Posted by eyebytes on 09/22/06 22:43

Hi,

I need to use Final Cut and Motion for projects at church, so I bought
a full set with manuals on craigslist last week. Since then I've been
pulling my hair out trying to decide on the best Apple computer for my
needs.

Here's my requirements:

1. Run Motion and FCP for small projects, typically 5 - 15 minutes (not
movies).
2. I already have a 20" monitor with VGA and DVI connections, which
could be used as a primary or secondary monitor (with iMac).
3. I have an Xbox 360, so it's not likely that this computer will be
used for gaming.

QUESTIONS:

1. Is a 20" iMac monitor, (with a secondary 20") going to work well in
Final Cut? The 24" iMac looks nice, but is it really worth the extra
$500... especially since I already have a 20" that's not being used?

2. Will I see much performance boost with 256MB of VRAM over the
standard 128?

3. Will I be happy and productive with an iMac Core 2 Duo (which is
limited to 3GB of RAM), or should I splurge for the Mac Pro instead.

Keep in mind that I'm getting this primarily for church projects, but I
might find a way to use the software and computer to make some money on
video projects down the road.

Any and all advice is greatly appreciated! Thanks!

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