Vegas on the MacBook Pro...

Cheno wrote on 6/22/2006, 12:07 AM

Well my conclusions aren't fully tested but initial thoughts are this...

Very impressed.

I picked up a MacBook Pro 2.0 Core Duo, 1 gig of Ram, 128 meg video card, 80 gig 5400 SATA.

Partitioned 10 gig NTFS primarily for Vegas. Everything else I need I can run on OSX but... I'm so impressed by the performance of XP on this machine.

Running the DualCoreRenderTest on the VASST site, here are my first two test results. Remember this is a test that brought many a system to it's knees begging for mercy. :)

Test #1 - Default render to system hard drive (5400 SATA / Fujitsu drive) - RAM preview set at its highest - 752mb available. - Render time of file - 41:01

Test #2 - Default render to Seagate 7200 IDE external via firewire - RAM preview set to highest - 752 mb available - Render time of file - 44:43

This is right after installing XP and getting Vegas on the machine. Nothing else running in the background. I figured that the external drive would be faster but the option of SATA vs. IDE may even make the rpm of the drive not such a big deal in this case. Plenty more testing to run though. This is just the tip o' the iceberg.

I'll keep posting or if you have questions on the machine itself, feel free to email me at chenopup at gmail dot com - So far after a day of XP on this, I'm pretty sold on the system as an XP laptop replacement. The dual OS option was a must for me and so far, I'm happy with the choice. More to come...

cheno

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Comments

Coursedesign wrote on 6/26/2006, 1:32 PM

You need a full version of Windows XP, suggest the OEM for $80-$140.

Don't get Win XP Media Center Edition. It is cheaper, but has compatibility problems and is unsupported by many vendors.

Bootcamp is a free download from Apple's web site, or you can get Parallels Workstation.

FullCircle wrote on 6/26/2006, 2:20 PM

Cool.. but is that the same CD as I used to install WinXP on my Intel PC?? Or is it a special version to be used on Macs?

Sorry for not understanding this Mac-thing yet.. trying to catch up asap ;-)

p@mast3rs wrote on 6/26/2006, 2:27 PM

I have to ask the question. Does FC Studio run as well as the Apple site's demos? I must say I am much more impressed especially wiht the avaiability to use Shake as well.

jkrepner wrote on 6/26/2006, 2:28 PM

I *think* it's just the version you have for your Intel machine.

FullCircle wrote on 6/26/2006, 2:30 PM

p@mast3rs: I hope I can tell you about it around thursday :-)

reidc wrote on 6/26/2006, 2:36 PM

Did this on the weekend. Your XP install disk MUST be SP2. You apparently CANNOT use a non-SP2 disk & update to SP2 later.

Reid C

jkrepner wrote on 6/26/2006, 2:50 PM

"I hope I can tell you about it around thursday"

Sounds like someone just ordered a new toy! ...must... hold... out...

reidc wrote on 6/26/2006, 3:07 PM

Luuuuke. Give in to the dark side..... (heavy breathing)

Reid C

Coursedesign wrote on 6/26/2006, 3:16 PM

is that the same CD as I used to install WinXP on my Intel PC?? Or is it a special version to be used on Macs?

You can't use the same CD, as it's licensed only for one computer.

The Activation will stop you, unless you take steps to become a pirate.

Get a fresh OEM Win XP (SP2) from Newegg or Zipzoomfly for example, not expensive.

Does FC Studio run as well as the Apple site's demos?

Yes, it's all real. Some things take more steps in FCP than in Vegas, but FCP can also do things that Vegas can't do today.

It's not reasonable to simply say that one is "better than the other" though.

Motion is not a toy, even though it is nearly that simple to use. It is used also for many high end productions, and it even works really well together with Shake, without rendering inbetween. (And even though arguably "Shake is not the best compositor," since it was introduced, 100% of the movies that won Oscar awards for special effects used Shake.)

DVDSP can create more advanced DVDs than DVDA, in exchange for a little bit more effort (not that much frankly).

Soundtrack Pro is not Protools. It is easier to use, but not as capable. It can do much of what SoundForge does and a few things it can't, with more focus on the result than on the technical process.

Somehow I feel a bit more focused on the medium when working with FCS.

When I work in Vegas, there are so many ways to do the same thing that I can't help myself thinking about all the different ways and which might be the best.

I love the great scripts for Vegas though. FCS has scripting too, but Vegas is ahead in this area.

FCS can use many After Effects plug-ins though.

OS X is more elegant in many areas, but they could easily pick up some good things from Windows XP too.

Etc., etc.

Note that you should be able to get a complete FCS 5.1 package for $500-$600.

Either buy a fresh 5.1 on an eBay auction that expires in the middle of the night (and be there to snipe it), or buy an obsolete FCP4/DVDSP3/Motion 2/etc. cheap and pay $199 to upgrade it to the whole package through Apple (see their web site for details, they are quick to send out upgrades).

I also think it is helpful to be skilled in both Vegas and FCP. In the past I suffered when collaborating with FCP editors, that is not a problem now.