iMac i7 for Final Cut Studio/CS5 - is it fast enough?

[deaathleopards]

I'm trying to learn FCS/After Effects but, don't know if the iMac I'm looking at will be powerful enough to run it. If I had an SSD for software/the other internal HDD as a scratch disk, how well would the system run for compositing/editing 1080p video?

I'd appreciate any help you guys can give - I'm desperate to buy this mac before the new semester begins (next monday)

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2.93GHz Quad-Core Intel Core i7
8GB 1333MHz DDR3 SDRAM - 4x2GB
1TB Serial ATA Drive + 256GB Solid State Drive
8x double-layer SuperDrive
ATI Radeon HD 5750 1GB GDDR5 SDRAM
Apple Wireless Keyboard (International English) and User Guide (English)
Magic Mouse + Magic Trackpad
Apple Battery Charger
AppleCare Protection Plan for iMac- Auto-enroll
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[TennisandMusic]

Yes, it would be a great machine for those purposes, especially with the SSD.

 

[OatmealRocks]

I'm interested to know as well. Looking @ ur signature,, you placed basically the same order as me. I just ordered 4GB elsewhere.

I wanna increase my CS5 photoshop skills but I will start venturing into video soon. I suspect it will be fine. Worst case you could get SSD connnected externally via Firewire. i don't plan on taking my imac apart.

 

[nutritious]

obviously fast enough, but most people don't have a clue here

 

[deaathleopards]

Yes, it would be a great machine for those purposes, especially with the SSD.

So you think the SSD is worth it for my uses? I was kind of mixed ($1040 AUD = rape) but, if it means I can have an internal scratch and, a faster system I guess it's the only option.

 

[deaathleopards]

obviously fast enough, but most people don't have a clue here

I don't know a thing about hardware, hence why I'm so scared of making a decision - I don't want to buy this mac then, go "oh, I can't composite video without waiting a two minutes for 7 seconds to render."

I know still images will be fine but I'm only beginning in video.

 

[Knives]

Shouldn't all of the current imac models be fast enough to run FCS?

 

[deaathleopards]

Shouldn't all of the current imac models be fast enough to run FCS?

Final Cut Pro will be fine no doubt. Motion however is really concerning me since it seems to be a resources whore (that said, I only have experience from a 2.4ghz core 2 duo 15" MBP)

 

[TennisandMusic]

So you think the SSD is worth it for my uses? I was kind of mixed ($1040 AUD = rape) but, if it means I can have an internal scratch and, a faster system I guess it's the only option.

Actually the SSD is pretty much same cost as buying one retail in this case (which is an Apple miracle). The 256 gb crucial SSD's are 699. So bravo to Apple on that one.

If you value fantastic speeds in your machine, any SSD is worth it. I had one in Windows 7, and EVERYTHING was instant. Open photoshop? Click, boom, use. Literally. It makes your machine move more at the speed of your thought than was previously possible.

 

[deaathleopards]

Actually the SSD is pretty much same cost as buying one retail in this case (which is an Apple miracle). The 256 gb crucial SSD's are 699. So bravo to Apple on that one.

If you value fantastic speeds in your machine, any SSD is worth it. I had one in Windows 7, and EVERYTHING was instant. Open photoshop? Click, boom, use. Literally. It makes your machine move more at the speed of your thought than was previously possible.

Thanks! You've just made my decision 100 times easier!