Q: Mac mini (2011) with Final Cut Pro X???
I just bought the new $799 mac mini (2.5 ghz, 4 Gb RAM, AMD Radeon HD 6630M) and i was wondering if it can edit hd video with final cut pro x.I know it can handle it but i really want to know if it will be speedy or just kind of chug along through it? Thanks in advance!
Mac mini, Mac OS X (10.7)
Posted on Jul 26, 2011 7:52 AM
by drewU2,Solvedanswer
I am using the Mac Mini 2011 Server (i7 2.0 Quad) with 8gb 1333 Ram to edit with FCPX, and I also have the new iMac i7 3.4 Quad with 8gb Ram and FCPX.
Some thoughts:
- the Mac Mini server is definitely slower to add effects, transitions and render in the background than the top end iMac...as you would expect.
- the Mac Mini is adequate, though, as a FCPX machine. while it seems a tiny bit "jumpy" in the video preview window when quickly moving around a video, it generally works well. i get the impression that the mini server edition would have benefited from a dedicated video card. i am surprised that apple didn't include a dedicated card with a quad core mini...i understand their market was directed towards server users, and therefore they thought a dedicated card wasn't necessary, but they had to understand that many people would want to use a quad core mini for FCPX. maybe next year?
- both machines are owned by the company i work for...after having used both of them for the past couple weeks with FCPX, i will buy my own Mac Mini Server to edit FCPX with WHEN FCPX comes out with an update supporting multiple camera angles.
- finally, here's my money breakdown.
- you can buy a mac mini server for $1,000 + 2 28" monitors from newegg(dot)com for $300 each + 8gb ram from amazon for $55 and have a fairly monster set-up for video editing for $1,655 OR
- you can buy an iMac 3.4 for $2,300 and have a great single screen set-up with more power for more money
- it depends on your budget and on if you like using two screens or about a(t least a) 35% increase in power
Posted on Aug 6, 2011 7:24 AM