New Imac - what is missing?

[kingrottenboy]

Hello,

I am seriously considering making the change from PC to Mac.

I am currently looking at the new Imacs with the 24 inch screens.

considering these tech specs,

2.8 gh intel processor
4 gig of memory
ATI Radeon HD 2600 PRO with 256MB memory
(and a bit of credit card debt)


I was wondering if I am overlookng a componet that you can only achieve in the mac pros.

do you think the graphic card in the imac will hang me up on processing the hd content?
I stll have a bit of time to decide because I am waiting for the new os to come out before I buy an apple.

also of note, all I have right now is a laptop and no display, that is why the Imacs look good to me.
-david

[kingrottenboy]

I guess I just don't want to plunk down 3000 dollars and than realize that I am missing or lacking an essential componet I could only get on a macpro or macbook.

[johndan]

I can't speak to this specific iMac, but last year we edited a documentary using Final Cut Pro 5 without any problems. This was SD rather than HD, but it was a pretty old (circa 2005, I think) iMac. Check out Apple's site to see if they approve running FCS (or the main portions of it) on this specific iMac.

As another comparison point, I'm using an older MacBook Pro (2.16 GHz Intel Core Duo with an older 256MB Radeon card) for Final Cut Studio work in HD. I try not to have any other major apps running when I'm importing footage or rendering, but in general it's a good portable solution when I'm not near my desktop machine. So as long as the Apple says that the Radeon card in the iMac you're looking at isn't an issue, I think you should be ok. (But if you're really worried, call or email Apple and ask them.)

[desperado]

The MacbookPro has a soldered-on radeon card which is usually a bit inferior to a full card, so if the macbook can do it, the iMac will. Your 4Gb of RAM is where it will make the machine shine (but will bruise your pocket book) :-)

The video card is not a big part of processing the footage. it only buffers what you see on screen. (of course, any preview using coreimage/corevideo will benefit)

[sportsjunky2]

Better off spending the extra $1000 bucks or so to get the MacPro. Unless you don't care about the slower editing and rendering. Limited capabilities. But then you need a monitor if you don't have one as well. Just depends on your budget.

[drmadison]

I adore the iMac's for their style, but my next desktop mac is going to be a mac pro for 1 reason:

Future purchase of a Blackmagic Intensity card

Looking at that, vs. the cost of say the AJA ioHD (3500...) makes the mac pro more affordable in the long run for what I hope to do