Hey guys! I have a G4 digital audio (1.5gb ram but only 667mhz processor)

I heavily into film making & have been using Final Cut pro @ school (its a great program). I have i movie 5 HD & just doesnt really cope with some of the stuff i'm doing.

I've tried to install the school copy onto my machine but it wont work, asumably because of the processor being too slow, 1 ghz required (not that it says that when i try to install it simply wont proceed).

My question is, is there anywhere (or anyone) where I can get an older copy of final cut pro designed to run on my system. Or.

Should I upgrade my g4 to say 1.6 ghz? The cheapest I can find in Aus is $476 + $120 install or $340 imported from the US. But i'm a bit worried about installing the processor incase it doesnt work, what options do I have there?

Otherwise invest in a G5 (bit exxxy tho) or just edit @ school or put up with i movie

Thanks guys! Look foward to the responses!

Ben,

My advice- for that sort of "upgrade" outlay- I'd get a mac mini (intel core2duo) or a macbook- and leave the G4 / G5 behind. If you are into editing video - you will get away with using a mac mini or macbook (be-it very slow to render).


Put simply- do not waste your time with upgrading a relic- get an intel.. it will blow your mind.

Yeh, I here what your saying but the money side is the issue. I'm 17, student etc.... ie: minimal funds, tho maybe I should traul through ebay & see what I can find. I must say tho, the G4 has served my well, 90 minute vidoes for schools kinda nealy kill it tho... 10+ hour render time for a DVD!!!!

id be looking on ebay for an early final cut version. avoid the mini as it has shared graphics not good for video editing. i have seen early final cut versions around for very little, its your cheapest option until you can afford a faster machine.

hmm, I think an old final cut sounds like a good idea.

If anyone has, or knows of, a copy of final cut (that suites 667mhz) Please let me know! Althernativly if you have a 1ghz+ g4 processor you no longer use & are willing to part with for minimal money also let me know! That would be perfect as then I could use the schools current software!

feel free to add to this thread or email, aleatoire1@hotmail.com

Pity about the mini's not being good for video editing as they seem reasonably priced. The Mac books seem way too expensive for me!

Anyway, keep me posted & if you have any other alternatives I would love to here them!

Thanks for the responses! (great forum btw!)

Ben,

Given how cheap they've become, try and get yourself a Mirror Drive Doors PowerMac G4 off eBay. I used a Dual 1.25GHz for a few years, honestly, I'd still be working on it right now if it wasn't for the ventilation issues. If I hadn't sold mine already, I'd have offered it to you for the cheaps - I know what it is like to be in your situation. In fact, I first started out on a Mac mini, G4 1.42GHz. I've gotta say - you will not find your video editing affected by the integrated graphics of the Intyel mini at all - it will smart if you try to get into Motion though (can the GMA 950 even run Motion?).

My advice - go a dual G4 (or a G5 if you can scrape the dollars together), or an Intel Mac mini and a good FireWire external. Don't bother with the G4 CPU upgrade, you can get a better machine for that much (I've seen Dual 1.25GHz MDDs go on eBay for $600 in stock config, I sold my own for about $1000 a few weeks ago).

Eventually you'll build up everything you need to really get some proper work, and then you'll do what I'm doing - put in an order for a brand new Mac Pro!

*edit* Can't complain about your 10+ hour render time. Even on a dual G4 running off a RAID and rendering to a separate hard disk, I had render times of about 16 hours per hour of video when rendering MPEG2 2-pass VBR at high bit-rates. That said, it did CBR 6Mbps at around a 1:1 ratio, so that worked out nice!

Your school is giving you a copy of Final Cut Pro? Not exactly a cheap piece of software and I would have thought that giving it to students would get them into trouble with a software audit. (Schools should generally comply with software licensing).
Can anyone tell me if FCP needs a valid serial number to function? The lack of one or trying to copy a/the application (drag and drop) that needs a serial number or needs to be installed via an installer to function might be your issue.

Yeah, every version requires a serial number. Well from Version 4 onwards that I know of.
I think version 4 can be dragged and dropped, yet version 5 needs the installer.
Version 4.5 will run on a 667Mhz.

From Final Cut Pro 4.5:

From Final Cut Studio (1) containing FCPro 5:

Thanks for the advice guys!

I think i'll be seaching ebay to see what I can find as it doesnt make sense to upgrade what I have financially.

One last question, can G4 RAM sticks be used in G5's or mac mini's?

Thanks again for the advice!

Ben,