should i go with the iMac or the Mac book pro for editing?

[funkdiva]

I thought i was going to buy a mac book pro( 15" 2.66 Ghz, 4GB) to handle all of my video editing (Final Cut) photo editing (photoshop), and all my word and office programs as well. But i will never need to be on the go with my editing suite- and i can buy an iMac, instead, with better specs at a lower cost for editing purposes ( in theory)-and then i could use the left over cash i will be saving on the iMac to get a macbook that can handle my basic daily tasks outside of the home. Does this sound wise?
Should i get an iMac and a basic macbook instead of the Mac book pro?
If so what iMac would you suggest for documentary video editing and photography editing?

[rumplestiltskin]

More bang for the buck from the iMac. The latest version will take up to 8GB of RAM (but 4GB modules are still expensive, about $370@, so equipping the unit with 4GB now and waiting for the 4GB modules to drop in price seems to be the right thing.)

When it comes to a choice of editing on a 17" MacBook Pro or a 24" iMac (both@1920x1200), which would you rather do? The iMac is cheaper than a MacBook Pro. So...yeah, get an iMac and, if you really need a notebook, get the white MacBook for $999 so you have a FireWire port (just in case you need it).

I have the last generation 2.4GHz iMac with 4GB of RAM and it's about 75% faster in video transcoding than the dual-CPU 2GHz G5 it replaced. It's a wonderful machine. (Do buy AppleCare; you can find it on eBay for about $90 or so. PM me and I'll give you the handle of the vendor I use.)

[terryj]

When it comes to a choice of editing on a 17" MacBook Pro or a 24" iMac (both@1920x1200), which would you rather do? The iMac is cheaper than a MacBook Pro. So...yeah, get an iMac and, if you really need a notebook, get the white MacBook for $999 so you have a FireWire port (just in case you need it).

I second rumple.

[lordsmurf]

Shiny computer screens screw up any chance at getting correct color, so remember that. What you do on the shiny screen won't look the same on a normal television.

[terryj]

Which is why you should at least buy one of these,
and run out your video to a spare TV in your house.
It's what I do to maintain correct colors and it's
cheap.