I assume I'd want to get the version with 256MB video ram if I wanted to add an external 19-22" monitor, yes or unnecessary?

What are the wait times during basic FCP editing (such as for news or docs) while your are working on something? (I don't care too much about the long render/?->HD time at the end of a job)

If it's mainly for hobby usage with a Canon XH A1 and training/learning/etc. prior to getting more serious and into pro documentary/adventure/news/event video, would I limited in any way or would it just be slower than a Mac Pro set up?

Thanks!

Working on an HDV project now from a Sony Z1P on a 20" Apple Imac with the Radeon X1600 (128mg onboard) and 1.5gig of ram.

Standard cuts are absolutely normal. Only major slowdown I have noticed is when hitting space on the timeline to stop the cursor when doing playback it jumps forwards a couple of frames - but to be honest that may be more to do with the intraframe nature of the codec than the computer having any hardware issues.

My 24" (2 Gigs RAM) works fine with HDV for cuts in FCP. Rendering, if you need it, is slooow.

Best wishes,
Peter
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