Final Cut Pro - What do I need?

quaremquarem
Posted:
in Genius Bar edited January 2014
I am looking at getting FCP 3.0, but I am unsure of what sort of hardware I need. I have never used it before, so I am a rookie.



My two questions are as follows:



1. Do I need a second monitor to output footage for either capturing video from a DV camera or for viewing the editing I have done? Or can I just preview full screen like iMovie does on my main monitor?



2. I have a G4-867 with a 7200 RPM ATA drive. Is this going to be fast enough for editing or do I need SCSI drives?



In essence, do I need anything more than my 17 inch Studio Display and my 867 with a 7200 RPM ATA drive?



Thanks for you help.



[ 05-28-2002: Message edited by: Quarem ]</p>

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 2
    samantha joanne ollendalesamantha joanne ollendale Posts: 468member
    [quote]I am looking at getting FCP 3.0, but I am unsure of what sort of hardware I need. I have never used it before, so I am a rookie.



    My two questions are as follows:



    1. Do I need a second monitor to output footage for either capturing video from a DV camera or for viewing the editing I have done? Or can I just preview full screen like iMovie does on my main monitor?<hr></blockquote>



    A second monitor is always nice (you'll need a second video PCI output card though)...but I get by with one monitor just fine...although thinking about that 22" cinema display....



    [quote]2. I have a G4-867 with a 7200 RPM ATA drive. Is this going to be fast enough for editing or do I need SCSI drives?<hr></blockquote>



    The Apple supplied ATA drives are plenty fast enough, from what I've found anyway. People are editing using FCP3 in powerbooks also. The most demanding tasks are rendering video files, filters etc..and I have dound that OS-X is steadier and a bit faster than 9.2.2, (and utilizes multiprocessors far more efficiently should you go that route in future).



    Your 867 should handle FCP3 just fine.



    [ 05-28-2002: Message edited by: Samantha Joanne Ollendale ]</p>
  • Reply 2 of 2
    kevinb04240kevinb04240 Posts: 2member
    I used FCP 3 to edit a project on my 800Mhz G4 iMac, so I think your 867Mhz will do just fine.

    As with anything (but especially with DV) the more RAM you have the better. Also, you might want to pick up an extra drive (if you're going to be doing serious editing anyway). This will allow you to keep your project files separate from your system and applications. DV is extremely intensive on the drive and any fragmentation will show in previewing your work.



    What's really nice about DV cameras is that you can plug them into a TV while they are plugged into your computer. This way, you can see on an actual screen what your product will look like (since full screen previewing is sent out via FireWire to the camera).



    Enjoy!
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