Avid editor buy a Macbook pro

Hi,

I want to buy a mac book pro and get final cut pro on it. Is it worth it to just get express? What features should I get on it? ie: 2.5 GHz or 2.6 GHz processor, 2 or 4 GB ram, 250 GB Drive @5400rpm, 200 GB Drive @7200rpm, or 300 GB Drive @4200rpm?

Also can you get final cut pro without getting fcp studio?

I just want it to work fast enough and still be at an affordable price for me.

Good question. Has anyone done a comparison chart? I cant find one between Final Cut Express 4 and FCP 6. Tom Wolsky probably knows and he frequents this forum.

I doubt there is to much difference between the 2.6 and 2.5. If there is you wont notice it much. Might check Barefeats.com to see if they have done a comparison. Doesn't matter about the internal drive although I'd avoid a 4200 drive myself. Your media will go on an external drive and that is more important to worry about. So go with the stock 5400 drive.

You have to buy Studio in order to get FCP I'm afraid. Its worth it though.

Ram is so cheap you might as well get 4GBs. Motion and Compressor like that. FCP could care less.

Macbook Pro is plenty fast for FCS. Faster than my dual 2.5 G5.

Michael Horton
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I have a MBP 2.6 / 4 GB RAM / 200 GB - 7200 RPM drive. It runs FCS and all my grafix apps like butter (including Cinema 4D 10.5 Studio Bundle / After Effects CS3 / Photoshop CS3 / Illustrator CS3). It runs Avid Express Pro nicely as well (v5.8).

"Fast ENOUGH" isn't an option for me when buying. I want it to be FASTER than "Fast enough". I want power to spare. This machine flat-out rocks. It keeps up with my PPC Quad on most tasks. Best computer I've ever owned. Even runs a 30" (second) display from the DVI port.

$$$-SAVING TIP: Buy & install your own RAM. I paid waaaaay less than HALF of what Apple charges for 2 - 2 GB sticks (Kingston on sale - $88 total after rebate through Buy.com, if I remember correctly).

When life gives you dilemmas...make dilemmanade.

As far as RAM goes, I've heard that it's best to buy the minimum from the Apple store and then buy other RAM- it's a lot cheaper.
I'm running a MBP at 2.4 Ghz, 160 GB drive, 2 gigs of RAM, and I can do pretty much anything. Granted, rendering and compressing takes a bit longer than on the Quad core I've used, but it works fine.
Go with the 17" screen, though. It's worth it.

--Edit--
looks like grafixjoe beat me on the RAM tip.

Check this out.

Final Cut Express will only support HDV video. Final Cut Pro on the other hand will support all HD formats. If you are shooting on a HDV camera at 1080i or 720p, MiniDV, DVCAM, or DVCPRO camcorder then you will be supported under Final Cut Express. DVCPRO HD, DVCPRO50, SD and HD card camcorder users as well as those shooting at 24fps will have to use Final Cut Pro HD.
Keyframes

In Final Cut Express HD you can only keyframe motion effects, not filters. Among video editors this is one of the most complained about disadvantages of Final Cut Express over Final Cut Pro.
Video Capture and Timecode

Final Cut Express HD will not display your timecode, nor allow you to batch capture or export video. Professional video editors will often want to batch record all of their clips at once onto the computer, with Final Cut Express each clip will have to be imported separately which can be time consuming for someone doing a large volume of video work.
Color Correction

In Final Cut Express you can not correct color using the three way color corrector. You can also not adjust the luminance or chrominance of your video or thin or soften your colors using Final Cut pro Express.
After Effects

One main draw of Final Cut Pro is its ability to work with Adobe After Effects Plug-Ins, Final Cut Express HD does not support After Effects plug-ins.
Keyboard

With Final Cut Express you can not custom map your keyboard

Some things have changed with FCE since the last time you looked. For example, you can keyframe filters now.

Kevin Monahan
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Final Cut Express will only support HDV video.

Well FCE will support much more than that. I'm not sure where it stops in their support of codecs.

Michael Horton
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Hey graphixjoe so you do it all on the macbook pro, even after effects. So how do you color correct. Do you use a Mxo.

Ikgarza,

I have gotten so accustomed to CC'ing on my 8-Core at work (Kona LHe to a 20" Sony Multiformat NTSC) that I now know what I am looking at in the FCP canvas and what it will look like on output so I don't need a monitor for the MBP. I just use the scopes to keep everything in line.

I don't use or recommend Matrox products...got heavily screwed by that company a long time ago and never went back to their products. Aja is king for I/O, IMHO. My next purchase will probably be an Aja I/O HD and will use that for output to a Broadcast Monitor.

When life gives you dilemmas...make dilemmanade.