Which imac is better for ametuer video editing and photo editing?

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Which imac is better for ametuer video editing and photo editing?

Hi there,

I'm in the market for an imac and I want something that will serve my needs and be good enough to hold on to for at least 4-5 years. Other than performing daily tasks (Web bowsing, word processing, etc.), I'd like something that can handle simple video edits on final cut pro x and lightroom cc. The two computers I'm trying to decide on is the entry level imac 27 inch with Retina display (3.3 ghz core i5, 8gb ram, 1 tb hdd, 2gb vram) and the imac 21.5 inch (2.9 ghz core i5, 16gb ram, 1 tb fusion, and 1 gb nvidia vram). Would the 21.5 inch imac pack enough punch to handle my video and photo editing? I actually would like to venture in working a little with Motion X. Or would I be better of spending a little extra for the 5k imac (entry level) .

Thanks in advance for any suggestions and advice.

iMac, iOS 8.4.1

Posted on Aug 31, 2015 10:38 PM

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Answer 1

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babowa

Level 9

78,103 points

Aug 31, 2015 10:46 PM in response to maug740

For video editing, you will want the fastest/best processor and as much RAM as you can afford - I'd absolutely go for an i7 and a minimum of 16 GB RAM. I do not know enough about fusion drives to know where the major work for editing/rendering and the space requirements would be done; for that, you want at least a 7200 rpm drive or, better, an SSD and you will need to have at least as much empty hard drive space as your temporary files in your project. When I work on a one hour HD project, my temp files can easily be 150 GB, so a small SSD portion of the fusion drive may not be the best idea.

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Answer 2

Kappy

Level 10

361,741 points

Aug 31, 2015 10:47 PM in response to maug740

Either should do the job but these two computers are quite different in terms of processor speed, GPU and VRAM, screen size, storage, and amount of RAM. Almost like comparing apples and oranges.

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Answer 3

maug740 Author

Level 1

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Aug 31, 2015 10:50 PM in response to babowa

Babowa, thanks for the reply. In your opinion would the cpu upgrade be the best option? Considering my budget I'd be able to do the cpu upgrade or upgrade the hard drive to an ssd, but not both.

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Answer 4

Yer_Man

Level 10

162,308 points

Aug 31, 2015 11:04 PM in response to maug740

The simple answer is that either of these machines will do the job you require. They are both well capable of the task. If you've got the budget, then for me the bigger screen will have the more impact on your work than the processor or the RAM.

The best way I can explain this is by analogy:

I'm an amateur haulier. I regularly pull loads about 1 ton in weight.

I'm buying a new truck: A will comfortably haul 2 tons, B will haul 2.2 tons. Which should I buy?

... the one with the comfortable cab. That's the one that will help you be most productive.

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Answer 5

babowa

Level 9

78,103 points

Aug 31, 2015 11:03 PM in response to maug740

If you go for the 27", I'd go for an i7 and a regular 7200 rpm drive (which is exactly what I have); go with the default RAM and add more later (you can only do that on the 27") as it will be less expensive from OWC (macsales.com) or Crucial. You have to remember that video editing/rendering is the most demanding process and, even with professional equipment, it takes a while. I'm quite happy with my setup (although, a real Mac Pro with loads of RAM would be nice!) and it's fine for my needs. I do help it by not doing something else while it is rendering and, as I said, watch your hard drive space - that makes a big difference as it will have plenty of room to write to disk.

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