Can 13" MacBook Pro Run Latest Final Cut Pro & Edit 1080p?

I'm getting a 13" MacBook Pro (2.26GHz, 2GB RAM) and I will be replacing the hard drive with a 500GB 7200RPM and eventually upgrading the RAM to 8GB, but will the nVidia 9400m allow me to edit 1080p video from a JVC HY-HM100U in Final Cut Pro, or will the computer crash and burn trying?

The computer I am getting is not negotiable, but I may end up going with a different camera choice if the system won't run Final Cut or edit 1080p well.
 
The 13' Macbook Pro will get the job done. However, over 4G ram is a must. It will make importing and converting go by much faster as well as make the program itself run smoother and more effective. The only downside to a 13' is the small screen. It makes it hard to see your editing and may make the quality look better than it actually is. My suggestion, if you buy the 13', at least get a HD projector or a actual desktop display that has at least a 17' screen. Non glossy screen is a must if you want the color you're seeing when editing to be accurate. Hope this helps and happy editing!
 
Thanks for the replies. They are indeed helpful. I am getting a portable usb driven Nanovision Mimo 7" LCD monitor that gets it display and power from USB and folds up in a clamshell resulting in it being very portable. I will just use that and my laptop on location and when I'm out and about, but it seems I am going to need to have a nice workstation at home with a large hi-res external monitor a shuttle/jog wheel, etc. An HD Projector would be nice, but I think I'm gonna go with a 32" 1080p LCD TV for my monitor.
 
I do not have the laptop yet. As I mentioned in starting this thread, I will be getting it sometime in the near future. It comes with 2GB of RAM from the Apple Store. I don't remember what size hard drive it comes with, but I will replacing it immediately with a 500 GB 7200 RPM HDD and eventually maxing the RAM out to 8 GB DDR3 running @ 1066 MHz. That should be plenty or RAM and HDD space and run plenty quick enough. It's really the video card that separates laptops from desktops and that's my question. Will the nVidia 9400m handle 1080p or 720p or will I have to stick to creating SD content. And has anybody successfully installed Final Cut Pro on the 13" MacBook Pro. I have to have a laptop because I will do a lot of travel and need to setup make-shift editing studios in hotel rooms and on locations and in coffee shops, etc. I don't have the luxury of being able to use a stationary studio. But I do think I'm going to get a large hi-res display & a jog wheel/shuttle for when I can edit @ home. I currently use a 17" Intel Core Duo iMac with 2GB of RAM and I lugg it back and forth to work and on locations and even set it up in a coffee shop or two to get some work done while waiting for an appointment to show up or just had a craving for some Java.
 
A beefed up laptop can handle an HD movie...and as far as HDD space, if you're working with features, I would get a TB of space as soon as I could (must remember backup space as well).

I think if you're getting the better vid-card MAC model...you should be fine.
 
The 13" MacBook Pro only comes with the nVidia 9400m. It's the 15" and 17" MacBook Pro's that come with the dual video cards (nVidia 9400m and 9600GT, I believe). When surfing the net, viewing and editing desktops and running simple desktop apps the 15" and 17" MacBook Pro's use the 9400m, but when partaking in graphics intensive processes such as video editing or video games the 9600GT (or whatever card it is) is the work horse and the 9400m takes care of all the light stuff allowing the 9600GT to concentrate on the heavy stuff. Great concept in theory, but the problem is I don't want a laptop bigger than 13". I think laptops 15" and up defeat the purpose of buying a PORTABLE computer and with how expensive they are you are better off just buying a desktop since portability is obviously not an issue. You'll get more computer for you money buying a desktop.

As far as 1TB of Hard Drive space, they don't make a 1TB drive for a MacBook (or almost any laptop for that matter). They've found the standard 9.5mm thick hard drive size that almost all laptops use is just too small to pull enough platters and head(s) to hold 1TB of information. Give them time, though. They'll figure out how to squeeze 1TB into 9.5mm drives or they'll start increasing the size of the hard drive bay in future laptops but with the rise of netbooks and smartphones, it seems everything is getting smaller (even TV's... in total mass, not screen size).

They do make an OptiBay which allows you to replace the optical drive in your MacBook with a second hard drive. Two 500GB hard drives would give you 1TB of space, but then you loose the optical drive (or have to use it externally) and that again hinders the portability of the computer having to attach several devices to it to complete your setup when you arrive at the hotel or on location.
 
I currently use a 17" Intel Core Duo iMac with 2GB of RAM.

Let me just clarify that the reason I started this thread is I have tried to install Final Cut Studio 2 (with Final Cut Pro, Color, Soundtrack Pro, etc.) on my iMac and it failed. It said my system did not meet the requirements. This and the fact I need a more portable solution and the fact the iMac is not mine (it belongs to the company) is why I am wanting a 13" MacBook Pro, provided the 13" MacBook Pro can run Final Cut Studio nicely with the 2.26 GHz processor and an upgraded 8GB of RAM. From the discussion on this thread, it sounds like it will indeed run smoothly.

And Final Cut Pro and the entire Final Cut Studio is an Apple specific software only designed to run on Macs. If by "PC" you meant a Windows PC, I'm afraid you're out of luck. You can load Mac OS X on PC's with special hardware that has yet to be determined legal or by downloading HIGHLY ILLEGAL software hacks. It's not easy. I doesn't work that well. I requires a beast of a machine (which you don't have). And it's illegal. I don't recommend or condone it, but for informational purposes, it is out there, but it's really not worth the time hassle and risk. Just get a Mac.
 
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