Considering my first Macbook Pro

[iAdamator]

Hey all.

I never thought I would be writing a post like this and I am going to seem absolutely crazy I am sure. Hopefully I picked a good place for this post.

Need to get a few honest things out of the way:

1. I have always been a PC user and have never considered or wanted a Mac Computer. I have always been very stubbornly against a Mac computer.
2. I have been other apple products like iPhone, iPad and Watch for years and quite enjoy them.

The honest reasons I am considering a Mac:

1. I have really enjoyed using my iPad with Magic Keyboard. The gesture control without touching the screen is really great. It's got me wondering what a full computer using this input is like. I also simply wonder if I might like a Mac since I like Apple's other products so much.
2. I want to try Final Cut Pro. This is probably the single biggest reason for this crazy idea.
3. The videos I edit are strictly home movies of my family. I am married with 2 young kids so I have made videos of them growing, videos or our trips. etc. My editing needs are by no means complex, but I enjoy using something more basic than say iMovie. Up till now I have used Premiere Pro. I'll admit I am using a non-legit old copy of it but if Adobe had some kind of purchase option besides subscription, I would be more inclined to keep using PP. I basically want to go legit and pay for my software. Plus I've wanted to try FCP for years.
4. The video we shoot is strictly iPhone footage. Mostly 1080p but within the last year is now 4K. I have a Disneyland trip from last year that is about an hour of 4K footage. But I will not be messing with any kind of high end raw video footage or anything.


My desktop I have used for years is windows of course, 2 24 inch monitors and pretty good insides although at this point it's almost 4 years old. (Yikes.)

So getting to my questions. 13 inch or 16 inch Macbook Pro? I'm already looking at spending $2 on this. But I wonder if I need to invest a bit more for something that will last long. However I dont want to get too much more than I need. Video editing our home movies will be the most intensive thing I do on this Macbook.

My goals are to run FCP of course, but also have a system that will last me awhile. (Let me add here that my wife is not thrilled with me doing this so I better get something I will USE.)

Initially I was going to try a 13 inch but now I kind of got the bug to get something better. One site has the 2400 16 for 2099.

I don't know what FCP needs to run well. I assume 16 GB at least, and probably a 1tb storage. Do I need dedicated video? Or should I just consider the 13 inch?

I'm also factoring in possibly that I may use this macbook over my windows 10 machine where I have had 2 24 inch monitors for a decade. How am I going to like editing on a 13 inch or even a 16? Being mobile with 2 kids is definitely nice. I also have not owned any kind of laptop in well over a decade. My iPad has been my portable computer all this time.

I'm seriously considering grabbing either a 13 or 16 inch MacBook Pro from Best Buy today just to try out MacOs and probably download the trial of FCP. But I am even having a hard time deciding which one to get even temporarily.

This has been a fun and not fun thing to contemplate the last few days!

Thanks!



I

 

[studentfromNL]

I think you know the answer too. What we basically have here is someone who likes “Pro” apps but isn’t too demanding of those either. The big question is if the MBP 13” will fall behind the 16” in terms of future-proofing and screen size so much that it will become a waste of money. I have two answers for this: 1. Professional music producers and video editors use the 16” Pro so in terms of power, it’s really overkill even for long-term use since even the MacBook Air can handle light 4K video editing. Some people still use old pre-retina Airs and those are really old (2012). 16GB RAM should do the future-proofing trick easily.

2. This one is all up to your personal preference: if you want a portable laptop that’s both powerful and comfortable while browsing or watching Netflix on your couch, choose the 13” with the 10th gen chipset. It will also provide you with 512GB SSD (and 16GB RAM for $1600). Because of the Retina display and 16:10 screen, the size won’t bother as much as with other laptops. And if you still want a bigger screen to edit on, use a external monitor with it. But if you don’t want a monitor or don’t require a very portable MacBook, the 16” certainly isn’t a bad buy per say. MacBooks hold their value really well and you can always sell it after a couple of years for a good price. And btw, storage is not really important, especially since you can upgrade later with an external SSD for big files that will be lightning fast in use. 512GB should be plenty for a MacBook out of the box.

I hope this helps you out a bit!

 

[planteater]

One Apple device has a way of spawning more. I started with an iPhone and over a few years that lead to a MBP and iPad.

macOS is a pure pleasure. I’m sure you will find a MBP to your liking. Once you get it make sure to check out iCloud. It’s a great experience between devices. Very seamless.

 

[iAdamator]

Hey thanks for the advice! After what has been said here, I am thinking I wont consider the 16 right now. It seems way overkill. There is an issue of the 13 being too small but as mentioned there is external monitors to consider. Though on that note my monitors only have DVI inputs so I don’t know if I can connect them to a MacBook anyway.

I do already use iCloud. But I figure it would be neat to also sync my things to a computer in addition to a mobile device.

 

[studentfromNL]

Glad to hear I could help! DVI should be no problem as you could easily get a DVI to USB-C cable. And yeah, iCloud is a match made in heaven in terms of multi-device sharing and storage optimization. This way, with a 13” you can also easily hop onto a plane or use it in a car with no problems whatsoever in terms of size. Overall, I think it’s a great way to bring power anywhere you want.

 

[Tekguy0]

Get a 13" MBP with the 10th gen CPU, and a nice Thunderbolt dock. You will love how seamless everything is.

 

[Fishrrman]

$2,099 for the base model 16" is a good price. Very good.
It will handle FCP just fine. Be aware that if you start editing 4k in FCP, you will want to import the videos using the "create proxy media" option -- it makes editing much faster. For 1080p, you don't need that.

Also be aware that you can get an Apple-refurbished 16" base for $2,039.
Apple refurbs come with the same warranty as a new one, and you can buy AppleCare for it if you wish. I bought a 2018 Apple-refurbished Mac Mini and it was indistinguishable from new.

 

[iAdamator]

Aw now I am tempted by the 16 again!

 

[philrock]

My current MBP is a 13" and it has been going strong since late 2012. I opted for more memory and the upgraded processor to future proof best as I could. I love the portability whether it's on a plane or on the couch. My typical cycle is seven years so I am passively looking right now. I almost jumped on the 16" when it was released but held back in hopes of a 14". As much as I would love more screen real estate I would use it less overall simply because of the size.

I have a 24" display, wireless keyboard & mouse at my desk for times I want more area to work on projects. I actually also have a 43" 4k tv mounted above my desk for times I want to display more or do home presentations.

My take is the 13" is more practical as a portable standalone daily driver but also has the power you need and can easily be docked with your two displays when you are working FCP.

Good luck and YMMV

 

[FNH15]

Hey all.

I never thought I would be writing a post like this and I am going to seem absolutely crazy I am sure. Hopefully I picked a good place for this post.

Need to get a few honest things out of the way:

1. I have always been a PC user and have never considered or wanted a Mac Computer. I have always been very stubbornly against a Mac computer.
2. I have been other apple products like iPhone, iPad and Watch for years and quite enjoy them.

The honest reasons I am considering a Mac:

1. I have really enjoyed using my iPad with Magic Keyboard. The gesture control without touching the screen is really great. It's got me wondering what a full computer using this input is like. I also simply wonder if I might like a Mac since I like Apple's other products so much.
2. I want to try Final Cut Pro. This is probably the single biggest reason for this crazy idea.
3. The videos I edit are strictly home movies of my family. I am married with 2 young kids so I have made videos of them growing, videos or our trips. etc. My editing needs are by no means complex, but I enjoy using something more basic than say iMovie. Up till now I have used Premiere Pro. I'll admit I am using a non-legit old copy of it but if Adobe had some kind of purchase option besides subscription, I would be more inclined to keep using PP. I basically want to go legit and pay for my software. Plus I've wanted to try FCP for years.
4. The video we shoot is strictly iPhone footage. Mostly 1080p but within the last year is now 4K. I have a Disneyland trip from last year that is about an hour of 4K footage. But I will not be messing with any kind of high end raw video footage or anything.


My desktop I have used for years is windows of course, 2 24 inch monitors and pretty good insides although at this point it's almost 4 years old. (Yikes.)

So getting to my questions. 13 inch or 16 inch Macbook Pro? I'm already looking at spending $2 on this. But I wonder if I need to invest a bit more for something that will last long. However I dont want to get too much more than I need. Video editing our home movies will be the most intensive thing I do on this Macbook.

My goals are to run FCP of course, but also have a system that will last me awhile. (Let me add here that my wife is not thrilled with me doing this so I better get something I will USE.)

Initially I was going to try a 13 inch but now I kind of got the bug to get something better. One site has the 2400 16 for 2099.

I don't know what FCP needs to run well. I assume 16 GB at least, and probably a 1tb storage. Do I need dedicated video? Or should I just consider the 13 inch?

I'm also factoring in possibly that I may use this macbook over my windows 10 machine where I have had 2 24 inch monitors for a decade. How am I going to like editing on a 13 inch or even a 16? Being mobile with 2 kids is definitely nice. I also have not owned any kind of laptop in well over a decade. My iPad has been my portable computer all this time.

I'm seriously considering grabbing either a 13 or 16 inch MacBook Pro from Best Buy today just to try out MacOs and probably download the trial of FCP. But I am even having a hard time deciding which one to get even temporarily.

This has been a fun and not fun thing to contemplate the last few days!

Thanks!



I

Welcome to the macOS! You're going to love it!

FCP is less resource hungry than Premiere Pro - in undergrad, there were a number of students who used the old pre-retina 2012s with the HD4000 to edit 1080p video in FCP, and they seemed to be fine with its performance.

That being said, it's always been my philosophy to get an "overkill" machine if I'm planning on keeping it a long time, and the 13" will show its age way before the 16" will. I'd personally go for the 16" - if you want ultimate portability, you can use the iPad.

If you can swing it, go for one with 32GB RAM - not for today, but for 3 yrs down the line. I have 16GB in my 2018 as it's a warranty replacement for my Mid 2013, and there are certainly times where I wished I had the extra RAM.

 

[iAdamator]

I appreciate the advice so far. I took a break from considering this but now I am again. I'm also considering a desktop option instead. I'm really torn on which macbook Pro to get should I go that route. Some aspects of a nice 13 seem fine and there are some good arguments to go with a more powerful 16. (even just an entry 16.)