 8GB of RAM. I have my AVCHD footage on a striped RAID hard drive connected via FW800 and the scratch disks on a separate 1TB hard drive that is not striped and that is connected via USB. I am using Premiere Pro CS4 to edit the footage.
When I play the video in PP, it warps on and off. It's better than when I was using my Macbook Pro dual core 4GB RAM, but it's still not playing smoothly. I have the presets set to 1080i30(60i), which is correct for this footage.
I would prefer to not have to convert the AVCHD footage, unless there is a clear advantage to doing this.I have tried converting to a P2 file, but it increases the file size from 284MB to 2.8GB.
Any suggestions?
Thanks,
David

Will the MacBook Pro (15-inch Glossy) (Model # MA601LL) be enough for me?

Hello all,
I am new to this forum and to Macs in general and I have some questions regarding a refurbished MacBook Pro that I am interested in purchasing and whether or not it will be sufficient for my needs.
First, here is the link for the specs on the MBP in question:
http://support.apple.com/kb/SP32?locale=en_US.
It's a few generations old...
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and
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2) Will this setup be stable and usable in a live performance setting, using Mainstage, and switching quickly between programs which may have different plugins that need to be called up?
3) Would an external audio interface be necessary if I am not recording audio?
4) I am planning to use my current 88key M-Audio controller keyboard via USB to the MBP. Are there any issues with latency if I use this setup?
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Thanks.

1. More than you'll need
2. Yes
3. No
4. No.

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Re: Intel iMac and Adobe CS2
Posted: Mar 24, 2006 3:30 AM in response to: Sam Anderson
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Is the 3.06 GHz iMac good enough for gaming? How good is the performance?

The primary difference between the two cheapest iMacs is the graphics card and the 500 GB hard drive increase. The hard drive upgrade can be ignored for a moment, since the worst case scenario is I buy an external 500 GB hard drive for $50. For the graphics card, though, how big of a performance boost would I get from upgrading to the next graphics card, which would be going from the ATI Radeon HD 4670 with 256MB to the ATI Radeon HD 5670 with 512MB? Is the 256MB probably going to be sufficient to last at least four years, or should I just pay the extra $300 or so to upgrade to the 512 MB? The market price difference between the two models is about $50 at the moment.
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Great advice from RRFS!
For video editing, do go for 16 GB of RAM ffrom OWC & consider the twice as fast i7 2.6 model, see Geekbench scores here..
http://www.everymac.com/systems/apple/mac_mini/specs/mac-mini-core-i5-2.5-late-2 012-specs.html
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Hey thanks for the reply
its not like i must...but i do prefer apple for build quality and the way the os uses the hardware..
Priority of the laptop will be:
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2- Designing on photoshop
3 - Occasional video rendering mostly non hd but good quality like youtube 720p
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Hi, I'm a long time Windows user editing in Sony Vegas for my video production work. I've been toying with the idea of seriously switching to Mac and Final Cut for about a year now. I may take the plunge this weekend. I don't think I want to go above $2k. I've been looking at the iMac 24inch, 2.8GHz model for a while now in the store, playing with footage. Nevetheless, I'm certainly nervous about making such a switch! I've been working with Sony Vegas for a couple of years now editing movies.
I do independent video production work, pretty seriously, but not for a huge movie house or anything. Will this iMac with Final Cut Studio work for me? Also should the fact that you can't upgrade specs on the iMac worry me? Will this computer be obsolete by next year.
I'm mainly interested in speed, efficient work flow, rendering times, etc. for video editing. Everything else I've seen on the mac I love.
Message was edited by: monaya
Message was edited by: monaya

hey there monaya & welcome to Discussions,
the iMac you're considering will certainly run FCS2. Tara Timpone edited "The TV Set", starring David Duchovny on her iMac @ home, see this: http://www.apple.com/pro/profiles/kasdan/
i still do some editing on a 17" imac G4 w/ 512 MB, RAM(top of the line 5 1/2 years ago) & it shows no sign of not doing what need. it won't run FCS 2, but i'm still rolling on the home video to DVD part of my video biz w/ it-so it just got repurposed & has been online wirelessly for most of that time(so i can check e-mail, listen to radio for a break). it will run previous versions of FCE, which is how i got into using a pro-style editing app.
render speed will depend on footage format/codec, FX & transitions, RAM, etc..., but once you get used to the suite, establish a workflow, keyboard & interface layout that works for you, you should be okay.
good luck.

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I need to buy my new Mac set up soon and am debating whether to get a 24" iMac ( either the 2.93 ghz or 3.06ghz) , or a 15" macbook Pro 2.8Ghz with a 24" Apple display. I want a 24" screen.
Aside from the obvious considerations of cost and portability, at this stage I simply want to know whether the Macbook Pro plus display combination would perform as well as the iMac? I will be using it to edit video using iMovie and FCE.
(I will also use it for photo work with maybe Aperture, music production with Logic Express but I appreciate that this is a video discussion board as this is my primary concern for now.)
Would there be any issues of heat or fan noise? (There was with my old Macbook core duo.) I have also noticed that the 24" Apple displays get a lot hotter than the iMacs. Should this be a cause for concern.
Any other reasons to favour one over the other apart from cost and portability which I will factor in once I can rate them for performance?
thanks

Either will be fine. I use a 17" MBP (mid-2008) and have no fan noise issues. I also use a 24" iMac (2.16GHz. mid-2007). They're both fine.

Will the new 3GHz iMac (24") with GeForce 8800 be good for Aperture v2?

hi all.
I've just seen the specs on the new iMac and I'm interested. I was resigned to buying a Mac Pro but found it difficult to justify the cost because I'm not a professional photographer. the new iMac might be good enough at a much more justifiable cost.
I wonder if anyone has information or opinions regarding the following.
Will the glossy screen be a nuisance? There is stray light in our living room where I use my computer although we do have venetian blinds on both windows. (don't bother suggesting using the computer in another room. this is Hong Kong where space is scarce and expensive.)
Will 3GHz/4GB be significantly faster than my 2GHz/2GB iMac for Aperture operations? (Aperture was not included in Apple's test comparisons)
Will the NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GS card be beneficial to Aperture use?
Will the FireWire 800 be significantly faster than the FireWire 400? on my iMac, transfers to/from my external SATA disks run at only a dismal 13MB/s rather than the ideal 40MB/s. is it my iMac's limited processor power, or a limiting factor with having only 2GB of RAM and a scad of applications open, or a problem (concerning caching) with Leopard's copying routines?
for future reference, would the Aperture library saved on the internal SATA drive be faster than if it was saved on the external SATA drive connected via FireWire 800?
your input and information would be appreciated (and it's probably going to be a common question).
sincerely,
Gregory

Gregory Rivers wrote:
Will the glossy screen be a nuisance?
My expectation (every workspace is different as are individual perceptions) is that the reflective issues of the iMac's glossy screen would be very tolerable. What many (not all) graphics pros including me find intolerable is the fact that glossy displays add contrast and saturation to images. However many, perhaps most, non-graphics-pros prefer the added contrast and saturation, which is why Apple uses those displays. Each individual must do his/her own side-by-side comparisons and determine personal preference.
Will 3GHz/4GB be significantly faster than my 2GHz/2GB iMac for Aperture operations?
Yes.
Will the NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GS card be beneficial to Aperture use?
I believe yes, but that is just a guess since I do not know the card well. Certainly picking an iMac for Aperture usage I would choose the top 24" with the 8800 GS card
Will the FireWire 800 be significantly faster than the FireWire 400?
Yes.
...for future reference, would the Aperture library saved on the internal SATA drive be faster than if it was saved on the external SATA drive connected via FireWire 800?
Yes. Best IMO will be to have the AP Library on the internal drive but with Referenced Masters on external FW800 drives. The top iMac allows up to 1 TB internal drive size. Since drives slow as they fill, order a large drive and keep it less than half full to optimize operation.
...is it my iMac's limited processor power, or a limiting factor with having only 2GB of RAM and a scad of applications open, or a problem (concerning caching) with Leopard's copying routines?
Pretty much everything impacts AP performance, so the more things you optimize the better. The maximum 4 GB RAM of iMacs, although quite workable, will always be limiting. Good policy is to restart or at least close as many irrelevant applications as necessary prior to an extended Aperture work session.
Steve Weller, builder of the excellent <http://www.bagelturf.com/index.html> Aperture website, discusses speed improvements here:
<http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=1273934&tstart=75>
If you ever do run into performance issues, work to dial in on each of the performance tweaks he discusses.
As an aside, I too like the MBP (ideally 17" matte screen) as preferable to the iMac because of the portability. Unfortunately cost may make that an unacceptable choice, but I cannot overstate the huge benefits of portability.
Good luck!
-Allen Wicks

Will specs on an iMac 24in 2.8ghz be good enough for video prod-Mac Newbie?

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