Best computer for HD & Vegas?

[David Delaney]

I am hoping my upgrade does the trick. Right now I use dual monitors with VV and have no problems even editing HD

[David Delaney]

Jon,

I emailed you privated through your website about what you said for Vegas, I hope that is ok.

[Kevin Richard]

Originally Posted by Steven Davis

So what would be the best MAC option in a laptop. Would the MacBook Pro just as it comes enough? I'm looking at a MAC instead of a pc for my laptop.

For Vegas that mac won't be enough ;)

[Steven Davis]

Originally Posted by Kevin Richard

For Vegas that mac won't be enough ;)

Below are the standard packages from Apple, so none of these are 'enough?'


15.4-inch widescreen display

1440x900 resolution

2.0GHz Intel Core Duo(1)

512MB (single SODIMM) 667MHz DDR2 SDRAM

80GB 5400-rpm Serial ATA hard drive

4x SuperDrive

ATI Mobility Radeon X1600 with 128MB GDDR3 memory

One FireWire 400 and two USB 2.0 ports

---------------------------------------------

15.4-inch widescreen display

1440x900 resolution

2.16GHz Intel Core Duo(1)

1GB (single SO-DIMM) 667MHz DDR2 SDRAM

100GB 5400-rpm Serial ATA hard drive

4x SuperDrive

ATI Mobility Radeon X1600 with 256MB GDDR3 memory

One FireWire 400 and two USB 2.0 ports

-------------------------------------------

17-inch widescreen display

1680 x 1050 resolution

2.16GHz Intel Core Duo(1)

1GB (single SODIMM) 667MHz DDR2 SDRAM

120GB 5400-rpm Serial ATA hard drive

8x double-layer SuperDrive

ATI Mobility Radeon X1600 with 256MB GDDR3 memory

One FireWire 400, one FireWire 800, and three USB 2.0 ports

[Guy Bruner]

I think what Kevin was hinting at is Vegas runs under Windows XP. Now, you could use Bootcamp and install Windows XP on the MacBook...but it then wouldn't be a Mac, would it? My Acer dual core runs Vegas just fine. And, I believe Acer builds the Mac notebooks. It is essentially (with a few more features) the same as your second listing.

[Steven Davis]

Originally Posted by Guy Bruner

I think what Kevin was hinting at is Vegas runs under Windows XP. Now, you could use Bootcamp and install Windows XP on the MacBook...but it then wouldn't be a Mac, would it? My Acer dual core runs Vegas just fine. And, I believe Acer builds the Mac notebooks. It is essentially (with a few more features) the same as your second listing.

Thanks Guy,

I'm very ignorant when it comes to Mac, I've never had one, don't own one and never had used one much more than the school library.

But given thier reputation for hardware stability, and the intruiging option to have two OS's just in case, is a nifty thought to me for a mobile office. Obviously I would want to do video workage.

So I was looking for some who maybe rutinely use Vegas on a mac.

[Kevin Richard]

Totally not trying to spark a mac vs pc debate but it's really a misconception. I would imagine that a "mac" running xp would be just as unstable as any other reputable hardware combonation running xp.

I work on both and I have my problems with some of the work flow on macs but they aren't bad machines. (easy if there is only a very small set of hardware you have to program for ;) ) I also don't really have problems on pc's that most people have... I am also an IT guy so I'm not dummy when it comes to making it work.

Our editor tried to explain to me his love for mac's by saying "in the past year I've had 7 virus's on my mac and 110 on my pc... that has to tell you something"... I said "it does, because in that same time frame I have had ZERO virus's on my pc and I don't run any virus protection/firewall/spyware removal tools... OPERATOR has a lot to do with it." Granted there are less virus's designed for macs than pc's... but if the tables were turned and mac's dominated the market and then more virsus would be wrote for mac's would that make pc's better? (touchet) ;)

Please no debates as I'm not opposed to either... I'm just opposed to 10 year old marketing where you think you need a mac to do any serious audio/video work.

[Greg Watts]

So I was looking for some who maybe rutinely use Vegas on a mac.

I guess this is what it boils down to. Any Vegas user is probably - most likely - not using a bootcamp Mac to run Vegas on since having a Mac means you're adding an unnecessary step with Vegas when FCP is the defacto standard NLE for the Mac and one of the only reasons I even want a Mac. If you're tied to Vegas, love it, etc then why even bother with a Mac? Pickup a nice core duo laptop and be done with it. I guess my point is why on earth would you buy a Mac to run a PC application? I love the Mac. I just don't see the value in paying the premium for what you describe.

If FCP were available for the PC I'd be all over it because I love how it works.

[Jason Robinson]

Originally Posted by Mike Kujbida

It's only role is in feeding whatever monitor(s) you have.
Other than that, a more expensive video card gains you nothing unless you're also a gamer who needs things like 3D features.

S little bit of an investment in a "better than onboard graphics" will go miles towards a happy editign experience. When you have those two 19" LCDs it sure would be handy to have dual output. Even better is dual DVI so you can push two 1680x1050 displays. That much desktop real estate goes a long way towards a well organized desktop work space.

jason

[Steven Davis]

Originally Posted by Greg Watts

I guess this is what it boils down to. Any Vegas user is probably - most likely - not using a bootcamp Mac to run Vegas on since having a Mac means you're adding an unnecessary step with Vegas when FCP is the defacto standard NLE for the Mac and one of the only reasons I even want a Mac. If you're tied to Vegas, love it, etc then why even bother with a Mac? Pickup a nice core duo laptop and be done with it. I guess my point is why on earth would you buy a Mac to run a PC application? I love the Mac. I just don't see the value in paying the premium for what you describe.

If FCP were available for the PC I'd be all over it because I love how it works.

Hey Greg, My brain thinking was that with a mac I could have the over all stability and another OS as well as the aps that come with it. But my main purpose in having it would be to edit away from the office. That's what I was thinking. And yes, I love Vegas.

[Jason Robinson]

Originally Posted by David Delaney

What are some minimal specs for this as far as processor and memory go?

The minimums listed for any software / OS are pathetically low compared to what is necessary to achieve a comfortable user experience let alone a satisfying experience.

For Vegas, with its dynamic on the fly preview of all layers and effects, you need a chipset that has a fast RAM access path. The faster the FSB connection the better Vegas will be able to function with a few video tracks layered on with efects, color corrections, etc. Try Opterons with their dedicated RAM controller built into the CPU and a dedicated bus for each ram chip directly to the CPU.

Having 2.5GB of RAM on my system is overkill. WinXP reserves 1/2 of all physical RAM for itself and the kernel the rest is shared between all running user apps. I have run two instances of Vegas, one rendering and one editing, and still have 800MB of unused physical RAM.

jason

[Kevin Richard]

Don't most (I say most because I really don't know) 64bit AMD chips have ram controllers on the cpu? I thought that is what made them so nice even with a 32bit OS? I could be wrong as I've never read those specs this is just what I've heard.

[Jason Robinson]

Originally Posted by Kevin Richard

Don't most (I say most because I really don't know) 64bit AMD chips have ram controllers on the cpu? I thought that is what made them so nice even with a 32bit OS? I could be wrong as I've never read those specs this is just what I've heard.

I just suggested Opteron because those chips pack in the power and with Dual Opterons, your system will have lots of staying power and not be extinct as fast. I have a dual AMD Athlon MP and that system was made 4 years ago. It uses Athlon MP 1800+ chips with 512MB of RAM and a RAID 0 disc system and IT STILL only renders 3% slower than a 1yr old Alienware P4HT 3GHz with 2.5GB DDR2 RAM.

jason

[Glen Elliott]

Just for the record I purchased a 15" 2.16ghz Core Duo Mac Book Pro and promptly installed XP via BootCamp then Vegas+DVD. I ran the Vegas rendertest on it and to my suprise it cranked out the best numbers I've ever gotten personally. It bested my VAIO 3.0 Pentium D desktop!

The Mac laptops are smokin' fast and most definitly NOT made my "Acer". lol

Beware though- once you get a Mac Book Pro you'll be tempted to try FCP Studio and then possibly entertain the thought of making the switch from Vegas to FCP. I'm doing so right now. ;) It took me all of about a week to delete my XP partition and relinquish it back to my main OS X drive.

[Steven Davis]

Originally Posted by Glen Elliott

Beware though- once you get a Mac Book Pro you'll be tempted to try FCP Studio and then possibly entertain the thought of making the switch from Vegas to FCP. I'm doing so right now. ;)

You'll never get me to come over completely to the dark side of the force...........[Insert Darth Sound] :}