macbook pro 2011 for video ??

hi so im 14 and next year i will start a 2 year media course for my GCSE's and my dad has also said he is willing to buy me a new 2011 mac book pro for school/editing so what hte question really comes down to is what specs do i NEED to edit AVCHD footage smoothly and to be able to run final cut express and after effects CS5 and premiere pro CS5 , ive googled this and most answers i seem to get are get the 17 inch macbook pro now my budget is about £900 - £1400 as i dont really think my dad should have to dish out £2000 for a top of the range mac book pro, i dont need a super computer im not making avater the remake or anything like that mostly youtube video and in the future a student film so could i get off with using the 13 inch model or will have to resort to the 15 inch highend one also i will be upgrading the ram to 8GB


thanks

aron

Generally for video work you want a separate graphics card dedicated to rendering and stuff, and the 13 inch model is the only Macbook Pro lacks this. A 15 inch MBP is probably a better choice for you.

From what I have seen, CS5 runs good on the my new 2011 MBP. I am only doing basic stuff on it right now though. I imagine it will not be as good as a Mac pro or desktop for rendering. It may be a little slower but it will get the job done the same. Get a good drive option.

I tinkered some with Imovie and it seemed to take up a lot of space for working projects. No big deal though. I have 750GB to play with.

Keep your eye on the Apple refurb store for 15" models when it comes time to purchase.
They come with full warranty, and are as new.

Also, the HD and RAM you can upgrade yourself at a fraction of the cost, and doesn't void your warranty.

Refurbished Mac - Apple Store (UK)

would a 13 inch mac book pro be okay to render i dont mind if it renders 30 minutes slower than a 15 inch model and when you buy refurbished are there and physical marks such as scratchs and dents ?

The refurbished models may have some scratches, that is why they are cheaper. But other than that, it should run fine.

Upto date, I've only heard of one (an iMac) having a tiny little scratch on the bottom of the unit out of the hundreds of refurbished units that I've heard of people getting.

Hey Arony,

I have a 2011 13 inch MacBook Pro and I can tell you it's EXCELLENT for editing video. Right now I work on Adobe After Effects, Final Cut, and iMovie and all don't take very long to publish or render. I mean if your publishing a 15 minute movie with a ton of effects, PIPs, and HD video of course it takes about 25-30 minutes to publish and then about 35 for YouTube. But rendering effects in After Effects hasn't taken too long for me so far.

Right now I produce/edit for DDP TV on YouTube and do contract work for a bunch of local business' and the 2011 MBP is the best choice you could make. Bc it's so great and software is so advanced I began shooting my own movie and editing it with the MBP, going great so far. MBP is a life changer, definitely.

Good luck with your projects, I wish I had this stuff around when I was 14. I'm 27 now but I've only been editing for a few months and I've got a TON of work lined up and I work for one of my heroes. Good luck, if you haven't started using After Effects. START!

Oneironaut said:

graphics card dedicated to rendering and stuff,

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No. A graphics card has zero bearing on video editing. At best, a few cards have GPU acceleration for encoding specific formats, like H.264, but it does not affect editing in any way.

arony said:

new 2011 mac book pro for school/editing so what hte question really comes down to is what specs do i NEED to edit AVCHD footage smoothly and to be able to run final cut express and after effects CS5 and premiere pro CS5 ,

Click to expand...

Generally speaking, there are are more video tools in Windows environments, for general video work. Specifically for "making movies" (shooting your own productions, editing, adding effects), you can use either Mac or Windows. Final Cut, Premiere, Vegas, Avid, etc. Mac is a great tool, but don't fall for the false perception that you "need" a Mac for video. Felt the need to mention that.

Anyway...

Pretty much ANY Mac you can buy new is going to be perfectly fine for running smooth AVCHD.

What kpmedia said is true. You don't NEED a Mac for video.

Any modern computer can handle pro video.

What you need a Mac for is efficiency and productivity!

okay thank you im going to purchase the 13inch core i7 macbook pro soonish and il have money over to buy a 60d which is awesome

arony said:

okay thank you im going to purchase the 13inch core i7 macbook pro soonish and il have money over to buy a 60d which is awesome

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Good choice in Camera. I started back in the day with a 20d... Now I use Canon 5Dmk2. Good luck!