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Home: Video University Forums: Mac Video:
Can the New Pentium Core Duo Mac Mini's run FCP?

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GmElliott
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Mar 27, 2006, 1:58 PM

Post #1 of 31 (4524 views)
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Can the New Pentium Core Duo Mac Mini's run FCP?	Can't Post

????

Glen Elliott
http://www.GmElliottVideo.com

RatVega
Enthusiast

Mar 27, 2006, 3:46 PM

Post #2 of 31 (4508 views)
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Re: [GmElliott] Can the New Pentium Core Duo Mac Mini's run FCP? [In reply to]	Can't Post

Not yet, Glen... Smile

FCP (and Studio) are to to be released shortly in Universal Binary format, and at that point it should be possible if not advisable. I know a couple of people that have Minis running FCP as logging and rough-cut stations, but this would probably be like trying to run Vegas on a Celeron - you probably won't get the performance you want and will be hampered by the lack of resources.

Given the small physical format of the mini, you'll be limited by the lack of RAM and video board expansion capabilities, and will need to add external hard drives. The largest possible display would probably be the 23-inch Cinema, and that costs more than the Mini. A 20-inch iMac might be more suitable (and sexier looking) but will still have expansion issues.

On the other hand, it's heartening to see you still haven't lost your lust for a Mac... Wink

______________________________________________________________
Currently on a loaded 2.5GHz G5 dualie/5GB/1TB internal RAID/dual 19" monitors. Final Cut Studio, Adobe Suite, Boris RED. Shooting with Canon.

VU California Crew, Inland Empire Sub-Chapter (paragraph?)

GmElliott
Veteran

Mar 27, 2006, 7:13 PM

Post #3 of 31 (4495 views)
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Re: [RatVega] Can the New Pentium Core Duo Mac Mini's run FCP? [In reply to]	Can't Post

I just haven't ruled out re-purchasing a Mac Mini again. It's a great little machine...I love the formfactor and the OS. I figured if I DO pick another one up in the future I'd like to get my hands on a copy of FCP to fiddle around with from time to time (nothing as serious as the first time I got my feet wet).

Glen Elliott
http://www.GmElliottVideo.com

bbalser
User

Mar 28, 2006, 9:07 AM

Post #4 of 31 (4468 views)
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Re: [GmElliott] Can the New Pentium Core Duo Mac Mini's run FCP? [In reply to]	Can't Post

FCP5 Universal Binary will drag like a sick puppy on the current Intel Macs, period. The upper end "pro" level Macs will be the last to go Intel.

gl
Veteran

Mar 29, 2006, 8:00 PM

Post #5 of 31 (4454 views)
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Re: [GmElliott] Can the New Pentium Core Duo Mac Mini's run FCP? [In reply to]	Can't Post

My guess is that you will see some results in the next week as Apple just started shipping FCPS 5.1

I'll also venture a guess that FCP will not feel much different on a duo mini than your Dual G5 as crazy as that sounds.

-gl

GmElliott
Veteran

Mar 30, 2006, 1:44 PM

Post #6 of 31 (4426 views)
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Re: [gl] Can the New Pentium Core Duo Mac Mini's run FCP? [In reply to]	Can't Post

What about it dragging like sick puppy? Wink

Glen Elliott
http://www.GmElliottVideo.com

gl
Veteran

Mar 30, 2006, 2:17 PM

Post #7 of 31 (4416 views)
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Re: [GmElliott] Can the New Pentium Core Duo Mac Mini's run FCP? [In reply to]	Can't Post

Is that a quote from an article?

-gl

bbalser
User

Mar 30, 2006, 2:22 PM

Post #8 of 31 (4416 views)
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Re: [gl] Can the New Pentium Core Duo Mac Mini's run FCP? [In reply to]	Can't Post

No, it's just my technical opinion that the Intel Macs out now will not run FCP5 as well as the G5 Power Macs currently do.

gl
Veteran

Mar 30, 2006, 2:38 PM

Post #9 of 31 (4410 views)
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Re: [bbalser] Can the New Pentium Core Duo Mac Mini's run FCP? [In reply to]	Can't Post

As well as which? Certainly not as fast as the Quad of course but a duo 2.16 will easily give a Dual 2.0 G5 a run for it's money.

I think you may be suprised.

-gl

RatVega
Enthusiast

Mar 30, 2006, 3:59 PM

Post #10 of 31 (4405 views)
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Re: [gl] Can the New Pentium Core Duo Mac Mini's run FCP? [In reply to]	Can't Post

That is certainly an interesting benchmark, but my concerns center more on the overall system architecture and expansion issues. I've found that how well systems bear up under extreme loading is often a function of their resources like large RAM and disk arrays.

______________________________________________________________
Currently on a loaded 2.5GHz G5 dualie/5GB/1TB internal RAID/dual 19" monitors. Final Cut Studio, Adobe Suite, Boris RED. Shooting with Canon.

VU California Crew, Inland Empire Sub-Chapter (paragraph?)

JMCP
Novice

Apr 1, 2006, 5:48 PM

Post #11 of 31 (4347 views)
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Re: [RatVega] Can the New Pentium Core Duo Mac Mini's run FCP? [In reply to]	Can't Post

Folks,

think you should read this Apple document if you are thinking of buying a new Intel Mac mini for video editing.

http://docs.info.apple.com/...e.html?artnum=303470

Cheers John

RatVega
Enthusiast

Apr 1, 2006, 7:25 PM

Post #12 of 31 (4340 views)
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Re: [JMCP] Can the New Pentium Core Duo Mac Mini's run FCP? [In reply to]	Can't Post

Foreboding as that notice sounds, I think we need to stop and think... The mini doesn't meet the minimum system requirements for Final Cut Studio, which wants a high-end video board to support Motion. Heck, my killer G4 dualie doesn't meet those specs either! (yet...)

The other place where it's a bit short is not having a second hard drive, but that's easy...

______________________________________________________________
Currently on a loaded 2.5GHz G5 dualie/5GB/1TB internal RAID/dual 19" monitors. Final Cut Studio, Adobe Suite, Boris RED. Shooting with Canon.

VU California Crew, Inland Empire Sub-Chapter (paragraph?)

bbalser
User

Apr 6, 2006, 4:18 PM

Post #13 of 31 (4116 views)
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Re: [GmElliott] Can the New Pentium Core Duo Mac Mini's run FCP? [In reply to]	Can't Post

And no PHotoshop, After Effects, nor MS Office for the Intel Mac until next Christmas.

JoeCartelli
User

Apr 6, 2006, 9:01 PM

Post #14 of 31 (4110 views)
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Re: [bbalser] Can the New Pentium Core Duo Mac Mini's run FCP? [In reply to]	Can't Post

What if you are running Windows on the mini?

Panasonic AG-DV200 Sony VX2000 Sony Trv950
PPro 1.5 MatroxRtx100
MacBook Pro FCS

cvp
User

Apr 7, 2006, 11:09 AM

Post #15 of 31 (4102 views)
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Re: [GmElliott] Can the New Pentium Core Duo Mac Mini's run FCP? [In reply to]	Can't Post

May 06 issue of MacWorld addresses the many Mini issues, advantages, shortcomings, etc. Mostly, from what I read, the Mini has some real concerns, especially since a portion of its RAM has been reassigned for the graphics board rather than the board itself having resident memory. It does utilize 2GB of RAM now, however, but MW says it's a bitch to install.
Earl Chessher (NOT a guru, just recently read this and short term memory continues to work in spurts)
CorElAnn Productions
Huntington Beach, Calif.

gl
Veteran

Apr 24, 2006, 12:13 PM

Post #16 of 31 (3872 views)
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Re: [GmElliott] Can the New Pentium Core Duo Mac Mini's run FCP? [In reply to]	Can't Post

BTW Glen,

There has been a few people isntall and try the new FCS on the duo core mini and they say it runs really well...even Motion is palletable.

Just so you know.

-gl

autofocus
User

Apr 27, 2006, 11:20 AM

Post #17 of 31 (3809 views)
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Re: [gl] Can the New Pentium Core Duo Mac Mini's run FCP? [In reply to]	Can't Post

Last week, I saw a video of a Mac Mini running OSX, Windows and Linux at the same time and the user was switching between them with the nice cube effect.

For the original question, I believe you can run FCP on the Mac Mini. I know you can run Shake on the latest core duo minis and Shake is much more complicated.

RatVega
Enthusiast

Apr 27, 2006, 2:59 PM

Post #18 of 31 (3800 views)
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Re: [autofocus] Can the New Pentium Core Duo Mac Mini's run FCP? [In reply to]	Can't Post

In Reply To

To expand on what I posted earlier, I don't doubt that a lot of these apps will run; the subtle point of differentiation is whether they will run usefully. Apps like Shake and Motion (in the hands of experienced practitioners) will bring the best of machines to their knees in the real world. They address needs that many (if not most) of us don't even have.

If your needs are moderate, the mini will probably get the job done. You can probably get a Corvette up to 120 MPH using a turbo 4-cylinder, but that's not the set-up to road race with...

______________________________________________________________
Currently on a loaded 2.5GHz G5 dualie/5GB/1TB internal RAID/dual 19" monitors. Final Cut Studio, Adobe Suite, Boris RED. Shooting with Canon.

VU California Crew, Inland Empire Sub-Chapter (paragraph?)

gl
Veteran

Apr 28, 2006, 4:24 PM

Post #19 of 31 (3763 views)
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Re: [RatVega] Can the New Pentium Core Duo Mac Mini's run FCP? [In reply to]	Can't Post

FWIW

Peter Wiggins, from creative cow, has stated that his ne MBP is actually faster in Motion than his Dual G5 equipped with an ATI x800.

-gl

RatVega
Enthusiast

Apr 28, 2006, 4:32 PM

Post #20 of 31 (3757 views)
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Re: [gl] Can the New Pentium Core Duo Mac Mini's run FCP? [In reply to]	Can't Post

I ran the same benchmark on my G5, for some reason it only used about 80% of one processor...

Real world isn't RAM preview of a Motion template.

______________________________________________________________
Currently on a loaded 2.5GHz G5 dualie/5GB/1TB internal RAID/dual 19" monitors. Final Cut Studio, Adobe Suite, Boris RED. Shooting with Canon.

VU California Crew, Inland Empire Sub-Chapter (paragraph?)

gl
Veteran

Apr 28, 2006, 4:37 PM

Post #21 of 31 (3756 views)
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Re: [RatVega] Can the New Pentium Core Duo Mac Mini's run FCP? [In reply to]	Can't Post

To be honest, I have yet to come across ANY mac system that proved 'stellar' in Motion performance. I found it didn't take much to make it sluggish.

That being said, there are few place where that Dual G5 is really a whole lot faster than the new MPB. The quad of course is a different story but, that's an unfair comparison. My hope is that Conroe will prove to be even more impressive in performance.

-gl

RatVega
Enthusiast

Apr 28, 2006, 5:06 PM

Post #22 of 31 (3753 views)
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Re: [gl] Can the New Pentium Core Duo Mac Mini's run FCP? [In reply to]	Can't Post

I agree that Motion on most Macs is less than breathtaking, but since the Apple solution has been the only game in town (short of workstation solutions costing an order of magnitude more) for the last couple of years, not too many comparisons were available. It will be interesting to see how Boris BLUE fares on PCs. The cost of equipping a PC just to run it may stop a few hearts...

Don't get me wrong, I'm not putting down the MacTels; I welcome anything that boosts performance. As an ex-Intel factory guy I'm authorized to roll either way. Wink

I'm hoping that Apple decides to take the step into multicore Woodcrest processors for the first PowerMacTels, that could be a big step forward. My big concern is the level of floating point support they can muster, the current Quad will execute over 75 gigaFLOPs, and the MacOS X architecture likes floating point.

As an aside, I don't think we've seen the full power of the Quad yet. I'm looking forward to seeing what the next OS version does to it.

______________________________________________________________
Currently on a loaded 2.5GHz G5 dualie/5GB/1TB internal RAID/dual 19" monitors. Final Cut Studio, Adobe Suite, Boris RED. Shooting with Canon.

VU California Crew, Inland Empire Sub-Chapter (paragraph?)

gl
Veteran

Apr 28, 2006, 5:19 PM

Post #23 of 31 (3750 views)
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Re: [RatVega] Can the New Pentium Core Duo Mac Mini's run FCP? [In reply to]	Can't Post

In Reply To

As an aside, I don't think we've seen the full power of the Quad yet. I'm looking forward to seeing what the next OS version does to it.

I agree. Unfortunately, I wonder if we will ever get a chance to find out. Apple is pretty determined to keep the Intel product flowing.

-gl

gl
Veteran

Apr 28, 2006, 5:22 PM

Post #24 of 31 (3747 views)
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Re: [RatVega] Can the New Pentium Core Duo Mac Mini's run FCP? [In reply to]	Can't Post

In Reply To

Don't get me wrong, I'm not putting down the MacTels; I welcome anything that boosts performance. As an ex-Intel factory guy I'm authorized to roll either way. Wink

Well, I shall soon find out. I just placed my order for a MBP. I will report on my own findings after I get the UB version of FCS.

-gl

backfocus
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Apr 28, 2006, 5:31 PM

Post #25 of 31 (3741 views)
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