Which MacBook Pro for Final Cut Pro

Hey folks,

A friend is looking to purchase a Macbook Pro for video editing. She'd like to get a more portrable 13" though (it's a little small for video editing but she'll plug it into a monitor if needed).

While the 15" are definitely going to be quicker, is the 13" 2.4ghz or 2.6ghz good enough for editing smaller 5-15 minute long videos?

Thanks!

 

Any of them will be fine *with an external monitor*. The 15" will be faster, but having the desired portability is almost certainly more important. (the 13" will be suitably fast for most video editing tasks)

 

"Quicker" is a relative term. The difference between a 2.4GHz Core 2 Duo and a 2.66GHz Core 2 Duo will be negligible.

If you want to keep your budget low I'd take the 2.4GHz 13".

If not, I'd upgrade to the 2.4GHz 15" i5. Keep in mind that i5's support hyper-threading technology, and virtually have processing 4 cores. Portability isn't usually an issue since both laptops are fairly light.

 

Just do not expect that the MBP will perform like a Mac Pro. It's great for small projects rendering small stuff in a server/network setup but when you hit Motion and Compressor your going to want that Mac Pro.

You also better have external drives ie Lacie or G-Force or G-raid with 800 fire wire if your doing just MBP with FCP. That alone makes a big difference working with MBP.

Plus if she is just using it for small projects spending the money on FCP is a waste, use FC Express instead.

 

I'd agree with the general sentiment. Any MBP will work, but you'll definitely want a bigger monitor/higher resolution if you opt for the 13" just for the desktop space. Also, I'd get the fastest CPU your budget will allow. Standard editing stuff will be fine with a "slower" CPU, but when it comes to final rendering, compressing, or changing resolution you will want all the CPU HP you can afford.

 

If you're going to go for the MBP 13", then your CPU upgrade options are very limited in terms of performance improvements AND very expensive at the same time. Once you decide on the MBP 13", the 2.4GHz Core 2 Duo is really the best option in terms of performance-to-price ratio. As you upgrade the processor, that ratio slides downwards.

 

If this isn't for "professional" video editing that needs to be done fast, speed will hardly be a factor. If you're just making the odd video to upload to Youtube the 13" MBP 2.4ghz would be suitable on a budget.

If not, the MBP 15-inch @ 2.4GHz would be your next best bet. Just be sure to upgrade the screen.

The upgrades on MBPs are extremely costly... Upgrading from 320gb 5400 RPM drive to only a 500gb 7200 RPM drive is $150 when in reality they cost around $70 total. I don't know if you can switch these things without voiding your warranty, but 500gb 7200 RPM would definitely be preferable over only 320 @5400, especially if you're managing a lot of video files.

 

i think 2.6ghz is better ,cuz you need more powerfull cpu for video edit

 

You definitely want the i5 in the 15inch Macbooks. The 13inch Macbook Pros are very entry level and have outdated processors, they aren't meant for very demanding programs.

The 15inch also has a much better screen (with the upgrade).