Macbook Pro i5?

chris.G

chris.G

Member
I'm looking at getting new computer to do HD video editing along with some picture editing and other digital media stuff.

I'm a poor ass college student, but I definitely need a better computer (i have a shitty old hp laptop) to the kind of work I'm looking at doing

I know that the 15" quad-core i5 or i7 with AMD graphics would be preferable for exactly what I'm trying to do, but would the 13" i5 still do a solid job??

Thanks!
 
It works, but screen size might bother you more than processor ability. You can upgrade to 8GB of RAM for about $60, but not much you can do about the screen and processor.

If you have a nice external monitor you'll probably like it, otherwise I'd say spend a little more.
 
thanks man, i figured the screen size would be a little bit of an issue but i'm definitely gonna be getting an external monitor at some point
 
haha i read your mind, what were you thinking? i would get the 15" but its so much more than the 13, i just need a computer that can handle the hd video and what not
 
i'm thinking the 13. I have a flatscreen that i'm hoping I can hook it up to somehow..I'm just not sure if it's going to be fast enough
 
Buy a 2010 Macbook Pro 15 if you can't afford the current one. I picked up a 2.53 i5 for $950. I've seen the Feb 2011 quadcore sell for $1399 on Ebay. Keep in mind the 2011 is 60% faster than the 2.53 from last year. The 13" is a terrible choice for video editing because it doesn't have a dedicated video card.
 
yeah the 15' is the way to go for editing, better graphics, faster, all around better for what you want ot do
 
okay so i see that the 15" has a AMD Radeon HD 6750M with 512MB GDDR5. Is this necessary, the 13" comes with Intel HD Graphics 3000. can someone that knows more about this fill me in? thanks
 
you're going to go ahead and want the 15" version, ideally with the i7. It'll be worth the extra money, as I recall the i5 is more of a budget processor that's geared towards longer battery life, and not as great processing. And as far as the GPU goes, the 15" is far superior as it has a dedicated card which makes a huge difference. Spend the extra money and go 15", in the long run it'll be way worth the extra investment.
 
okay, so i'm pretty much decided on a 15" now because of the graphics card. but is 2.0ghz enough with a macbook pro? I already have a macbook that's 2ghz with 3gb of ddr2 ram from about four years ago..
 
what camera do you film with? and you conform them to apple pro res before right? how long are the renders usually

sorry, it's just so much money and i'm trying to figure out if it's worth it or if i should just try and tough it out with my current macbook. +k thanks
 
I don't have a camera. But I have used some of my friends shots and I recently used COC's footage that was filming in 60fps at 720p to edit for a contest. I don't know what apple pro res is. Rendering, not sure exactly what it means. But I can tell you that I have very little to no lag.
 
ya those are kind of open ended questions anyways. I just have to research more to find out which one will cut it. thanks though
 
Sorry I couldn't help you out as much as you would of liked.

All I can say is, if you are on a budget, buy the refurbished 15 inch quad core i7. for $1320 that's a banger deal!
 
Yeah, it is a super sick deal! I'm in Canada so mine cost more, but now the one I have dropped down $200.
 
If you're going to get an external monitor, either would be fine, in my opinion. I have a 15" MBP with a 2.53 GHz Core 2 Duo, and that runs FCP fine. I did upgrade to 8 GB of RAM, which helps, but not really to make the program run that much faster, but it just allows you to run more stuff at the same time. But that should never be that much of an issue if you have 4+ GB of RAM, just close your other stuff. If you have the funds, I would go with the 15" considering you're not always going to be glued to that monitor.

Hope that helps.
 
I like to think of it this way...that macbook pro 13" is just as powerful (if not moreso) than the biggest production companies were using in the early 2000's... good enough for you? I'd say yes.
 
any chance that discount is in addition to the student discount?? Haha I'm guessing no

But thanks for all the advice everyone! It really helps me out
 
I needed to use photoshop, autocad, sketchup and some other programs and upgraded from my old macbook to a 13" macbook pro and in hindsight I would've gotten the 15" just for the graphics card. I've found it gets super laggy and the fans start going crazy when I'm using graphics intensive programs and even when watching a movie sometimes. Love the computer, but I'm overall unimpressed with its graphics performance.

I'd definitely recommend the 15" for the screen size too. It's a real pain working with sketchup and watching movies on the 13" so I'm trying to get a tv/monitor for Christmas.
 
haha yeah I noticed it too, but I called the guy and he doesn't speak the greatest english but he sounds legit. Also, I'd be picking it up in person and told him I would want to open the package and make sure everything is like he said in the listing before paying for it. I'm still not sure what to do, but i need a new laptop really bad so I'm trying to pick something up in the next day or so.
 
Yeah. Integrated graphics has been getting better but for now a dedicated graphics card is the way to go. However, in the latest MBP from October 2011, the Intel HD3000 does really well because of some improvement between the CPU/Graphics chip interconnects.
 
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