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Best G5 to buy for Broadcast-quality video editing?

K

Khashyar

macrumors member
Original poster
Mar 30, 2006
40
0
Los Angeles
Hi Everyone,

I am finishing post-production on a broadcast documentary film, and I want to purchase a Mac for the final online edit, as well as have the Mac system for future film projects.

I was wondering if anyone has any recommendations as to which Mac to buy?

I am leaning towards a G5, either one of the Dual core powerpcs, or the Quad. Can all 3 do a very good job with film/video editing?

I am also going to get the 30 inch widescreen.

Can someone help me decide:

1) Which G5 to buy? Is the Quad THAT muich faster than the dual core Macs?

2) How much RAM I will need for video editing? 2 GB RAM? More?

3) Which hard drive I should purchase (I'm looking for at least 1 TB of Storage).

4) Which video card is good for video/film editing

5) Sound card

6) Speakers. Which speakers would be good for production broadcast quality sound.

7) A break out box so that I can connect RCA cables (to import video and audio through RCA connections), and so that I can also hook up a production monitor to check out the video quality and color balance, etc. For my PC, I have a Canopus ADVC-100. Do Canopus products work well with G5? Should I use something like a "KONA 2 HD Capture card" so that I can work with HD?

8) What additional equipment would I need to import, edit and export in HD?

9) Since I am going to purchase the 30 inch cinema screen, as well as use a video production monitor, would it be benficial to also buy a second monitor? (Perhaps a 20 or 23 inch cinema screen? Or just a regular second monitor?) Can most G5 video cards handle 2 monitors?

10) Should I consider buying a used g5 rather than buying one new? I have seen some G5s listed on Craigslist. Are there other places to find good used G5s?

Thank you for your feedback.

Khashyar
 
If you have the money, get the Quad, if you have a budget and only a dual core fits in, get a dual core.

They'll all run Final Cut Studio great.
 
lilstewart92 said:
If you have the money, get the Quad, if you have a budget and only a dual core fits in, get a dual core.

They'll all run Final Cut Studio great.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the feedback, lilstewart92.

I have the resources for a Quad, but will it make that much of a difference from the Dual Core models in terms of speed? If I don't need the Quad, then I don't want to buy it.

However, I wonder if editing an HD project, for example, would be much faster on a quad than a dual core machine.

Khashyar
 
in the world of computing more is deffinitly more. more RAM, more CPU's, more MHz, more outputs/inputs. It's all good

The Quad will yield best results, it will also drain your bank balance the most, for example you could buy a half decient car for the same price.

Cheers
Jordan
 
Thanks for the feedback, Jordan.

Do you have suggestions as to the minimum RAM, Video card, etc. that I would need to have a smooth experience editing broadcast video on Final Cut Pro?

And, do you think that the dual core machines would do a fine job with tasks like rendering, etc., compared to the Quad?

Khashyar
 
Khashyar said:
And, do you think that the dual core machines would do a fine job with tasks like rendering, etc., compared to the Quad?
Click to expand...

You are going to get the most use from the Quad when it comes to rendering. If you are planning to do lots of compositing and apply filter and effect, then the Quad will give you the best bang. Any of the G5's are going to do a nice job...it's just that Quad will do it faster. If speed is a major issue, then the Quad would be the way to go. The Quad will also give you the longest shelf life. In spite of the move to Intel, it will take a long time for the Quad to become obsolete. Having said that, I kind of wonder if you would be better served with a dual 2.3 and load it with ram? 6 gigs of ram in a G5 2.3 would be fast! That and maybe add a raid and you should be good to go!

I would highly recommend that you check out the following forum. With respects to the users on this forum, you might not get the information that you need. There probably aren't that many high-end video professionals hanging out on this forum reading and responding to messages. If you need to make expensive business decisions, then you should go to a place that will give you the best information that is relative to your needs. Check out the following link, there are some really great people who can help you. Good luck with whatever you decide.

http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/
 
You'd be better off with a dual-core and upping RAM to 4GB and upgrading the video card (especially if you're running the 30-inch display) than running a non-upgraded Quad. 2GB of memory will be a bare minimum for the kind of work it sounds like you'll be doing. Remember to budget for RAM, Video Card, and probably some hard drive space (if you don't have plenty already).
 
Khashyar said:
Thanks for the feedback, Jordan.

Do you have suggestions as to the minimum RAM, Video card, etc. that I would need to have a smooth experience editing broadcast video on Final Cut Pro?
Khashyar
Click to expand...

In the modern age of video editing, 2GB of RAM would be close to a minimum. However it all comes down to what you can afford. Is it worth spendding big on the computer if you have to cheap out on your capture equiptment, or get someting a little slower but buy better captureing equiptment.

Takumi
 
You will be able to get by nicely with the dual core 2.3, but for full time production, I'd spend the difference for the Quad.

You'll want at least 4 GB RAM.

I would go for Seagate HD's

For broadcast quality powered near fields you're probably just starting with a pair of DynAudios.
Adams will run you more than the G5 Quad.

For AD and DA conversion Apogee, RME

Mercenary audio carries the best in outboard gear at reasonable prices.
http://www.mercenary.com
 
If the money is available, get the quad, you will thank yourself for the extra 2 processors. BUT if you are unable to upgrade it much, go for the dual core 2.3 and upgrade the ram, set up a raid, things like that.
 
Thanks for all of the great advice, guys.

Regarding what format I will be using: I am finishing up a documentary film that was shot in miniDV and BetaSP, and my next documentary will also be in miniDV.

However, I would like to be open for editing an HD project in one or two years, especially if/when that format becomes standard.

I appreciate the advice on the RAM... I will certainly get 4 GB... I see that for the Quad, there are 2 different types of RAM modules: NECC and ECC. Would they both work well?

I will also check out the professional digital editing forum. The Macrumors forum is great, and I appreciate all of the help and feedback that I've received, as well as reading the informative posts.

Since I primarily work in documentary format, I probably will not need to use a lot of high-end graphics. So, would I be safe to assume that a sual core machine would be good enough?

Basically, I have between $12k to $15 to spend on a full editing suite. I calculated that this should be enough for everything I need for a broadcast-quality editing suite. Are my calculations correct?

Thanks again for your feedback,

Khashyar
 
my advice is to get a dual processor 2.7 refurbed from apple. $2149. Much cheaper than the dual-core 2.3, and much faster, too. IMO that's definitely the best bang for your buck.
 
QCassidy352 said:
my advice is to get a dual processor 2.7 refurbed from apple. $2149. Much cheaper than the dual-core 2.3, and much faster, too. IMO that's definitely the best bang for your buck.
Click to expand...

Right now most Video pros have the 2.7 model with 4GB of Ram that I support. It is very fast in rendering, although most likely not faster than the Quad. One thing is that if you plan on getting a Blackmagic Decklink card or a specific video card, it is very expensive to get a PCI-E one. You have to check to also see if there is a PCI-E model available. Many are still PCI-X, so if you can't match up your system well then the 2.7 model might be your best choice. The Quad does sound like it will last for a while though, however full compatibility is important. Not just the computer, but the Video equipment you decide to purchase. Many times people buy incompatible products that don't run stable and then have issues with rendering and capturing then they blame the software or the PM. Although, there are always going to be issues with any software, Final Cut does still do a great job and it's not very expensive.
 
QCassidy352 said:
my advice is to get a dual processor 2.7 refurbed from apple. $2149. Much cheaper than the dual-core 2.3, and much faster, too. IMO that's definitely the best bang for your buck.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the feedback, Q.

Do you think that the dual 2.7 has the same future expandability and shelf-life as the dual-core?

Are there any advantages (performance or otherwise) of the dual-core 2.3 over the dual 2.7?

Khashyar
 
Khashyar said:
Are there any advantages (performance or otherwise) of the dual-core 2.3 over the dual 2.7?

Khashyar
Click to expand...

The dual 2.7GHz will be a good deal faster than the dual-core 2.3GHz in terms of performance. Although, the dual-core 2.3GHz model can support twice the amount of RAM (16GB vs 8GB).
 
dmw007 said:
The dual 2.7GHz will be a good deal faster than the dual-core 2.3GHz in terms of performance. Although, the dual-core 2.3GHz model can support twice the amount of RAM (16GB vs 8GB).
Click to expand...

Thanks dmw.

I wonder why Apple came out with the dual-core models if they are not faster than the dual G5s? Was it solely to expand the capacity to expand the RAM?

Khashyar
 
Khashyar said:
Thanks dmw.

I wonder why Apple came out with the dual-core models if they are not faster than the dual G5s? Was it solely to expand the capacity to expand the RAM?

Khashyar
Click to expand...

If you look at my post one of the biggest differences is the PCI-E slots in comparison to the PCI-X they are much faster and the future. The RAM speed is also faster on the DC models and the 2.3DC replaced the Dual Proc 2.3 model. The 2.7 was replaced by the Quad, so the upgrade was substantial on that level. Like I said before you have to see what cards you will use with your equipment and also look for what is available. Whether it is PCI-X or PCI-E may influence your purchase.
 
asencif said:
Like I said before you have to see what cards you will use with your equipment and also look for what is available. Whether it is PCI-X or PCI-E may influence your purchase.
Click to expand...

Excellent advice. I think that other than the distinction asencif notes, and the RAM capacity, the dual processor 2.7 will last every bit as long as the dual core 2.3. Also, I know you're a video editor, but are you really going to use more than 8 GB of RAM?

I don't have the link now, but I believe there were benchmarks comparing a dual processor 2.0 and 2.3 to a dual core 2.0 and 2.3 shortly after the dual cores were released, and the performance was the same.

The dual cores are great machines, I just think a refurb dual processor is a more cost effective solution.
 
Khashyar said:
I appreciate the advice on the RAM... I will certainly get 4 GB... I see that for the Quad, there are 2 different types of RAM modules: NECC and ECC. Would they both work well?

Khashyar
Click to expand...


Unless you are running LIFE/MISSION critical apps, you will not need ECC memory for video editing.
 
Great feedback. Thank you.

Could anyone recommed the best place to buy 4 GBs of NECC RAM? On Mac Ram Direct, 4 GB of NECC is about $700.

Khashyar
 
asencif said:
If you look at my post one of the biggest differences is the PCI-E slots in comparison to the PCI-X they are much faster and the future. Whether it is PCI-X or PCI-E may influence your purchase.
Click to expand...

Pitty PCI-E is only for video cards

Takumi
 
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