Which Macbook Pro setup for RAW editing?

[londonfilmmaker]

I'm in the market for a SECOND HAND Macbook Pro. I don't want to pay brand new prices and the only new MBP's that Apple produce now only come in 13" and 15". I want an older, 15" or 17" MBP.

What is the minimum spec I should be looking for in terms of RAM and processor speed in order to run Final Cut Pro and edit .RAW formats comfortably without major slowdown? I already have several large external hard drives so storage isn't an issue, just want a machine that can run Final Cut Pro, handle .RAW (converted) and edit comfortably? I will NOT be connecting this to any kind of monitor at the moment.

What minimum ram should I be looking at?
What processor speeds?
Graphics cards? (are the stand Apple ones okay?)

I'm looking at one with the following spec...

Apple MBP 17" 1920 x 1200 Anti-glare screen
Intel Core 2 Due 2.5 Ghz
8GB DDR2 RAM
Nvidia 8600GT 512MB Cache card

Would this be capable?

 

[escher]

The Core 2 processors might be a bit slow if you do any kind of intensive graphics processing or 3D rendering. i5 or i7 processers give far superior number-crunching performance.

8GB of RAM ain't bad, 1920x1200 juuuust allows for full HD video display, and the machine as a whole will let you cut HD video without too much trouble. (Heck, I've worked with HD in 4GB of RAM. Granted, that was on a 4 core i5 iMac...)

 

[jax_rox]

You should be converting your raws to a proxy to edit, this is only good for your computer as it greatly reduces the processing power needed to cut the offline.

Later on, you can re-link to the original raw files for final colour grade and delivery. Either way, depending on your acquisition source, you should still be able convert your raw files into something like ProRes or DNxHD, even with a log gamma curve. What camera are you planning on using? Are you talking about RED .r3d files? Adobe .dng?

 

[chilipie]

I'm not sure you'll be happy with the Core 2 processors - my 15" 2.4 was very capable of handling 1080p ProRes in Final Cut and H.264 in Premiere, but rendering times could be fairly lengthy and there were very few effects that would playback in realtime. My current 2.3 i7 is an enormous improvement (as you would expect).

I would also avoid the 8600M GT like the plague. The high failure rate is well documented (Nvidia eventually admitted that they were defective) and Apple's free replacement program has now ended, so if/when it dies you're bang out of luck. The quote Apple gave me when mine died was about £300.

I would look at buying a more current model, possibly from Apple's refurb store. Even a low-end model from two years ago is going to be significantly faster than a 2.5 C2D.

 

[TheArtist]

It's easier if you gives us a budget..