imac and final cut

[thisisarcadia]

I am a college student going to school for film. I haven't started my major classes yet but I thought I should go ahead and get an iMac to familiarize myself with final cut. My question to you is which one should I get? The 2.8i5 or the 2.93i7. They are both pretty powerful so I am trying to see if it will be worth the extra money to get the better processor.

PS. I would get a mac pro but I just simply cannot afford it!

 

[mwayne85]

If you absolutely need it now, get the quad 2.93 i7. It will handle video editing just fine for your film school needs. BUT, if you can wait a few weeks, the iMac should be getting a significant spec bump soon. I recommend the second option. It'll be worth the wait.

 

[simsaladimbamba]

What about the current i7 quad-core MBPs?
Btw, any current Mac or any Mac since 2007 can handle FCP and editing.
Just the transcoding of footage, when it is recorded using an MPEG-4 codec, takes a long time, thus the faster CPU will be faster with that transcoding.

 

[thisisarcadia]

If you absolutely need it now, get the quad 2.93 i7. It will handle video editing just fine for your film school needs. BUT, if you can wait a few weeks, the iMac should be getting a significant spec bump soon. I recommend the second option. It'll be worth the wait.

yea i have read the rumors. I was planning on getting a refurb anyways. Thanks for the advice though

 

[thisisarcadia]

What about the current i7 quad-core MBPs?
Btw, any current Mac or any Mac since 2007 can handle FCP and editing.
Just the transcoding of footage, when it is recorded using an MPEG-4 codec, takes a long time, thus the faster CPU will be faster with that transcoding.

Well I wanted a powerful base station and then maybe get a 13 mbp for on the go. I already have a late 2006 mb and I am just looking to upgrade to something a lot better

 

[talmy]

yea i have read the rumors. I was planning on getting a refurb anyways. Thanks for the advice though

Even if you get a refurb, the refurbs of the current generation will drop in price when the new models are released.

There's also going to be a new Final Cut this year.

It always pays to wait if you can.