Not particularly attractive, is she? But the Mac pro is the heart of a new video editing system I'm hoping to out together.
[Edit - based on comments below and what I've read online I now intend to wait until after the summer to buy].
I'd been asked a couple of questions about it as the result of yesterday's posting. Anyone who knows about this stuff and can advise - please do so, it's really appreciated. I'm a technical dunce!
All this could be on hold if what i read online the other day is true - that 12-core machines are due this year. If so, the price of those lower down the food chain will drop.
Currently I shoot HDV but downconvert to SD to edit for the BBC and my own projects. My iMac copes fine and the storage is just a series of LaCie 500GB hard-drives hanging off the back. This means I can also edit on the road.
Clients increasingly want 'HD' videos, even if it's just for the web. With my current camera, the Sony Z1, that'll be HDV. But the business plan looks to a new camera in 2011, currently it would be a Sony XD CAM EX3, but things will move on.
My editing requirements start with a computer that's fast enough to edit the material which will come out of this camera, even though I don't own it yet. But we'll come back to that lower down + .
* I need monitoring. For this I'll need an IO card, probably the Black Diamond, which I'll connect to a fla-screen HD TV 1080p as I can't afford a reference monitor. This is to detect any artifacts which creep into the edit and which can't be seen in FCP. This happened in the slow-motion sequences in Sea Kayak with Gordon Brown but were picked up by the post production team at Stable Recordings. I'd like to detect them myself.
* I need a screen. I'll start with 22" so in time I might be able to add a second.
* I need storage. I'd been advised to add internal storage (for speed). I prefer external as it's more flexible and I can take it on the road.
* I need a new copy of FCP and Applecare.
So with £5,000 to spend, work backwards from those needs, and the balance of what's left is what I have to spend on a MacPro. (Go back to +) Can I get one which is fast enough to handle the output of a Sony XD CAM EX3?
If not, then I'll wait until I've earnt more money!