UKC

I've done loads of research and I still can't quite come to a decision, does anyone here have a strong opinion or experience to pass on? 

I'm considering a Mac Studio with Mac Mini, a 24" iMac or a Mac mini with a 3rd party monitor.

As usual, cost vs benefit.

Many thanks.

HP Envy 34

I have a 2022 24inch iMac for professional work. It’s pretty good, though it still struggles with 4K and I have to use proxies when editing (actually great when you get used to it).

I struggle with the idea with switching away from Mac having used them since I started as a filmmaker (15yrs ago). And they are great to use. But the truth is, you will get a far more powerful custom build PC for half the price. I have two friends who have gone this way and haven’t looked back. Probably what I’ll do when I need a new machine. You can run OS on a PC if you want too.

I can’t upgrade the Ram or graphics card on my iMac. They are sealed into a very shiny, expensive aluminium box…

Custom built PC will offer the Most performance for bucks… but unless you spend  extra on watercooling, it will also sound like a JET engine .

If I would be looking at an editing rig now. I’d get a Mac Mini with the pro chip (M2 Pro) and a suitable 3rd party screens. It’s small, quit, and not that spendy… plus it really does pack a bunch when it comes to video editing.

Something like this, reconditioned macs are fairly safe as they are built to a pretty high standard.

I will be changing out my 10 year old imac for a studio and 3rd party screen in the next year or so, i will probably look at refurbished.

I've owned a Mac in some form since 2005, so the following comes from somebody who actually likes apple hardware (despite it's higher price)...

I had 2 iMacs in the 2005-2010 era and gave them to friends - after which both ended up with motherboard issues after the warranty expired.  End result was nice monitors (for the time) being unusable due to the faulty attached computer screen.

My father bought one at some point in the 2010s, only for the screen to fail just outside the extended warranty period.  Screen replacement was going to cost way more than buying a replacement 3rd party monitor.

The newer iMacs might be more reliable than my stories of older ones, but personally I'd get a Mac mini with a 3rd party monitor.  Much cheaper to replace either if one of them fails.

https://www.hoxtonmacs.co.uk/products/mac-studio-m2-max-12-core-2023-excell...
 

sorry forgot to pist link

I've had a refurbished Mac Mini for 10 years (still OK as I only edit 1080HD) with Eizo screens that are older than that. Never missed a beat. Looking to upgrade to an M series soon.

I've always bought refurbed from the Apple website, but I also hear good things about places like Cheshire Macs.

Copy a pugetsystems.com configuration. They do ALOT of testing to get the right setups.

https://www.pugetsystems.com/solutions/video-editing-workstations/adobe-pre...

Monitor wise an ultra wide with 99% of RGB colour+.

Eg https://uk.pcmag.com/monitors/34275/lg-34um95-review

In reply to Rich W Parker:

My mate has a Macbook with an M1 chip plus16Gb RAM and he used Davinci Resolve to edit content on his YouTube channel.

He mostly films 4k content at H.265 and does very little colour correction or grading. Just the odd increase of exposure and that's about it. He also works directly with 4k H.265.

This set-up works for him. However from time to time I help him with projects where he wants to add a bit of spit-and-polish if he's promoting a product or he wants to make a specific episode a bit more visually pleasing that what normally comes straight out of the camera.

If I edit on his Macbook with the M1 chip, using Resolve, and start to do a bit of light colour correction, matching shots and adding some Transitions then that poor little Macbook really starts to suffer scrubbing along the Timeline and drops to a crawl when it comes to Rendering a project.

Don't even think about using Noise Reduction with a Macbook because you'd be waiting for ever to render even a five minute project.

I was really excited about the Mac Studio's and nearly bought one after all the hype, until real world reviews came out with Benchmarks and I think that I will stick with my self built PC designed specifically for video editing.

I used the Website Puget Systems for advice on what parts to buy to get the best editing experience for my money. Even today my five year old self built PC easily competes and outperforms a Mac Studio for editing.

The main difference between me and my mate is that he edits off his 16inch laptop monitor which means its like looking at a postage stamp when editing or grading a project.

I use H.265 and ProRes footage and my computer does not even brake sweat when I scrub through a 4k Timeline or start to colour correct or colour grade. The only time things slow down is with adding Noise Reduction but unless you have a super computer this will always be a stumbling block.

I use a Dell 32inch 4k monitor and its an absolute pleasure to edit using this screen, especially as I calibrate it every few months. It does not take too long for colours or white balance to drift over time. Hardly anybody who watches YouTube stuff will notice but I like to try to do the best that I can for the ten's of views that my stuff gets.

If I was to choose between buying a Mac Studio or a self built PC then I'd get more hardware for my money especially because of the apple tax to add stuff like RAM and storage.

Personally, I'd shy away from DELL because I got ripped off by the sales people. They promise one thing but really are stretching their sales pitch to practically be lying, allegedly!

If you want to cut down on your electricity bills, then get a Mac Studio. My Graphics Card alone is many times more power hungry than the entire Mac Studio. But its not all that noisy.

100% agree.

Or get as close as you can with the budget that you have.