How's the entry-level at video editing?

[Fugabutacus]

This had probably being asked before, but I didn't wanna resurrect an ancient thread, so here we are.

How are the entry level 21" iMacs at video editing? I'd be editing 720p video. I'm sure they'd be fine, but I'm wondering if anyone has any experience to share to reassure me?

I'm probably going to get one.

With student discounts I can get the 21" with Final Cut Studio and Photoshop for about £1,300. Sounds worth it to me!

 

[Benz63amg]

they should be great because they are quad core unlike last years dual cores.

 

[CheesyTators]

It tears through my Canon Vixia HF M300 AVCHD 1080i video with ZERO issues.

 

[DucktapeFanboy]

Yep, final cut will be very smooth. Even if you take the next step and go fullHD.
It would take some more complex compositing to reach the limits of your new computer.

 

[Northgrove]

From the few benchmarks I've seen so far, the 2011 iMacs seem to be much more "even" in terms of raw CPU performance (which is what matters here) than the last generation. Not surprising, since last year we had dual-cores mixed up with quad-cores, and not only that -- i3's mixed up with i5's. This time, it's all i5 quads. From the bottom and up. (not counting the BTO options here)

I have a feeling that the less expensive iMacs have the most to gain on this move. It's quite a step up to go from dual i3 to quad i5 with the Sandy Bridge architecture, even if they keep a moderate clock speed.

 

[DucktapeFanboy]

That's so true! I really wanted to go ultimate this time and that's what i did
But i have to admit the cheapest iMacs are the best deals this time

*Edit*
One thing i'de like to add. If video editing for you means doing some cuts, arranging your material and maybe doing a quick colour correction you don't need a powerfull machine. Actually i'm doing this with 1080p DSLR and Sony EX Cam footage on my two year old mac mini without problems.
The reason i'm ordering a new iMac is that i hit my computers limits when doing extensive compositing in After Effects.
Hope that helps

 

[Spadoinkles]

Hmm. Well I'm moving into film & photography work (well expanding on it once I make a quantum leap from this GMA950) and looking at a 27" iMac.
I have a friend that's working on a previous generation i3 3.06GHz, even with those cruddy graphics, it does more than adequate rendering 1080p on Final Cut. I'd say leave it at there and don't be an overkill noob and buy ultimate everything as many of those kids barely use it for email and web browsing.

I'm actually going in tomorrow to get a range of iMacs tested with a friend of mine who's an Apple service provider - he's about to recommend a fleet to a small media business and I'll get back to you on that with how they compare