MacBook Pro for Final Cut?

[tarzan]

Can anyone give me advice on what specs I should look for in shopping for a MacBook Pro that I can use for Final Cut Pro editing?
Memory, Hard drive space, processor, screen size, accessories If I'm using P2, and anything else you can think of.
Thanks.

[2 Hungry Dogs]

Originally Posted by tarzan

Memory, Hard drive space, processor, screen size, accessories

Not to be a smart a$$ but as much of all of the above as you can afford. You will never regret having more.

[Run 'n' Get 'em]

Hard drive space = As much as you can
Memory = As much as you can
Screen size = At least the 15"
Accessories = What you'll use...

What kind of workflow? Daily news or production? All makes a difference.

[svp]

I'd hold off on that purchase. Next generation MacBook Pro's will be our by October. Thinner, lighter, USB 3.0, etc. Only thing missing on the new models will be the optical (CD/DVD) drive. I read they will be releasing a version made specifically for FCP editing that will include 10GB RAM and an internal 1TB Solid State Drive. Right now these are only rumors. Only thing Apple has confirmed is that they will be releasing a new MacBook but the details are rumors.

[tarzan]

Originally Posted by svp

I read they will be releasing a version made specifically for FCP editing that will include 10GB RAM and an internal 1TB Solid State Drive.

Will it be a laptop or a tower? Anyway, if they do release that, hopefully my station will be smart enough to invest in it. For now I want to get something I can edit on mainly for freelance purposes, mainly news.

[AKinDC]

Originally Posted by svp

I read they will be releasing a version made specifically for FCP editing that will include 10GB RAM and an internal 1TB Solid State Drive. Right now these are only rumors. Only thing Apple has confirmed is that they will be releasing a new MacBook but the details are rumors.

I don't believe the FCP thing for a second, but if they did do this, it would be geared around FCP X, which I'm still not a fan of for news.
Where'd you read this?

[svp]

ABC, CNN, or CBS retweeted a tweet from a tech blog that had a link. It talked about the growing use of FCP by the general public and Apple releasing a high performance MacBook Pro geared toward those users. They speculated it could cost about $5k but may come with FCP pre-installed. This is laptop only. Article made no mention of towers. They quoted sources inside Apple with knowledge of the new MacBooks.

[filter4preset]

Get the 17". You'll appeciate the extra real estate when you have lots of tools opened. I keep my video files on external hard drives and just plug in the one(s) I need depending on the client. That keeps the hard disc fairley clean. Not sure about FCP10, I use 7 and have the suite pkg. Definately worth the money for compressor, color and motion. For most of my clients I output my work out as .wmv for preview. Most don't have software to view .mov. I know that they could just download a player, but they are the client so I give them what they want, not the other way around. Anyway, that requires a plug in because FCP will not output to .wmv on its own, but it's worth the cash to keep clients happy.

[AKinDC]

Originally Posted by svp

ABC, CNN, or CBS retweeted a tweet from a tech blog that had a link. It talked about the growing use of FCP by the general public and Apple releasing a high performance MacBook Pro geared toward those users. They speculated it could cost about $5k but may come with FCP pre-installed. This is laptop only. Article made no mention of towers. They quoted sources inside Apple with knowledge of the new MacBooks.

I can see them having FCP X pre-installed in high end MacBooks...it's so cheap, and would encourage people to use it...but I see no benefit to a version made specifically for FCP. What would the distinction be? A FCP keyboard?
For a good look at the tower situation, take a look at Larry Jordan's latest blog:

http://www.larryjordan.biz/app_bin/wordpress/

[svp]

appleinsider.com is reporting Apple will release the new MacBooks in June and might be releasing a HDTV as well.

[svp]

AKinDC, I'm pretty sure the FCP MacBook just means it would come with the fastest processor, largest hard drive, and most RAM of any other MacBook model. The OS could also be set up to run FCP as the top priority over other programs. Visually, I'm sure it will look like all the others. The new MacBooks will have NVIDIA graphics and the new Intel Ivy Bridge processors.

[AKinDC]

Originally Posted by svp

appleinsider.com is reporting Apple will release the new MacBooks in June and might be releasing a HDTV as well.

Yeah, the new MacBooks are a virtual certainty. As for the infamous Apple TV, the white whale of the tech world, I'm rooting for it...hope it becomes a reality at some point.

[FeedingFrenzy]

A lot of Apple rumors, but the main thing to keep in mind is FCP7 will NOT take advantage of the updated 64bit operating systems. Anything Apply releases now will be geared toward Lion and 64bit. FCP-X does take advantage of these updates. FCP 7 is not going to be updated to expand beyond its current configurations. The basics of this means if you have 16GB of RAM, FCP will still only see & use 4GB. Render times, process times and encoding will stay the same no matter how much computer you give it. FCP 7 is a great program, but will stay limited.

[Necktie Boy]

This late in the game, is it worth buying a new MacBook? FeedingFrenzy is calling it right! I would say get the best that you can afford, but not anymore. The rumor is that Apple is getting out of the pro business. The new AirBook is nice, but lacks a few items.

Maybe go used? Cheaper, but then Apple said it wouldn't be supporting older Mac's. I don't know what the year and model cut off is.

[AKinDC]

Anyway, to get back to the original post and sum up:
1) Wait for a month or two until you buy any MacBook, as new ones are coming out.
2) If you're running FCP X, buy as much RAM as you can afford, if you're running FCP 7, don't bother with more than 4GB, unless you want more for other applications.

[jeremycohn]

As everyone has said -- the more you can spend, the better.

I have a 17" from work but would actually prefer a 15" model. The 17" is a tank but it is huge and heavy.

But get the fastest processor, the fastest hard drive and a lot of RAM. I've been a PC user forever but the Mac/FCP combo is fairly seamless with XDCAM EX.

[tarzan]

Originally Posted by AKinDC

..but I see no benefit to a version made specifically for FCP. What would the distinction be? A FCP keyboard?

That would be one thing, but also if I had a say in it, I would include other control devices besides a keyboard and mouse. For example, wouldn't it be nice if you could shuttle and jog through the clips and/or timeline using a shuttle knob, as if you were controlling a tape machine (but without all the headaches of tape technology of course)?

[tarzan]

I'm still waiting for Apple to release the MacBook Wheel:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R8gF0KTfMrQ

[acton]

I would prioritize in the following order:

Hard drive space, largest solid state available
Memory 4 if fcp 7 8 if fcpx
Accessories, Lacie Rugged 1TB
Screen size, 17 preferred, it is a bit heavy to haul but you'll appreciate it. But if you have to compromise, compromise here. Other than slot if you are using XD. The 15 only has the SD card slot.

[AKinDC]

And here's what you want, if you can afford it. Not made specifically for FCP, but a new version of FCP will be released to take advantage of the new retina display, so that ain't bad.

http://www.macrumors.com/2012/06/11/...tarts-at-2199/

http://www.apple.com/macbook-pro/