Buying a Mac - Opinions Needed

[Jenny]

Hi.

I create a lot of comedy bits, with music, via audio and video.

I am planning on purchasing a MAC soon, since, with my research, they seem to be ideal for tasks like these.


I was wondering, what kind of MAC I may be intersted in, considering the specs above?


A few things to keep in mind:
- I plan on doing heavy Video and Audio editing
- I would also like to potenially connect a mixing board to the computer in the future


Any help, whatsoever, would be extremely appreciated!


Thanks.
Jenny

[abuso]

http://www.apple.com/macpro/

All said

[clairejr]

Hi Jenny,

How much can you afford to spend? If money isn't an object, you should go for a Mac Pro. You'll get all the power you need and the ability to upgrade the computer later on with internal drives and cards. If you can't afford a Mac Pro, then I'd recommend an iMac and max out the RAM as much as you can afford (higher end models now can take up to 3 GB of RAM).

Claire

[Jenny]

Hi everyone!

Wow...that MACPro is expensive...love it, but wow!

I think I'm gonna have to run by the MAC store tomorrow and check some of this stuff out.


The IMac's look great, but there's several options, and to tell you the truth, a little confused...considering the best one is almost $2,000!


If anyone has any other useful information for me, I'm all ears!


Thanks so far guys!
Jenny

[pixel zombie]

hi jenny....i'd avoid the imac and get the mac pro as it has more options open if you will be doing heavy video editing...

[synchro505]

I agree about the MacPro. It is a superb computer and is well worth the cost. As a Mac tech, and having set up several of them, it is hot and tops on my list of computers for myself and my clients.

[edDV]

What kind of video sources will you be editing? What software?

If just DV format, most current models can handle it and iMovie can get you started.

For HDV, go for the mid range up.

For SDI uncompressed go for the Mac Pro only but your $2000 won't even get you the Final Cut Pro software and ($2500) AJA Kona interface. Maybe you could lease the computer.

[mhar4]

I think this stuff is relative. I have done lots of video editing and so forth on my 12" 1Ghz PowerBook, and it works great. But any of the new Intel Macs, including the cheap MacBooks, just blast the PowerBook into space performance-wise, so I wouldn't worry too much about what you can get now.

[snuffy51]

Check out the Apple Store online in the speacial deals section. I have bought several refurbs from Apple and they were impossible to tell from new. They carry the same warranty and are eligible for Applecare as well. examples found tonight:

Refurbished iMac 20-inch 2GHz Intel Core Duo
512MB (single SO-DIMM) 667MHz DDR2 SDRAM
250GB Serial ATA hard drive
Slot-load 8x double-layer SuperDrive
ATI Radeon X1600 graphics with 128MB GDDR3 memory
Built-in AirPort Extreme and Bluetooth 2.0
Learn More
• Save 30% off the original price
Original price: $1,699.00
Your price: $1,199.00
Estimated Ship:
Within 24 hours
Free Shipping


Add
Refurbished iMac 20-inch 2.16GHz Intel Core 2 Duo SuperDrive
1GB (2x512MB) 667MHz DDR2 SDRAM (PC2-5300)
250GB Serial ATA hard drive
Slot-load 8x double-layer SuperDrive
ATI Radeon X1600 with 128MB GDDR3 memory
Built-in AirPort Extreme and Bluetooth 2.0
Built-in iSight Camera and Apple Remote
Learn More
• Save 14% off the original price
Original price: $1,499.00
Your price: $1,299.00
Estimated Ship:
Within 24 hours
Free Shipping


Add
Refurbished iMac 24-inch 2.16GHz Intel Core 2 Duo SuperDrive
1GB (2x512MB) 667MHz DDR2 SDRAM (PC2-5300)
250GB Serial ATA hard drive
Slot-load 8x double-layer SuperDrive
NVIDIA GeForce 7300 GT with 128MB GDDR3 memory
Built-in AirPort Extreme and Bluetooth 2.0
Built-in iSight Camera and Apple Remote
Learn More
• Save 16% off the original price
Original price: $1,999.00
Your price: $1,699.00
Estimated Ship:
Within 24 hours
Free Shipping


Add

[Jenny]

Wow.

I should be more specific on my video editing needs.

I run a comedy show, and I want to create 1 to 15 minute videos, however, that means, I may have to shoot 1 hour of video and turn it in to 2 minutes of vid to get what I want...so I'd need the 1 hour on the drive.

I did do my research and went to two MAC stores around the area.

The MAC Pro, honestly is just too expensive for me. The IMac versions are more in my price range.


For the type of editing you guys now know that I'm doing, do you think and IMac will do the trick?


Thanks for reading
Jenny

[mhar4]

An hour of DV is 12GB, so with current 250GB HDs, that's no problem. An iMac, new or refurbished, would be great, but better not the entry-level model, the next one up or above, which have separate graphics cards.

[Jenny]

Did proper research thanks to you guys.

I decided I'm going with the Apple iMac Intel Core 2 Duo 2.16GHz Computer With 20" Monitor.

And I'll buy a second 20 inch monitor...the only difference between the my choice and the model above it is that the model above is 24 inches...for like $500 more Canadian...so, I might as well buy a second monitor for that price difference!


http://www.bestbuy.ca/catalog/proddetail.asp?logon=&langid=EN&sku_id=0926INGFS10079776&catid=22154


Thanks guys!
Jenny

[ffooky]

Make sure you upgrade to 2GB of RAM. 3 gigs is absurdly expensive (not just w/Apple) but the diff in performance between 1 & 2 is well worth the extra outlay.

There is another difference between the two footer and the other models in the speaker system but that's fairly minor I suppose.

[Jenny]

Hi.

Yeah, I was highly thinking of going to 2GB...since I'll be doing Video Editing...1 just isn't enough...


Thanks!
Jenny