15" Powerbook 550mhz okay for FCPHD? at DVinfo.net

Zack Birlew · September 11th, 2005, 10:24 AM

Hi, I know, I know, I've got an old Mac. I purchased my 550mhz Powerbook for highschool work (still got an F in the course because the stupid teacher wouldn't repair my account on the new school network) and I was wondering if it would be okay for FCPHD. I don't need realtime effects and such. It's just that I'm trying to keep funds tight for other things such as audio equipment and a new HD camera (plus lenses, filters, ect.). The only upgrades I can add to it is two 512mb sticks of PC133 SDRAM (I know, "old".) and, if I wanted to, a bigger/faster hard drive. I'm working from external drives though to keep performance up and to give me more flexibility. It's currently running fine on Mac OS X 10.01 or something like that, but after the upgrade to Tiger and the addition of FCP, will it still run okay?

I'll probably upgrade to a newer Mac once they switch to Intel next year. But I don't know, I don't even have FCP. I was thinking about just getting iLife'05 and using iMovieHD for schoolwork, would this be better since I've got an older Mac?

I know what you're thinking, I've got a really good PC (as you can see from the specs below) and I've mentioned my Alienware laptop a few times here and there, so why am I asking about Macs and FCP? Why don't I just use AVID instead? Well, it's simple really, UNLV (my college) uses Macs and FCP.

Anybody else in the same boat or have any advice? Anything would help.

Boyd Ostroff · September 11th, 2005, 02:17 PM

I assume you're talking about the 550mhz "gigabit ethernet" titanium G4 like this?

http://www.lowendmac.com/pb2/g4-550.html

That barely squeeks by FCP's minium spec of a 500 mhz G4 - 512MB RAM is the minimum. I haven't upgraded to FCP 5 yet myself, but personally I think you'll be pushing your machine to, if not past its limits. I used FCP 3 on my 667mhz titanium and it worked OK under MacOS 9, but not under MacOS X. But of course, FCP 3 was native in OS 9 and was designed for slower machines.

Forget about anything in HD, FCP 5 needs at least 1ghz CPU for that. I think you'd be basically pouring money down a hole, and the software would cost you more than the computer itself is even worth. I also think you'd be spending more good money after bad to attempt any upgrades on a machine of that vintage which probably has a limited life. Maybe consider getting a Mac Mini, which will be nearly 3x the speed of your tibook, or just wait until you have the funds to do it right....

September 11th, 2005, 10:24 AM	#1
Zack Birlew Major Player Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Las Vegas, NV Posts: 613	15" Powerbook 550mhz okay for FCPHD? Hi, I know, I know, I've got an old Mac. I purchased my 550mhz Powerbook for highschool work (still got an F in the course because the stupid teacher wouldn't repair my account on the new school network) and I was wondering if it would be okay for FCPHD. I don't need realtime effects and such. It's just that I'm trying to keep funds tight for other things such as audio equipment and a new HD camera (plus lenses, filters, ect.). The only upgrades I can add to it is two 512mb sticks of PC133 SDRAM (I know, "old".) and, if I wanted to, a bigger/faster hard drive. I'm working from external drives though to keep performance up and to give me more flexibility. It's currently running fine on Mac OS X 10.01 or something like that, but after the upgrade to Tiger and the addition of FCP, will it still run okay? I'll probably upgrade to a newer Mac once they switch to Intel next year. But I don't know, I don't even have FCP. I was thinking about just getting iLife'05 and using iMovieHD for schoolwork, would this be better since I've got an older Mac? I know what you're thinking, I've got a really good PC (as you can see from the specs below) and I've mentioned my Alienware laptop a few times here and there, so why am I asking about Macs and FCP? Why don't I just use AVID instead? Well, it's simple really, UNLV (my college) uses Macs and FCP. Anybody else in the same boat or have any advice? Anything would help. __________________ "Babs Do or Babs Do not, there is no try." - Zack Birlew www.BabsDoProductions.com

September 11th, 2005, 02:17 PM	#2
Boyd Ostroff Wrangler Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Mays Landing, NJ Posts: 11,787	I assume you're talking about the 550mhz "gigabit ethernet" titanium G4 like this? http://www.lowendmac.com/pb2/g4-550.html That barely squeeks by FCP's minium spec of a 500 mhz G4 - 512MB RAM is the minimum. I haven't upgraded to FCP 5 yet myself, but personally I think you'll be pushing your machine to, if not past its limits. I used FCP 3 on my 667mhz titanium and it worked OK under MacOS 9, but not under MacOS X. But of course, FCP 3 was native in OS 9 and was designed for slower machines. Forget about anything in HD, FCP 5 needs at least 1ghz CPU for that. I think you'd be basically pouring money down a hole, and the software would cost you more than the computer itself is even worth. I also think you'd be spending more good money after bad to attempt any upgrades on a machine of that vintage which probably has a limited life. Maybe consider getting a Mac Mini, which will be nearly 3x the speed of your tibook, or just wait until you have the funds to do it right....