iBook for Editing at DVinfo.net

Angel Otero · March 14th, 2005, 07:37 PM

I'm looking for a notebook to edit videos I was thinking on the powerbooks but the price it's too high.
Can anyone tells me if an iBook can works fine with FCP.

I already have an iMac with a G4 1Ghz and FCP works great. But i want something mobile.

Thanks

Boyd Ostroff · March 14th, 2005, 08:14 PM

You should see about the same performance. I have a 1ghz G4 Powerbook and you can run FCP on it. The main difference between your iMac and the iBook would be the drive speed I'd imagine. You'll want an external firewire drive, not a good idea to put media on the internal drive except for quick, small projects maybe.

Guy Cochran · March 15th, 2005, 12:50 PM

The only big difference is the amount of Video Ram. This is more of an issue for running apps such as Motion. But with the rumors of FCP5 taking advantage of the video card's processing power, a PB would be the best route to go. For straight cuts and basic edits you'd be fine with an iBook. Check the "special deals" page on the Apple Store and watch for deals on PowerBooks. They sometimes have them for incredible prices.

Boyd Ostroff · March 15th, 2005, 02:22 PM

<<<-- Originally posted by Guy Cochran : The only big difference is the amount of Video Ram. This is more of an issue for running apps such as Motion. -->>>

Actually that's a non-issue; Motion will not run on an iBook at all! It requires a minimum Radeon 9600 for desktop G4's or Radeon Mobility 9700 for laptops. The iBook has the Mobility 9200. The RAM limit of 1.25 GB would also not make Motion very happy (they say 512MB minimum, but it prefers 2GB or more).

If you need to run that program your only choice is a Powerbook. But really, if you want to use Motion you'd better get a G5 desktop system. I saw it running on a friend's 15" 1.33ghz Powerbook and it was slow but still quite usable.

Guy Cochran · March 15th, 2005, 02:45 PM

Ah, Boyd good point, that may or may not be the clencher for some. Personally, I would go PowerBook to further "future proof" my new purchase.

One more thing about getting the PowerBook is the FireWire 800. If you're going external for the storage, the G-Drives/G-Raid's, Lacie's are pretty sweet and super fast. The PowerBook's FW800 is even faster than the desktop G5's! http://barefeats.com/fire42.html

Boyd Ostroff · March 15th, 2005, 03:07 PM

Yes, the Powerbooks are certainly nicer in many ways. Support for a second screen is also nice (although there is a hack to do this on the iBook). The 12" Powerbook is the best deal, but 1024x768 screen isn't so good for video editing. 15" model iis much nicer. I have one of the first generation 15" aluminum Powerbooks (1ghz) but it won't run Motion either.

But on a budget the iBooks are a really nice value. I got a 12" iBook for my daughter last fall and was really impressed - she loves it.

Boyd Ostroff · March 15th, 2005, 09:16 PM

<<<-- Originally posted by Boyd Ostroff :I have one of the first generation 15" aluminum Powerbooks (1ghz) but it won't run Motion either. -->>>

Well I think I spoke too soon. I just looked at my system profile on the Powerbook and the graphics card code is RV350, which signifies a Radeon 9600 pro. Cool, that means I should be able to install motion and do rudimentary tweaks to my projects when I go to South America this summer :-) But first I will need to upgrade to Panther and stuff some more RAM in it... and even then I'm sure it will be sloooow.

March 14th, 2005, 07:37 PM	#1
Angel Otero New Boot Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Toa Alta, Puerto Rico Posts: 6	iBook for Editing I'm looking for a notebook to edit videos I was thinking on the powerbooks but the price it's too high. Can anyone tells me if an iBook can works fine with FCP. I already have an iMac with a G4 1Ghz and FCP works great. But i want something mobile. Thanks

March 15th, 2005, 12:50 PM	#3
Guy Cochran DVCreators.Net Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: Seattle, WA Posts: 892	The only big difference is the amount of Video Ram. This is more of an issue for running apps such as Motion. But with the rumors of FCP5 taking advantage of the video card's processing power, a PB would be the best route to go. For straight cuts and basic edits you'd be fine with an iBook. Check the "special deals" page on the Apple Store and watch for deals on PowerBooks. They sometimes have them for incredible prices. __________________ Guy Cochran DVinfo Sponsor, Cool Gear - DVeStore!

March 15th, 2005, 02:45 PM	#5
Guy Cochran DVCreators.Net Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: Seattle, WA Posts: 892	Ah, Boyd good point, that may or may not be the clencher for some. Personally, I would go PowerBook to further "future proof" my new purchase. One more thing about getting the PowerBook is the FireWire 800. If you're going external for the storage, the G-Drives/G-Raid's, Lacie's are pretty sweet and super fast. The PowerBook's FW800 is even faster than the desktop G5's! http://barefeats.com/fire42.html __________________ Guy Cochran DVinfo Sponsor, Cool Gear - DVeStore!

March 15th, 2005, 09:16 PM	#7
Boyd Ostroff Wrangler Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Mays Landing, NJ Posts: 11,802	I stand corrected <<<-- Originally posted by Boyd Ostroff :I have one of the first generation 15" aluminum Powerbooks (1ghz) but it won't run Motion either. -->>> Well I think I spoke too soon. I just looked at my system profile on the Powerbook and the graphics card code is RV350, which signifies a Radeon 9600 pro. Cool, that means I should be able to install motion and do rudimentary tweaks to my projects when I go to South America this summer :-) But first I will need to upgrade to Panther and stuff some more RAM in it... and even then I'm sure it will be sloooow.

March 14th, 2005, 08:14 PM	#2
Boyd Ostroff Wrangler Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Mays Landing, NJ Posts: 11,802	You should see about the same performance. I have a 1ghz G4 Powerbook and you can run FCP on it. The main difference between your iMac and the iBook would be the drive speed I'd imagine. You'll want an external firewire drive, not a good idea to put media on the internal drive except for quick, small projects maybe.

March 15th, 2005, 02:22 PM	#4
Boyd Ostroff Wrangler Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Mays Landing, NJ Posts: 11,802	<<<-- Originally posted by Guy Cochran : The only big difference is the amount of Video Ram. This is more of an issue for running apps such as Motion. -->>> Actually that's a non-issue; Motion will not run on an iBook at all! It requires a minimum Radeon 9600 for desktop G4's or Radeon Mobility 9700 for laptops. The iBook has the Mobility 9200. The RAM limit of 1.25 GB would also not make Motion very happy (they say 512MB minimum, but it prefers 2GB or more). If you need to run that program your only choice is a Powerbook. But really, if you want to use Motion you'd better get a G5 desktop system. I saw it running on a friend's 15" 1.33ghz Powerbook and it was slow but still quite usable.

March 15th, 2005, 03:07 PM	#6
Boyd Ostroff Wrangler Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Mays Landing, NJ Posts: 11,802	Yes, the Powerbooks are certainly nicer in many ways. Support for a second screen is also nice (although there is a hack to do this on the iBook). The 12" Powerbook is the best deal, but 1024x768 screen isn't so good for video editing. 15" model iis much nicer. I have one of the first generation 15" aluminum Powerbooks (1ghz) but it won't run Motion either. But on a budget the iBooks are a really nice value. I got a 12" iBook for my daughter last fall and was really impressed - she loves it.