Video editing computer - how powerful?
Discussion
Hi all,
I've recently got a gopro 3, and have ventured into the realms of video editing.
I've been using my OH's previous generation macbook pro 13 inch. It doesn't have a dedicated graphics card or SSD, and with the giant high bitrate files the gopro produces, it's absolutely killing the computer. I'm using Final Cut Pro X.
My question is, would a current generation macbook pro 15 inch with SSD & dedicated graphics card do much better? I'm assuming it would, but 60fps 1080p video is pretty murderous. 800mb for 3 minutes of video.
Is there something better I should buy? (i.e. not an apple product?)
I've recently got a gopro 3, and have ventured into the realms of video editing.
I've been using my OH's previous generation macbook pro 13 inch. It doesn't have a dedicated graphics card or SSD, and with the giant high bitrate files the gopro produces, it's absolutely killing the computer. I'm using Final Cut Pro X.
My question is, would a current generation macbook pro 15 inch with SSD & dedicated graphics card do much better? I'm assuming it would, but 60fps 1080p video is pretty murderous. 800mb for 3 minutes of video.
Is there something better I should buy? (i.e. not an apple product?)
Exactly the same position as you.
My 'old' spec pc took forever to crunch through my Gopro footage so I ripped out the 4Gb ram and AMD processor. Replaced with Intel i5, 16Gb of ram and put in an SSD. The difference was remarkable. Cost quite a few hundred as I needed a new main board.
Whether you are prepared to spend that kind of money just for video editing is another story. Can't help with questions about Mac books, but I'd be surprised if the latest laptops out there didn't improve things.
Hope that helps a little.
My 'old' spec pc took forever to crunch through my Gopro footage so I ripped out the 4Gb ram and AMD processor. Replaced with Intel i5, 16Gb of ram and put in an SSD. The difference was remarkable. Cost quite a few hundred as I needed a new main board.
Whether you are prepared to spend that kind of money just for video editing is another story. Can't help with questions about Mac books, but I'd be surprised if the latest laptops out there didn't improve things.
Hope that helps a little.
Is there not a recommended platform Apple suggest for running FCP?
I'm not an Apple fan and never have been, but that doesn't mean they don't have a good platform for editing, I just tend to think you may get better performance for your money if you go the PC route.
I use Edius on a quad core (Win 7/64) workstation and all the components have been chosen to give the best performance for this sort of application (although I don't run it as a dedicated edit machine).
If you want to continue with FCP, you are probably best off looking at a specialised forum for that application and find out what other users run it on. There can be compatibility issues with some editing software, graphics cards, motherboards etc. and it's worth finding these things out up front.
But in simple terms, you want nice fast processors, loads of RAM (I've got 16GB) and fast disks for editing video.
HTH
I'm not an Apple fan and never have been, but that doesn't mean they don't have a good platform for editing, I just tend to think you may get better performance for your money if you go the PC route.
I use Edius on a quad core (Win 7/64) workstation and all the components have been chosen to give the best performance for this sort of application (although I don't run it as a dedicated edit machine).
If you want to continue with FCP, you are probably best off looking at a specialised forum for that application and find out what other users run it on. There can be compatibility issues with some editing software, graphics cards, motherboards etc. and it's worth finding these things out up front.
But in simple terms, you want nice fast processors, loads of RAM (I've got 16GB) and fast disks for editing video.
HTH
Personally I would go for a PC unless you already have a huge range of software for the Mac mainly due to cost (I refuse to spend the amount Apple ask for their Macbooks or iMacs).
Something like an i7, 8-16GB RAM, 2GB graphics card, an SSD boot drive and a 2TB programs drive would fly along with editing for a GoPro.
What's your budget?
Something like an i7, 8-16GB RAM, 2GB graphics card, an SSD boot drive and a 2TB programs drive would fly along with editing for a GoPro.
What's your budget?
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