Hi everyone,
I know this is quite similar to other posts, but it would be great to get your feedback on this particular decision if you have the time.
I want to start video editing with HDV so need a new desktop. Im just going to be editing a few short films - its not my profession so don't think I need high spec, and as Im a beginner I dont yet know if its something I will do more of in the future (I hope to but we will see how these projects go first) therefore longevity is not necessarily an important issue.
My choice is between the new imac 2.66GHz intel core 2 duo, 2GB RAM (I'd buy an extra 2GB) 320HD (I'd get 650HD), which i can get with an educational discount for £1000 (with the extra RAM and HD space) and the Powermac G5 dual 2GHz, which I can buy from someone i know along with 23inch monitor, keyboard, mouse, 2GB RAM, 2x 250GB hard drives and Final Cut Pro for £500.
The problems with the imac, as far as I can see, are that it doesn't have a graphics card, just a chip and I dont think it has any VRAM, which Final Cut Studio requires. The higher end imacs do have a graphics card, but i think these, like the Mac Pros, are out of my budget and are maybe overkill. It also doesn't seem, I gather from past posts, very update-able.
The main problem with the Powermac G5 seems to be that its not intel, and that although i can add hard drives and update the RAM, I might not be able to support future generations of software with it - Final Cut Pro Studio already says it needs a Mac with an intel processor to run it, so again, I guess it is not very future proof.
My main questions are:
1) Which is my best option of the two? (From older posts, I was gathering the consensus was the Powermac, but in the newer posts, now that the intel machines are out, more people appear to recommend the imac, but I'm not sure if they are talking about the higher end imacs with the graphic cards or the cheapest one, which is what I'm looking at)
2) Am I crazy to spend money on something that can not keep up with technology, or if I want to edit on HDV (and possibly in the future HD) will I be able to do this on these machines with an old version of Final Cut Pro very happily for many years anyway?
Part of me thinks I should invest lots now in a Mac Pro (which I could do) and re-sell it (at a good price) later on and part of me thinks if an imac or Powermac can do me for now, i should just see how i go with editing first and if and when i need to upgrade, I don't worry about loosing the £500/£800 and just buy what I need in 3/6 years time, when the technology will have evolved further anyway.
Any opinions welcomed. Thanks in advance,
Genevieve
I know this is quite similar to other posts, but it would be great to get your feedback on this particular decision if you have the time.
I want to start video editing with HDV so need a new desktop. Im just going to be editing a few short films - its not my profession so don't think I need high spec, and as Im a beginner I dont yet know if its something I will do more of in the future (I hope to but we will see how these projects go first) therefore longevity is not necessarily an important issue.
My choice is between the new imac 2.66GHz intel core 2 duo, 2GB RAM (I'd buy an extra 2GB) 320HD (I'd get 650HD), which i can get with an educational discount for £1000 (with the extra RAM and HD space) and the Powermac G5 dual 2GHz, which I can buy from someone i know along with 23inch monitor, keyboard, mouse, 2GB RAM, 2x 250GB hard drives and Final Cut Pro for £500.
The problems with the imac, as far as I can see, are that it doesn't have a graphics card, just a chip and I dont think it has any VRAM, which Final Cut Studio requires. The higher end imacs do have a graphics card, but i think these, like the Mac Pros, are out of my budget and are maybe overkill. It also doesn't seem, I gather from past posts, very update-able.
The main problem with the Powermac G5 seems to be that its not intel, and that although i can add hard drives and update the RAM, I might not be able to support future generations of software with it - Final Cut Pro Studio already says it needs a Mac with an intel processor to run it, so again, I guess it is not very future proof.
My main questions are:
1) Which is my best option of the two? (From older posts, I was gathering the consensus was the Powermac, but in the newer posts, now that the intel machines are out, more people appear to recommend the imac, but I'm not sure if they are talking about the higher end imacs with the graphic cards or the cheapest one, which is what I'm looking at)
2) Am I crazy to spend money on something that can not keep up with technology, or if I want to edit on HDV (and possibly in the future HD) will I be able to do this on these machines with an old version of Final Cut Pro very happily for many years anyway?
Part of me thinks I should invest lots now in a Mac Pro (which I could do) and re-sell it (at a good price) later on and part of me thinks if an imac or Powermac can do me for now, i should just see how i go with editing first and if and when i need to upgrade, I don't worry about loosing the £500/£800 and just buy what I need in 3/6 years time, when the technology will have evolved further anyway.
Any opinions welcomed. Thanks in advance,
Genevieve