new i macs - comments on below

read this today, what do you think. would I be able to go this route instead of a tower?

With the new 2.66GHz Core i5 iMac and the 2.8GHz Core i7 iMac, [u]Apple has not only blurred the line between consumer and professional systems, it's darn near erased it.[/u] The 2.66GHz Core i5 iMac offers faster performance at most tasks than the 2.66GHz Quad-Core Mac Pro. The Core i5 iMac also has more memory and more storage space than the 2.66GHz Quad-Core Mac Pro, while being $500 less (plus you get a 27-inch screen with the iMac). Unless you absolutely require additional PCI cards, multiple internal hard drives, or a lot of RAM, the Core i5 iMac makes a strong case for the being the go-to system for most Mac professionals.

Mitch

I think so, unless you need the stuff he indicated. Lots of people cut on iMacs and have been for years. What kind of work do you do?

I like 8-Cores, I like more RAM, and most important, I like a choice of antiglare hardcoat screens rather than the eye candy, thank you very much.

I got a couple of cheap matte screen Acer 22" flats that really surprised me. Damn if they don't look GOOD! The X223W has a thin bezel, too. How long they stay looking good, maybe another story... but they didn't cost but US $280.00 after $40.00 mail-in rebate for the two of them.

Couldn't hook these up to an Apple TV!

- Loren

Today's FCP keytip:
Invoke your Opacity/Audio Levels Adjust dialog with
Command-Option-L !

Your Final Cut Studio KeyGuide? Power Pack.
Now available at KeyGuide Central.
www.neotrondesign.com

Two years ago, when I was about to take my first plunge into the world of Mac and FCP, I was thinking exactly the same thing. Get one of those souped-up iMacs to make the investment lighter on the wallet.

In the end, I wound up buying a Mac Pro tower and never regretted the decision for a second. Now it depends on what kind of work you're doing, but if you're going to do professional video editing work-for-hire on even a part-time basis, get the Mac Pro tower.

You can do the same work on an iMac, you can just do it much better on a Mac Pro. The processor power might be almost up to what an older Mac Pro is churning out, but the scalability of the machine makes a huge difference. Adding more RAM, extra internal drives, an external RAID, better speakers, or better monitors down the road is a snap with the tower, but with the iMac, you're pretty much stuck with how it comes out of the box.

I am at a similar decision crossroads regarding the new imacs, i wouldn't have considered one until the i5 and i7 models came out.
At a post facility that i work at full time, i use mac pro's with kona card setups and full monitoring and have seen how upgradable the towers are, allowing us to install e-sata cards in the pci slots for example and upgrading video cards.

However at home, i tend to only edit the occasional wedding and corporate edit (destined for the web) plus i have a smaller budget than the company i work for. Not to mention a lot less space and two children who like to get their hands on anything and everything. (My old g4 took many a-pounding from a 4 year old).

This is why i'm looking at the new imacs as they fit in with my general situation and will handle what i cut quite well. Plus the wife will be happy as it 'looks nice.'