Is the re a need for speed or just the basics for FCS

Please forgive me for asking this forum however I have learned that the editor knows the type of computers that work best overall so prior to purchase I wanted to hear from those who work with the latest Mac Pro.

I have been out of video editing for a few years like FCP3 days and I am getting a new tower yet I was wondering do I really need the latest version of a Mac Pro I do know I need a Mac Pro yet how old is old? Apple gives the basic Specs for running FCS and thats the basics I have learned that in the past? I saw a Mac Pro running 2.66 Quad Xeon yeah its not the latest yet could it handle the specs for working on the latest version FCS?

Thanks you.

Update:
Forgive I see that there is a question in progress as to purchasing a new Mac Pro my bad.

Hi T

You need to tell us what you will be doing with your new machine. You might not even need a tower and a macbook pro will be just fine.

Michael Horton
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Good question.

Making small Documentaries to features which a small amount of After Effects, shorts to enter into festivals and for promotional work. Lastly I need to learn FCS incase I have to teach others the program or needed on a shoot for the editing and also cleaning it up before it goes to print (DVD).

With the power of the new MacBook Pros could they really log and capture video content to the laptop and to a external drive? Towers are good yet a laptop is far easier to carry around.

More important to know - how much of a strain will you put on the machine? DVCPRO HD -- easily works on laptop -- XDCAM HD - not as well -- re conform for the HDV structure takes forever -- better on a tower with as many cores as possible. DV - DVCPRO 50 - piece of cake on a laptop --

So Sony XDCAM HD as well as HD422 are out, I havent had a call for that yet. So the newer laptops could handle all the basics to pro-sumer and even pro level. Just an important question do the laptops get hot like they used to, meaning is that still an issue and the i5 or i7 would be in order I gather as well?

Thanks Andy as well Michael.

Yes, the laptops still get hot, not as hot as they used to, but still get hot. I always have mine sitting on a cool pad, just a simple pad that lifts the back of it up so it's not sitting directly on the table and there is room for air to pass under the machine..

i5 / i7 iMacs are incredible machines too, particularly the 27" model if you don't need complete portability.

Walter Biscardi, Jr.
Biscardi Creative Media
biscardicreative.com

Thanks for the answer as to the heat I wondered did Apple really work this one out finally, love the OS and the Apps yet the machines have taken a toll. As for the iMac I know of a few that do use it as a portable unit setting it up where they go, 'Ease Of Use' maybe not yet the iMac has come a long way.

So I have gone from not getting a Mac Pro to the MacBook Pro now to consider the iMac is another thought entirely. Are there a lot of individual that use the iMac for video editing? Have to look into this idea.

Walter.....Happy New Year and thank you for answering my question.

With a choice between a laptop and a 27" iMac, I would take the iMac. Max out the RAM. Sweet machine, even sweeter monitor.

The only issue you really run into with both the laptop and iMac is how to feed the image to an external monitor. Your choices are limited compared to the Mac Pro.

Walter Biscardi, Jr.
Biscardi Creative Media
biscardicreative.com