Imac 21.5 and Video editing

Hi,

I'm looking to get an IMac in a few days to start doing video editing, I’m a novice user and never used a Mac before I was wondering if the basic model is good enough for this and using FCE4.

I could stretch to the 21 version with the high graphics card, but is it worth the extra money?

Thanks in advanced

For video editing you want the best possible graphics speed and response you can get. So yes, IMO, the iMac 21.5 model with discrete graphics is worth the extra money. Later on you can add more system memory yourself as that is a very easy user do it yourself task. And buying memory from third party suppliers is less expensive than from Apple.

Regards.

Thanks,

So the imac with the 256mb card won’t have a problem with video editing? I'm a novice but want to try and do some mini documentaries but unfortunately don’t have a lot of money to get the high spec imac.

You should be fine for video editing with the 256 MB card. However, if you haven't yet decided on what to purchase and can wait awhile, the iMac line is due to be upgraded. The last upgrade was October 2009 which means that an upgrade is forthcoming. It may not be for several months but if you can wait you might be able to buy a new model that's faster for the same price or even less.

Regards.