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it5five
2006-06-01, 10:43
Hi everyone. I'm pretty excited about getting my first mac. I used to use them at school and LOVE them. I even sold my girfriend on getting an imac after her computer broke.

But, as a freshman film student, I'm not sure exactly what is necessary. Right now I have it down to two options:

1) Wait until the Mac Pro's come around. Save every cent I earn this summer to buy one when they are released.

2) Buy an iMac now (If I did this, it'd be the 20" with 2GB RAM), and then about 2 years later buy a Mac Pro (when I have more money).

Is anyone here a past or present film student? Would the Mac Pro be overkill as a new student, or is it better just to buy the Mac Pro first, then just upgrade RAM and HD space when necessary? I'm trying to get as many opinions possible on this. Thanks.

Banana
2006-06-01, 11:06
Well, while hardware are important, you also need to include in cost of software, if any.

If your school doesn't give you software, at least I'm sure you will get an hefty educational discount; if you spend all of your money on a Mac Pro, it'll be useless because you don't have the necessary software. In that scenario, you'd be better off on a iMac with some money left over for whatever software you will need to run on it.

it5five
2006-06-01, 11:12
Yeah, the student discount is pretty nice. Final Cut studio is only $800 after the discount. So, if I can afford the software + Mac Pro, I should just go ahead and do that?

Brad
2006-06-01, 11:13
Yup. Banana just took the response right from my fingertips. :)

Don't forget to account for software in your budget.

Banana
2006-06-01, 11:17
I can't say whether software+ Mac Pro would be ideal; we have no idea what specs Mac Pro will actually have, whether it's in the range or not or whether it's overkill or right for your needs.

In that aspect, you could just wait until you need the computer and are ready to buy, then consider which would fit your needs better (e.g. a iMac with more RAM or a stock Mac Pro).

it5five
2006-06-01, 11:20
Thanks. I'll wait and see what August brings.

intlplby
2006-06-01, 14:14
isn't there a bundle deal with FCS and the current Power Macs? If so this probably with also occur with the new Mac Pros

Banana
2006-06-01, 14:25
Yeah, saw it; but it's only $300 off... he said he has a student discount making it only $800 after the discount. I doubt he can combine those two discounts.

badtzmaru
2006-06-01, 14:57
Hi everyone. I'm pretty excited about getting my first mac. I used to use them at school and LOVE them. I even sold my girfriend on getting an imac after her computer broke.

But, as a freshman film student, I'm not sure exactly what is necessary. Right now I have it down to two options:

1) Wait until the Mac Pro's come around. Save every cent I earn this summer to buy one when they are released.

2) Buy an iMac now (If I did this, it'd be the 20" with 2GB RAM), and then about 2 years later buy a Mac Pro (when I have more money).

Is anyone here a past or present film student? Would the Mac Pro be overkill as a new student, or is it better just to buy the Mac Pro first, then just upgrade RAM and HD space when necessary? I'm trying to get as many opinions possible on this. Thanks.

The Mac Pro is going to end up being the machine you want for video considering ease of doing upgrades yourself, and having things like FW800, SATA hard drives and likely SATA connectors. You'll also likely get a bigger student discount on a Mac Pro vs. an iMac.

As a student you can get an academic version of Final Cut Pro Studio at a steep discount, but it's not upgradeable.

What I did was this: Apple has a Universal cross-grade program (http://www.apple.com/universal/crossgrade/) where if you're a current owner of certain Apple Pro apps, the cost to crossgrade to the full Final Cut Studio is only $199. So I went to CompUSA, found a copy of Soundtrack Pro for $250 (they weren't supposed to be selling it anymore), then took advantage of the crossgrade for $199, so my total cost for Final Cut Studio is $449, cheaper than the academic version and fully upgradeable over time.

it5five
2006-06-01, 18:24
Wow, thanks for the advice for the crossgrade program. I'll keep my eyes open for one of the apps on their own and pick it up for sure if I see one.