Is the new Macbook Pro 13" any good for video editing?

[shaharamit]

Hey! I'm a student and I want to buy macbook pro, it has:


Intel HD Graphics 3000 with 384MB DDR3 SDRAM shared with main memory, and 1280 by 800 pixels






Is it good for editing?

[dragonkeeper]

Bing a student i would be going for more bang for the buck(ie windows based system) If money is tight i would advise a windows based laptop (Price is usually better and there are many free programs which can be had.)

But to your original question imo that laptop would not be very good for video editing.
1. Small screen. (Editing HD video would be a pita.)
2. Needs to have much more ram. (video editing programs like a lot of ram.)
3. Slow hard drive. (Unless it has a solid state drive)

A laptop with an i7 @2Ghz, windows 4 GB of ram, 640 GB hd can be had for as little as $700, from name brand sources. (you can pocket the difference or use the funds to buy the student edtion of cs5 Production Premium.)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=100006740%20600003982&IsNo...CE&PageSize=20

[edDV]

...
Is it good for editing?

Define editing. What formats? What software?

As said above, most laptops are poor for video editing, but they can get the job done.

In general Macs support a limited set of video/audio codecs.

[shaharamit]

...
Is it good for editing?

Define editing. What formats? What software?

As said above, most laptops are poor for video editing, but they can get the job done.

In general Macs support a limited set of video/audio codecs.

Hey! I'm going to be a film student, so I need it to edit things you know, not Hollywood but still alright. I'd like it to run smoothly software like AVID, Adobe or final cut. Should I get the 15" or the 13" (If 13" is okay then great because of the money), because I've heard that the 15" is basically good for those things..

[lordsmurf]

You want ProRes if you use a Mac, so Final Cut is a must.
Otherwise there's really no point in using a Mac for editing video, to be completely honest.

Either will be fine, 15" has bigger screen.

"Hollywood" doesn't make movies on Macs anyway.

I have Mac, I have Windows, tools are tools. Use what best fits the workflows desired.

[edDV]

...
Is it good for editing?

Define editing. What formats? What software?

As said above, most laptops are poor for video editing, but they can get the job done.

In general Macs support a limited set of video/audio codecs.

Hey! I'm going to be a film student, so I need it to edit things you know, not Hollywood but still alright. I'd like it to run smoothly software like AVID, Adobe or final cut. Should I get the 15" or the 13" (If 13" is okay then great because of the money), because I've heard that the 15" is basically good for those things..

I think you should discuss this with your professor because you need to fit into their workflow. In general a Macbook is not adequate to run Final Cut Pro or Prores422. You should be using a Mac Pro tower. Same goes for AVID Media Composer or Premiere Pro.

If you get serious about learning those programs, you will find the 17" screen too small. FCP users like those huge monitors, often several at once.