Mac mini or iMac 21.5 for FCP? at DVinfo.net

Cole Seidl · June 6th, 2013, 09:31 AM

Hello everyone. My 2008 Macbook pro is on it's very last leg. I'll be thankful to make it through the typing of this post. So I'm about to buy a new Mac. I'm not a big fan of Final Cut X, and would like to just continue using 7.

I'm stuck between the 21.5" iMac 2.9GHz i5 with 8Gb of Ram.
OR
The Mac Mini 2.3 GHz i7 with 16Gb of Ram.

I'm not particularly computer savvy, but it would appear to me that the mini is more powerful than the iMac. The big holdup is that the mini has no graphics card whereas the iMac has the Nvidia.

I don't do much in After Effects, and most of my editing is limited to FCP, STP, and Color. But I do large amounts of editing with 1080p HD. (T2i and 5D)

Will the graphics card make a huge difference? Am I missing something big? Any input would be greatly appreciated.

William Hohauser · June 6th, 2013, 12:36 PM

Color might need the graphics chip, you should check. FCP7 will work fine on the MacMini.

Cole Seidl · June 6th, 2013, 09:59 PM

Thanks for the response. Apple Color doesn't support integrated graphics except for the HD Graphics 3000, but I'm assuming that the 4,000 should work too. I couldn't find any information specifically saying weather or not my assumption is true though.

June 6th, 2013, 09:31 AM	#1
Cole Seidl Regular Crew Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Minneapolis, MN Posts: 126	Mac mini or iMac 21.5 for FCP? Hello everyone. My 2008 Macbook pro is on it's very last leg. I'll be thankful to make it through the typing of this post. So I'm about to buy a new Mac. I'm not a big fan of Final Cut X, and would like to just continue using 7. I'm stuck between the 21.5" iMac 2.9GHz i5 with 8Gb of Ram. OR The Mac Mini 2.3 GHz i7 with 16Gb of Ram. I'm not particularly computer savvy, but it would appear to me that the mini is more powerful than the iMac. The big holdup is that the mini has no graphics card whereas the iMac has the Nvidia. I don't do much in After Effects, and most of my editing is limited to FCP, STP, and Color. But I do large amounts of editing with 1080p HD. (T2i and 5D) Will the graphics card make a huge difference? Am I missing something big? Any input would be greatly appreciated.

June 6th, 2013, 12:36 PM	#2
William Hohauser Inner Circle Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: New York City Posts: 2,650	Re: Mac mini or iMac 21.5 for FCP? Color might need the graphics chip, you should check. FCP7 will work fine on the MacMini. __________________ William Hohauser - New York City Producer/Edit/Camera/Animation

June 6th, 2013, 09:59 PM	#3
Cole Seidl Regular Crew Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Minneapolis, MN Posts: 126	Re: Mac mini or iMac 21.5 for FCP? Thanks for the response. Apple Color doesn't support integrated graphics except for the HD Graphics 3000, but I'm assuming that the 4,000 should work too. I couldn't find any information specifically saying weather or not my assumption is true though.