MacBook Retina as main editing PC?

Hi, hope some of you more experienced guys can help me out.

Despite upgrading my 2009 Mac Pro it still struggles with FCPX (especially with effects) and editing is a paid in the **** instead of something enjoyable.

I was hoping for an updated iMac announcement from Apple this week but no such luck so I'm wondering whether to get a top spec current iMac or perhaps go for the MBP retina and hook it up to my 30" NEC Mutlisync monitor. The bonus of that is I get a mobile device that can be used for editing images in Aperture/Photoshop and can be used for FCPX if required but it comes at a premium price.

Does anyone have any thoughts on the positives and negatives of either system?

Regards

I need to update my 2007 17" MBP. On paper they seem nice, but I'm waiting to get real world feedback on them running FCP X, and especially Motion. Hoping to get to test one out at the local Apple Store, which is closed for renovations at the moment.

I'm editing with a 2007 Mac Pro and it's fine with FX so maybe your issues are with something else? Are you working with optimised media?

What all did you add/change in upgrading your MacPro?

Yeh I work with optimized and proxy media.

My original Mac Pro was a 2 x 2.26 quad core 2009 model with 8GB RAM which was awful with FCPX when it first came out. I have since upgraded the RAM to 24GB, added a ATI Radeon 5870 along with a SSD boot disc. I also use a G-Tech eSata drive to edit from which is giving me drive read/write speeds of around 220MB/s.

It's a lot better than it was but still takes an age to render clips with effects and I get the odd crash here and there. Compared to a standard i5/i7 iMac it's way behind. I will still keep the machine for all photography editing and other uses but I need something that kills FCPX

In the words of Tim Stevens the other day, "Final Cut Pro can manage up to nine streams of video simultaneously. No other notebook comes close to this kind of performance.

That's pretty much convinced me and I've ordered the retina MBP

I'm worried that GPU in the retina MBP is using so much power to light up that retina display with such high resolution, there may not be enough left over for FCP X / Motion.

Not to mention I just read a hands on review that says everything not optimized for retina display looks worse than a regular display (pixel doubling). Especially everything on the Web. So, if all you do it edit, you're fine. If you surf the Web, it's gonna suck.

I'm waiting to see some real world reporting on how it really performs with serious FCP X / Motion projects. Stuff that looks good on paper isn't always that good in real world use.

I've been told from a reliable source that FCPX is very fast on the new MBP

At what complexity of Timeline? What codecs, what filters added, now many layers of video composited on top of each other, how much audio playing at one time?

We are running Final Cut Pro X on bunch Mac Pro 4,1 early 2009 32 to 64 RAM and ATi 5870 with no issues and they are not any slower then our recent iMacs or Macbook Pro (they seem much faster then out Macbook Pro in many tasks). No SSD here maybe something with config?

But on the topic we should be getting our Macbook Pro Retina in soon :woohoo:
So I can give you some real life performance impression. But I also have told from a acquainted that they are fast.

Has anyone else thought the HDMI port on the Retina Macbook Pro seals the deal for a new Apple Display / TV later this year? I mean, theres now HDMI on AppleTV, Mac Mini, and Retina Macbook Pro. I wouldn't be surprised if we see HDMI on the next iMac and Mac Pro. Apple said the Retina MBP was the future and I think they mean it literally. Think about it, Apple introduces the machine that pros use to create content first in order for distribution of content via iTunes to flow seamlessly to the new Apple TV Display. It all falls into place.

On twitter today, I saw the GPU on the Retina MBP can handle four simultaneous displays. That is ridiculous for a notebook and if used for editing probably means that the GPU could handle most tasks in FCPX and Motion 5 if only one external display is connected and the device isn't displaying at the full resolution on the Retina Display. This is all conjecture really, we need hard data to support such a claim.

The design of the Retina Macbook Pro seems like it is specifically to allow for TB devices on the left and TV on the right. With LG producing the displays now, we can probably expect to see huge movement in the market in the next few years in regards to HD. As if 1080p wasn't around long enough, Retina TV displays could mean 2.5K or even 4K, however the distribution system for such resolutions simply isn't there yet in an overwhelming majority of places. What if Apple beats everyone else to the punch and starts offering 2.5K features downloadable via iTunes, viewable on a Retina Apple TV Display? Better quality than Blu-Ray. Sure, most people's network connection won't handle it yet, but then again we are talking about the future. Besides with 50 Mbps up/down via FIOS, it remains a possibility.

I wanna build one of my super power hungry Motion projects on a retinal MBP and see how fast I can kill it. Or how much I have to push it before it dies. :evil:

forums.creativecow.net/readpost/335/38013

Anyone see this post on Creative Cow? Thoughts on why FCPX may run faster on Thunderbolt equipped macs (even if you don't use Thunderbolt). Something to do with Grand Central Dispatch. If it's true, might explain why some iMacs/MacbookPros seem to run FCPX faster then MacPros that have faster processor/better graphics card/more RAM.

What do you guts think?

Bear in mind there will almost certainly be a refresh of the iMac coming in the next few months, no retina display by all accounts but it should be a great performer. I'll be getting one as a stopgap until we see what 2013 brings.

Awaiting my new rMBP in couple of weeks.
AnandTech just posted a review/comparison including some FCPX tests.
www.anandtech.com/show/6023/the-nextgen-...etina-display-review
Looking good.
Anyone using HDMI to color check?

Wow, that article from AnandTech makes me want to get one!

Did you get one? If so, please share. Or have you come any closer to a decision?

Went to look at Retina Display MacbookPros yesterday, for the very purpose of mobile video editing with FCPX, among other regular Mac stuff. Not sure how much these "Authorized Dealers" at Staples knew, but they said the max ram is 8 gigs, whereas the Apple store online says it maxes out at 16. I like the idea of maxing chips, ram & SSD, which comes to about $4K. Then add another SSD external for projects & media, linked by ThunderBolt. Has anyone in this group done that yet?

Also, can anyone confirm the rumor that Apple has killed the 17" MacbookPro forever?

thanks

All Mac laptops currently listed max out at 8GB RAM, except the 15" rMBP which maxes out at 16GB RAM.

I have a maxed out 15" rMBP with an Elgado SSD T'bolt external (single drive, bus powered).

Yes, Apple has killed off the 17" laptop for good, and I will miss it. The 15" retina display is pretty rough on my old eyes, even with my glasses. Major video editing fail. But that's what we have to work with, super crisp screens that are really TINY for doing editing and graphics work on.

Thanks Ben, much appreciated. I've always preferred first hand knowledgable experience over hastily & improperly trained shop clerks or misguided rumors.

(you're now up to 210 thanks)

And -5 Karma? Really?