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March 30, 2006 9:50 AM PST
Intel Mac mini's integrated graphics chipset obviates Final Cut Studio support
Thanks to its integrated graphics (Intel GMA950) chipset, the Intel-based Mac mini is not able to run the newly released Universal Binary edition of the Final Cut Studio suite.
According to Apple Knowledge Base article #303470:
"If you have a Mac Mini (Early 2006), the Final Cut Studio (Universal) crossgrade Installer does not prohibit you from installing the pro applications, but this configuration does not meet the minimum system requirements for Final Cut Studio."
The system requirements for the Final Cut Studio suite indicate that an AGP Quartz Extreme or PCI Express graphics card is required.
Feedback? Late-breakers@macfixit.com.
Resources
amount of video editing? Good info to know though.
somewhere. Still, up till now, the benchmarks on the mini Core Duo have been
quite impressive.
---
Don't anthropomorphize computers.
They hate that.
So what Intel Mac can run it currently? The iMac? I wouldn't call that a video editing choice either. I have to assume that the Intel towers will be coming out soon, or at least announced, as part of the 30th anniversary hoopla.
The iMac and MacBook Pro can handle Final Cut. Both have Radeon graphics on a PCI Express bus with either 128 or 256 MB of dedicated memory, which is what is required. The Mini, which was never intended for running Pro-level apps, doesn't have the graphics capability for running Final Cut. This should not be a surprise since it would seem obvious that integrated graphics with shared memory capped at 64 MB never met the requirements of Final Cut. Even the PowerPC Mini never had the graphics capability of running Final Cut.
> 32 MBytes of dedicated video memory driven by an ATI Radeon 9200
chipset.
To:
> Intel GMA950 graphics processor with 64MB of DDR2 SDRAM shared with
main
> memory. Memory available to Mac OS X may vary depending on graphics
needs.
> Minimum graphics memory usage is 80MB, resulting in 432MB of system
> memory available.
Now, on one hand, Apple would like customers to believe that the video
capability was increased because both the RAM and the controller are better
integrated into the system and tests have shows that the Core Duo Mini can
indeed play back HD material- as it would have to if it was destined for
consumers to use as their home entertainment center with Front Row and
everything.
But if the graphics capability is better, then why could it easily handle Final
Cut Pro before, but now it seems it is left out in the cold. Every other aspect
of the Core Duo architecture is reflected in the iMac and the Mac Book (a
dumb name).
So if the video capability is the limiting factor for running the Universal Final
Cut Studio, then that would go to show that the video capability has actually
decreased and is less than the capability possible with a 32 MB ATI system. I
speak from experience because, despite the people who have already
commented that it doesn't work (and have clearly never even tried it) I have
been using a PPC Mac Mini for heavy Final Cut Pro, DVD Studio Pro, iMovie
HD, Photoshop, etc, work for almost six months now. It works. And I mean it
really works.
Are we going to demand that Pro users have to buy a $2000 G5, a $2000
MacBook Pro or a $1700 iMac to edit video when, until a month ago, a $599
iMac did the job admirably?
http://www.eventdv.net/Articles/ReadArticle.aspx?
CategoryID=108&ArticleID=10817
I lauded the Mac Mini as my product of the year in EventDV because of its
capability and the fact that it offers an alternative to a small fortune to those
long-time Pro Mac users. Yes, some people need mobility. Others don't. Some
want an all on one. Others don't. Some need lots of slots and a big tower.
Others don't and for them, the Mac Mini was the only solution. It was a good
solution. But leave it to Apple (who now completely displense with a
consistant user interface in X) to taketh away from their most dedicated
users. Let's see the stock drop another 25%.
This is what led me to suggest a Mac Mini Pro in my recent review of Mac Mini
companion hard drives.
http://www.eventdv.net/Articles/ReadArticle.aspx?
CategoryID=108&ArticleID=10922
I have no problem with the Mini _not_ running Final Cut Studio, but Pro users
need another, smaller, simpler, cheaper choice for a desktop system. A $999
Mini Pro would do nicely.
So I sincerely hope that the new Universal Final Cut Studio can run on the
Core Duo Mac Mini. Can it? That's the question. Nobody's got an answer yet
because the software isn't available yet. But it darn right should.
would cut into the sales of the other Macs too much, but what they don't
realize is that most of the people who would buy a Mini Pro wouldn't buy any
other Mac anyway, so it wouldn't really cut into sales of any other models.
Mac Mini owners are attracted to the mini for other reasons. Many people just
do NOT want to buy a "monitor-included" computer. They want to use their
own monitor. Many people like, no make that love the 'mini' because of its
size. Apple is always whining about turning peecee users into Mac users and
getting more market share. A Mac Mini Pro is their best ticket to convert
these people and accomplish that. It would have everything that you would
need, a G5 processor, SATA output jack and a separate higher end video card.
At around $999.00 Apple would make a fortune (which should make Apple
happy) and surely their stock would raise (which should give Apple stock
owners orgasms). It's a win-win solution for Apple. Mini users should be able
to use EVERY Apple program. They could before, so why all of a sudden not
now? It looks like the reason why is that Apple dropped the ball big time
when they designed the new mini. Everyone is always pointing to the SAME
FLAW with it - the VIDEO section. A Mac Mini Pro is the logical solution.
on DVD Studio Pro 4 ($500) on a Mac Mini which, just three weeks
ago, required nothing more than a PPC Mac Mini ($700) with a
standard AGP video card. Fine. Suddenly, it's Final Cut Studio
package at $1,200. Fine. I get the last solo DVD Studio Pro 4 in the
world and send the Install Disc and $199 for the Universal upgrade
to FC Studio. And I shell out for, and am staring at, an Intel Mac
Mini Duo with monitor and everything else only to be told FC Studio
won't jive with it. I can't believe Apple would make a legacy
machine more capable than a new one. I'd like to know whether the
thing will work, or just lock up. Maybe I'll just return everything
and resort to reliable used hardware and software. Or even go PC!
- by Sabrinapdx April 10, 2006 9:08 AM PDT
- can you attach an external graphics card to the mac mini and have it run that way?
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