Will my Mac be good for it?

By Glassed Silver
in Editing Studio

 Share

Recommended Posts

Grand Master

Glassed Silver

Posted
Posted

Hey guys!

I have a quick question, will my iMac (late '06, 20") Core 2 Duo 2.16GHz, 2.5GB RAM, latest OS X, Windows 7 available, too, be any good for these kinds of work?

  1. Up to 18MP RAW Photoshop CS5 jobs. I tend to use about 5-20 layers mostly.
  2. What about the same in 12MP RAW
  3. 1080p movie editing non-linear of cause. Final Cut Express (or would FCP be better regarding performance on older hardware?), maybe I'd even give iMovie '11 or iMovie '09 a try as well. (Alternatives: Sony Vegas/Adobe Premiere/avid, would they perform better?) - I gotta say that I know my Mac will not be the "machine born for it", just wanna know whether it's DOABLE, somehow or not. Considering to buy a MBP next summer anyways... :D But for the time being...
  4. How sweet would ProRes perform, Apple's hi-def editing codec?

Thanks a lot in advance!

Glassed Silver:mac

Link to comment
https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/953390-will-my-mac-be-good-for-it/
Share on other sites
Grand Master

offroadaaron

Posted
Posted

Hey guys!

I have a quick question, will my iMac (late '06, 20") Core 2 Duo 2.16GHz, 2.5GB RAM, latest OS X, Windows 7 available, too, be any good for these kinds of work?

  1. Up to 18MP RAW Photoshop CS5 jobs. I tend to use about 5-20 layers mostly.
  2. What about the same in 12MP RAW
  3. 1080p movie editing non-linear of cause. Final Cut Express (or would FCP be better regarding performance on older hardware?), maybe I'd even give iMovie '11 or iMovie '09 a try as well. (Alternatives: Sony Vegas/Adobe Premiere/avid, would they perform better?) - I gotta say that I know my Mac will not be the "machine born for it", just wanna know whether it's DOABLE, somehow or not. Considering to buy a MBP next summer anyways... :D But for the time being...
  4. How sweet would ProRes perform, Apple's hi-def editing codec?

Thanks a lot in advance!

Glassed Silver:mac

This is already yours right? the iMac that is..... Why don't you try it out for yourself and let us know how you went?!

Grand Master

Glassed Silver

Posted
  • Author
Posted

This is already yours right? the iMac that is..... Why don't you try it out for yourself and let us know how you went?!

Yes it is, but I want to be able to be prepared and maybe try to save up some extra cash if I had to buy like additional RAM (I know 3GB is the maximum, but there are reports 4GB could be adressed as well... somehow... idk...)

This is also a request for help on how to tweet things a little bit, if needed, from those, who are in the same or similar situation! :)

Glassed Silver:mac

Grand Master

Glassed Silver

Posted
  • Author
Posted

I think you're gonna need a wee bit more horsepower than a 4 year old iMac with only 2.5GB of RAM.

It might be doable but it might not be a pleasant experience.

What exactly, the photo part or the video part?

Photo is way more important to me atm... Video is actually something that I'd probably need serious editing for in a few months time actually I suppose.

Glassed Silver:mac

Grand Master

Glassed Silver

Posted
  • Author
Posted

Atm my iMac is performing fine in PS CS5 with jpeg's @12MP...

Thanks @ iKenndac, I already thought so, just wanted to hear what the community has to say. :)

So, video...? Anyone? ^^

Glassed Silver:mac

Grand Master

Glassed Silver

Posted
  • Author
Posted

3gb limit? I thought OS X was always able to address the 4gb

OS X is able to address way more, the limiting factor is the Logicboard.

Glassed Silver:mac

Grand Master

.Neo

Posted
Posted

This is already yours right? the iMac that is..... Why don't you try it out for yourself and let us know how you went?!

Considering the iMac is already yours and not about to be purchased this is pretty much the best advice any one could give you. Fire up Photoshop and see for yourself.

With files that large having only 2,5 GB of memory is definitely going to be an issue. How the CPU will hold up you'll have to see for yourself.

I think 1080p editing on a four-year-old dual core iMac won't be a smooth experience. Especially not when having to render things.

Grand Master

Glassed Silver

Posted
  • Author
Posted

Photos or video? I have a bunch of large RAW files, either 18MP from my EOS 7D or 13.5MP from my Nikon P6000. Would you like me to upload a couple?

18MP photo would be much appreciated!

Glassed Silver:mac

This topic is now closed to further replies.
 Share
Go to topic listing

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.

  • Posts

    • Claude on Windows is eating up massive amounts of RAM, with no way to stop it

      By Snake Doc · Posted

      Seriously 1.8gig....so what. Any computer, if you are going to do serious work on, in 2026 should have a mimimum of 16gig and I would say 32-64gig is the way to go.
    • Microsoft is bringing big performance improvements to OneDrive on Mac

      By sphbecker · Posted

      So again, you'd consider "I'm happy with my LG TV" to be a valid response to an article about PlayStation? I get the "I don't like any of their products" but how does that in any way invoke Linux? It just feels very random.
    • Popular Windows 11 file manager Files gets improved tags, layouts, and new OneDrive icon

      By Xenon · Posted

      Its getting faster, but still not as fast as file manager
    • State of Decay 2, Blasphemous 2, and more join Xbox Free Play Days

      By LoneWolfSL · Posted

      State of Decay 2, Blasphemous 2, and more join Xbox Free Play Days by Pulasthi Ariyasinghe The latest Free Play Days offer has just kicked off, giving Xbox players the chance to try out a new selection of games over the weekend. The offerings this time aren't as massive as last weekend, but there are still major releases for Xbox players to jump into. This includes Undead Labs' post-apocalyptic title State of Decay 2, as well as two Team17-published titles. Two of the games being offered this time are available to all Xbox players without needing any kind of Game Pass subscription. In the fully free-to-play section, you can jump into State of Decay 2. The title is both an action survival title and a community builder, letting players choose a map, set up their base, and try to keep the growing zombie threat at bay. Cooperative play is available too. Don't forget that the studio is preparing a third entry for 2027. Next, Blasphemous 2 drops in for Metroidvania and Soulslike fans, where The Penitent One returns for another adventure. The title has tough combat with multiple weapon options, deadly traps to avoid, and platforming sequences requiring a lot of patience and timing. Keep in mind though that the offer does have a 5-hour time limit attached to it. Lastly, Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, Premium, and Essential members can now try out the WWII-set first-person shooter Hell Let Loose. The multiplayer game offers 50 vs 50 combat in massive maps, with infantry, tank, and artillery options available for players. Here are the announced games and the platforms they are available to play on: Hell Let Loose (Xbox Series X|S, PC) State of Decay 2: Juggernaut Edition (Xbox Series X|S, PC) Blasphemous 2 (Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One) To easily find the titles on Xbox consoles, first head to the Store, and then in the sidebar, find the Home section. In there, open the Subscriptions tab. The Free Play Days collection will show up in this area. This week's Free Play Days promotions will end on Sunday, June 11, at 11:59 pm PT.
    • Microsoft wants to end printer driver headaches with Windows Ready Print

      By Stup0t · Posted

      Can we not have paperless office, like we was promised in the 80's

  • Recent Achievements

    • Week One Done
      FBSPL earned a badge
      Week One Done
    • One Year In
      Jim Dugan earned a badge
      One Year In
    • One Month Later
      Tommi118 earned a badge
      One Month Later
    • One Month Later
      sjbousquet earned a badge
      One Month Later
    • Week One Done
      sjbousquet earned a badge
      Week One Done

  • Popular Contributors

    1. 1
      +primortal
      486
    2. 2
      PsYcHoKiLLa
      198
    3. 3
      +Edouard
      155
    4. 4
      Steven P.
      83
    5. 5
      ATLien_0
      69
    Show More

  • Tell a friend

    Love Neowin? Tell a friend!