I am so confused, please help « Videomaker Community Forums

quicksilver8907
Member

I am just graduating high school this year, and I am serious about pursuing a career into the entertainment industry in the post production field. I am outgrowing my pc, and need something I can edit on better. I am debating between getting a dual processor g4 1ghz or a dual processor g5. Obviously the price is quite different and thats where the problem starts. I dont want to spend 400 dollars on a g4 and not be able to use it after a year. But I also dont want to waste 1300 on a dual g5. Please help me
Thanks
Tyler

Posted 4 years ago #
;0)
Member

they're both dated machines, but g5 setup will is newer and will therefore have more upgrade options, and hopefully run everything you need it to.
I'd say buy the best equipment you can afford and keep working on your skills.

Posted 4 years ago #
Furball
Member

Hey,

Well, first of all, if you are familiar with the video editing software you are currently using, make sure it's available on mac. as well before you go and buy one.

MF

Posted 4 years ago #
SpencerStewart
Member

I my opinion, go with the G5, but wait until you're in college. I'm pretty sure Apple has a college discount system

Posted 4 years ago #
danstyk
Member

I'm new here, and this is my first post, so take this for what you will. But my opinion is to go MAC, and leve the PC behind. It's just so much smoother, elegant, and reliable, and it's what the industry uses. A couple of options you might consider are 1) Final Cut Express, which is a limited version of that program you can get for $299, and then likely can apply it to the full version when you can afford it. 2) If I were you I would consider getting a slightly older version, maybe V5, on ebay. I would think that academic versions would be fine, but make sure you don't buy an upgrade version that requires an existing earlier version already on your computer. 3) A third option would be to look for a deal on a recent used mac that already has Final Cut Pro installed on it. Try Craig's List in your area -- I've seen people list things like this quite often. As others have stated, go with a G5, not a G4. Otherwise you will be facing the same decision a year from now, what to upgrade to. Good luck.

Posted 4 years ago #
jcschild
Member

[/quote]But my opinion is to go MAC, and leve the PC behind[/quote]

LOL a MAC is now a PC.
the only thing different is the OS.
until now a PC was far faster than any mac.
however now the internal guts are IDENTICAL

Scott
ADK

Posted 4 years ago #
danstyk
Member

jcschild Wrote:
But my opinion is to go MAC, and leve the PC behind[/quote]

LOL a MAC is now a PC.
the only thing different is the OS.
until now a PC was far faster than any mac.
however now the internal guts are IDENTICAL

Scott
ADK[/quote]

True Scott, but who uses the internal guts in the editing process? As you say, 'the only thing different is the OS.' But, it is all about the OS! The front-end, the interface are everything, and in that regard, the Macs win with the slaughter rule in effect.

Posted 4 years ago #
LDPLDP
Member

If you're really serious in video editing, you're going to have to pay out some serious money for a Mac Pro (in the PC world, it also costs to get a powerful PC to seriously handle video - a $600 Dell won't do it.)

I started with a G4 iMac (800 mhz) 5 years ago, and last year bought a G5 quad processor. The difference is time. My iMac renders a one hour movie in about 3-4 hours. My G5 quad takes about 20-30 minutes. Get as much RAM (2 gigs or more), storage (250 gig + ), and processor that you can afford. A one hour movie requires 13 gigabytes and iDVD will add 13 plus 4 gigabytes - so for every hour of video, you need 30 gigs. Final Cut Exp. requires a lot of storage too. If waiting for the software to encode or render video is not important, then you can get away with an older machine. But if time counts, you need power.

Fortunately, Apple keeps upgrading computers so if you go to ebay, you can get a used Power Mac dual for around $1,600 (without monitor). You might advertise in a local paper that you want to buy a used one or two year old Mac.

Posted 4 years ago #
Ryan3078
Member

If you're really serious in video editing, you're going to have to pay out some serious money for a Mac Pro (in the PC world, it also costs to get a powerful PC to seriously handle video - a $600 Dell won't do it.)

I consider myself serious in video editing, and I have a $600 Dell :D

Although it has integrated graphics, video on the SATA drive is fine. 1 GB RAM and a 3GHz HT Pentium 4 make editing a breeze in Premiere Pro 2, After Effects 6.5 Pro.

3D animation is even decent on it. Thus proving that quality editing can be done on a budget - how else do amateur filmmakers do it? It's just a matter of how fancy a computer you want.

Posted 4 years ago #
;0)
Member

Speed saves time, which when you're producing lots of content on short deadlines, time=money.
if you got time to spare, and patience too, you can get by with an older computer.
I have an Emac g4, an imac g5 and a macbook. all of them have upgrades to better hardrives and maxed out with the fastest ram available for each. and they all edit high def video (emac very very slowly don't recomend hidef but standard def is ok, still slow.).
So kid..you got lots of time or lots of money?
Get the best you can afford (factor in the software that comes with the mac) max out the ram, grab some external firewire drives, and go get Hollywood!

Posted 4 years ago #