Editing FCP X with a 21.5-inch iMac

Would I be able to edit HD and some 4K video footage with FCP X on a 21.5-inch iMac with the following specs:

3.1GHz Quad-core Intel Core i7 processor, Turbo Boost up to 3.9GHz
Apple 16GB 1600MHz DDR3 SDRAM -2X8GB
512GB Flash Storage
NVIDIA GeForce GT 750M with 1GB GDDR5

add another 70-80$ for an external usb3 harddrive to store Events and you have a beast of a machine....

I'm editing 4k on a MacMini/late 2012 - easy.
Don't get impressed by Benchmark tests - imho, a Benchmark test tests Benchmarks, not real-life usage. :lol:

Agreed.

Hi,
sorry for refloating this old thread.

I'm am trying to define if the top 21.5 iMac available today,

3.3GHz quad-core Intel Core i7, Turbo Boost up to 3.8GHz
16GB 1867MHz LPDDR3
512GB Flash Storage
Intel HD Graphics 6200

will allow me to fluidly work with a cuts-only, 2 hour timeline in C4K H264 24fps movs from a GH4, online that is, no proxies, no decompression, being able to smoothly play this timeline fullscreen 4K in the same machine.

I know a 27 iMac is ideal, but it is too big for the portability I need. I have the material in USB3 external WD HHD, which I also don't know if fast enough. Maybe Thunderbolt is needed. Also wondering if an external SSD is recommended for saving the projects. Adding external stuff is no problem. Excuse my ignorance, but can you have an external video card to help graphics?

All help is very welcome.

With a T'bolt RAID 5, 7200rpm disks, sure. I'm doing it on a MP, but think the two are close in performance.

It will...

I work on a maxed out Mac Mini 2012 (2.3Ghz i7, 16 RAM, HDD, Intel 4000, all footage on external hard drives) and I work with FCPX since launch five years ago without problems... it's slower than an iMac with a dedicated GPU, but it works for the small freelance jobs I do at home from time to time.

PS: Pasá el mate que cebo yo el próximo.

canelson wrote: …I work on a maxed out Mac Mini 2012 (2.3Ghz i7, 16 RAM, HDD, Intel 4000, all footage on external hard drives) …

What a beast!
... my mini is an i5 ... :silly:

ok, longer projects should be exported over night, BruceX is measured in minutes, and my homebrewn plugins with motion-blur look in preview like a slideshow ... but editing? easy!

Well, my current Mini cannot play this material smoothly at all. Not from the external USB3, not from the internal SATA SSD.

Mac mini (Mid 2011)
2,3 GHz Intel Core i5
16 GB 1600 MHz DDR3
Intel HD Graphics 3000 512 MB
Yosemite



PS: salute Matías

feder.martinicrotti wrote: … Yosemite
…

I wrote somewhere hidden in the BruceX thread;:
the update to ElCap gave my set-up a boost of 30%!..

and for 4k sources (h264/mp4), I'm using an ext. SSD/usb3 connected, from Samsung - delivers blazing fast

OK, will try El Capitán, if it ever finishes downloading! Thanks!

Like Karsten, I'm finding OS X 10.11.5 with latest versions of the pro apps very stable, quick.

It should be noted that a 2011 Mac Mini only has USB 2.0, not 3.0, so you will have performance issues using USB. As for issues using the internal SSD, is it drop frame during playback? or spinning beachball? if you reset the FCPX warnings, what does FCPX tell you?

I'll agree that most anything after 2012/13 should be able to playback GH4 4k.

Capitan installed, it improved somewhat, but not completely. It seems the same if played from internal SSD or from external USB3 using USB2 ports of the Mini. A little better in just Quicktime. In FCPX, more dropped frames than in QT. No beach ball. It warns Dropped Frames.

I definitely need an upgrade. But I'm still a little wary that a maxed out 21 iMac will be able to show me a fullscreen 2 hour roughcut timeline without problems. Quite different from short timelines as you already know.

If you can, see if you can try one in store before you buy, build the timeline and make your way to your closest retailer. I know Apple stores will usually have FCPX installed on their iMacs in store, though I don't know if other retailers do.


I hope your Mac Mini served you well. I am curious though, does it play optimized media well? or is there any change when you go to better performance?

Anyways, enjoy shopping!

Yes, that would be ideal. I'm trying to find a retailer that would have the maxxed 21. They usually have the lower models around here.

I haven't even tried optimizing because I've never seen the material in 4K yet, so I'm going for full res in order to pick as I edit.

But will try just out of curiosity, see how it goes.

It stalls the same with optimized proxies...

The good'ol mini served me well and will keep serving the family in less stressful tasks.

Only one small detail to keep in mind.

While any of the iMacs available today are going to be way better than your current Mac mini, keep in mind that all the 21" iMac have old Broadwell chips, while the 27" have the Skylake chip, which is the new generation.

Oh, even the 3.3GHz quad-core Intel Core i7 in the maxed 21 isn't Skylake? That's demoralizing. I wish I could go with the 27, I would if it wasn't for portability. I find 21 much easier to transport than 27.

Apple iMac "Core i7" 3.3 21.5-Inch (4K, Late 2015)
Identifiers: Retina 4K, Late 2015 - BTO/CTO - iMac16,2 - A1418 - 2833

www.everymac.com/systems/apple/imac/spec...late-2015-specs.html

Clear evidence. Thanks.

Even though it can most probably do what I need now, it is a bit of a waste in terms of the future.

Does anyone approximately know when WWDC announcements can reach the stores? I have a farfetched dream of a MBP 4K 17" retina...