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OMG Quad Core iMac
- Thread starter Sneakz
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Honey, this will go GREAT with that new [fill in the blank] that I ordered for you!
So, if somebody has the need to get the Core i7-870, or something in the future that is more powerful, it's as easy as opening it up and popping a new one in, right?
Wow really? Well that's good, if you have any other questions regarding HD video editing on any platform feel free to ask. I've done a lot on both and could likely answer any question you might have.
This post is a huge help for me as well. I just registered on this site so I could ask about exactly this topic.
So what do you recommend? I want something with a display in the same ballpark as the 24" iMac, and will allow me to do video and photo editing quickly and easily. My wife wants to work with it, so we were tempted by the iMac's simplicity. Sounds like video is a different matter...
Quick follow-up question: Might the iMac be worth it if I waited to buy a camcorder that works with the iFrame format? I know that's lower def, but might it be good enough? I just bought a Canon HF200, but I can return it and wait for better iFrame models than the two Sanyo has released.
Stick with the Mac Pro for a little longer. The 8800GT still has some teeth.
What do you use your current desktop for?
I've gone through so many headaches and "switched platforms" so many times my girlfriend thinks I'm partially insane. The problem is that one platform does things better than the other.
If an iMac can suit your needs, it might be the better way to go. I'm a fairly heavy "power user" and I just can't justify the price of a Mac Pro at all, so I use a Windows desktop and a Macbook Pro. Just install Windows 7 with bootcamp, and use that for video editing if you don't mind needing to reboot.
Photo's? Lightroom works on either platform. Generally the Adobe stuff works better on Windows however. iPhoto is kinda "eh" if you are serious about it. It's better than iMovie is for videos though. Look at all the editing solutions on Windows. Cyberlink PowerDirector, the Avid HD Studio stuff. Some offerings from Corel. Pretty powerful, yet easy to use solutions. Mac has...iMovie (seriously, what is this?!), Final Cut Studio (steep learning curve, try doing it with AVCHD ugh) and Premiere Pro (better on windows from what I hear). That's it. Trust me I would love it if Mac's perfectly suited my needs in this area. It is pretty much unusable for me because I use a modern AVCHD cam. And Quicktime X just pales in comparison to Media Player 12, along with Media Center.
If you are attracted to the all in one nature of the iMac, nothing on the Window's side really compares. Dell has some hilarious "all in ones" if you look for them on their site, you would know it if you found them.Despite all my PO'd ness with Apple over what they do with their products, I don't think there is any arguing they lead the industry in design. Nothing is going to look as nice as a Mac sitting on your desk.
If you want overall functionality though, you really can't beat a Windows 7 machine, and there are much better deals and still great hardware to be had in that field. You can do more with Windows 7, like it or not really. My macs make me feel kinda hamstrung, and that I'm trapped in a little ecosystem, where I HAVE to do things the way Steve Jobs wants me too. I don't get that feeling at all on Windows, and to be frank, compared to Snow Leopard, Windows 7 "just works." Snow Leopard has been terrible overall for me, but I'm sure that will be straightened out in a future update. But it shouldn't have gone out the door in the shape it was in.
Just beware that you are paying a very very large premium for an Apple, that generally cannot be upgraded and can ONLY be fixed by taking it into a mall. That's not exactly my thing. On the other hand, if what they offer fits what you need you would be hard pressed to find something nicer to use.
That seems like a rambling response to me. Let me know if there are any other pointed issues you are wondering about. But I have to say, if you get nice hardware on either side, both OSX and Windows 7 are "good." Each OS has their strong and weak points, and they tend to be the opposite things for each one (which is what makes it so frustrating to me! haha).
Significant? No not at all. I would stick with the Mac Pro for the expandability, easily. I mean, especially if you already have one.
The HF200 is a nice camera isn't it? I can't imagine wanting to use the iFrame format over what that offers, it would be of significantly less quality than what you have. However editing your HF200 video on the iMac will be a nightmare, compared to how it could be if Apple got their stuff together.
It would however, be easier if you used a program like Clipwrap 2.0 (not out yet). The i7 would probably make handling those conversions much nicer than the current core2duo stuff.
That should be an addendum to my previous post. If you want to use final cut express, it's possible it could work great with Clipwrap 2.0, so in that sense AVCHD editing could be much better. But I'm still not sure about playback. It doesn't appear that OSX uses the GPU the same way Windows does for video acceleration. Just try watching AVCHD on OSX, and then on W7 on a Mac Mini. See which one flies, and see which one dies.
That's what I was thinking. Photo editing and gaming are the two most demanding things I do on a regular basis (Occasionally work with video, but that's rare). Well, and rosetta@home
It sounds like a great machine like my Q6600 was.That's what I was thinking. Photo editing and gaming are the two most demanding things I do on a regular basis (Occasionally work with video, but that's rare). Well, and rosetta@home
I barely do video work too but I like to have the power. Unless you're making money on those videos wait it out. The next iMac revision might be what you're looking for.