What mac to get

[samw1se420]

Hey, the time has come for me to get a new mac my 2007 macbook is getting old and ive just got a go pro and want to be able to edit my videos...

I cant really afford a macbook pro right now so have been looking at mac minis...

Ideally id like i7processor with 16gb ram...

ive seen the 2.3ghz i5 processor and 16gb of ram for £550... which i could afford soon, would this be able to handle video editing?

Id like to be able to upgrade later when i have the money... what can be upgraded on the machine?

could i upgrade the processor to the i7 processors?

Thanks for your help

 

[comatory]

Hey, the time has come for me to get a new mac my 2007 macbook is getting old and ive just got a go pro and want to be able to edit my videos...

I cant really afford a macbook pro right now so have been looking at mac minis...

Ideally id like i7processor with 16gb ram...

ive seen the 2.3ghz i5 processor and 16gb of ram for £550... which i could afford soon, would this be able to handle video editing?

Id like to be able to upgrade later when i have the money... what can be upgraded on the machine?

could i upgrade the processor to the i7 processors?

Thanks for your help

even the base mini with dual core i5 is able to edit 1080P videos, especially if you bump the RAM to at least 8gigs (buy aftermarket and replace it yourself). if you opt to get dual core i7, there will not be much difference so if you're looking only into machine for video editing, spending money for the middle model (the one with dedicated GPU) is pointless - that graphic card is not utilized in any modern editing suite.

the only viable option seems like having the "Server" model with quad-core i7 at 2.0Ghz, on these machines the improvement should be noticeable in rendering times.
having quad-core i7, 16GB RAM, 256GB SSD + external USB3 RAID is something I'm looking for, once the new mini's come out (no USB3 now).

 

[simsaladimbamba]

You can only upgrade RAM and HDD to SSD (or another HDD) and add a second HDD or SSD.
The CPU is soldered onto the logic board.
And i5 should suffice editing GoPro footage, though it is recommended to use an editing codec with the editing application of your choice.

We are currently shooting a candid camera TV series and use three GoPros and our editing Mac Pro (8 x 2.8 GHz) has problems playing back those H.264 compressed .mp4 files in Avid Media Composer without lags. Once we transcoded it to an editing codec, everything is fine.

Video Compression
Why It Matters & How To Make The Most Of It

which includes the following sections:

• GOPs, Macroblocks & Wavelets
• Acquisition Formats
• Editing & Post Formats
• Final Cut Pro
• Avid Media Composer
• Adobe Premiere Pro
• Which Codec Should I Edit With?
• Conclusion
• Camera Codec Summary
• Apple ProRes Variations
• Avid DNxHD Codecs

 

[samw1se420]

so you mean i wont notice much difference between the i5 and i7 dual core... but i will with the i7 quadcore server machine? do these have same ports etc on them? they seem to be a little cheaper then the other mac minis why is this?

 

[comatory]

Definitely take into account simsaladimbamba's advice concerning codecs. If youre editing in native codec, even relatively low performance computers can edit good.

Yes, dual i5 and i7 wont make a huge difference, let alone having that dedicated GPU (makes a big difference for games and 3D stuff).

On the other hand quad i7 will cut the render times noticeably. Yes both versions are the same, they have exact ports, only difference is quad CPU, dual 500gb hard drives and OS X server.

You might get cheap base i5 mac mini and upgrade the RAM to 16 gigs and add SSD drive and youll have fast machine at the price of server mini,maybe even less.

 

[samw1se420]

Thats good to know, is the graphics card in the server machine better to? Basically is the serve the best mac mini to get?

 

[simsaladimbamba]

Thats good to know, is the graphics card in the server machine better to? Basically is the serve the best mac mini to get?

The GPU in the server model is an integrated graphics processor (IGP), just like in the base Mac mini. The ATI GPU is a dedicated GPU and better than the Intel 3000 HD (which is in the server).

 

[comatory]

Thats good to know, is the graphics card in the server machine better to? Basically is the serve the best mac mini to get?

Uses the same basic integrated GPU as base model. If you really want to use this machine for video editing + regular use/light gaming, the server version is better choice. If you'll be encoding lots of stuff you will appreciate quad core CPU down the road over dedicated GPU.

However, if you want to have all-around computer, the mid model with dedicated graphics is a good choice, especially if you buy 8/16gb RAM. It'll be faster with SSD too.

 

[bearcatrp]

Try to wait for apple to produce an update, if it happens. Would hope at least a pure quad core Ivy Bridge processor with hyperthreading come out.

 

[Mojo1]

The speed difference between the current base and mid Minis is negligible. Figure 8-10% faster CPU and the GPU in the $799 Mini isn't much better than the integrated GPU in the base Mini. There are websites that compare the GPUs if you want more info.

When you bump up the RAM to at least 8GB the VRAM on the integrated GPU will be increased from 256MB to 512MB. (The VRAM is shared with the system RAM.) Upgrading to more than 8GB RAM will not add more VRAM. The discrete GPU is stuck at 256MB no matter how much RAM you install.

If you are seriously considering the server Mini a $1200 iMac starts to look like a better option...

And as you probably know, it is rumored that iMacs and Minis could be refreshed in October. I would expect the Minis to mirror the 13" MacBook Pro specifications since that is how it has been in the past.

 

[samw1se420]

the server does look appealing the hard disc space will be helpful too.. i wont be playing games on it, just editing videos, using itunes and internet, but as you say starting to creep up to imac or macbook pro prices... hmmm

 

[comatory]

the server does look appealing the hard disc space will be helpful too.. i wont be playing games on it, just editing videos, using itunes and internet, but as you say starting to creep up to imac or macbook pro prices... hmmm

Yeah it does. Honestly of all Apple computers, the entry level iMac is the best value,even AppleCare is cheap for it. That computer already has quad core CPU and dedicated graphics on the base model, plus you get very nice screen and free keyboard+mouse/trackpad.