[Closed] Mac Nerds required for advice

I can't give you a certain answer but apart from what you've written the graphics card spec is probably relevant too.

I have a similar age Mac Mini. I recently replaced the HD with a SSD and it has as much RAM as I can fit in it. I don’t find it great for video use. So I always use an iPad for editing GoPro footage which I find works well for putting together and editing short video clips.

Stuff it full of RAM and an SSD it will be quick but will probably struggle with 1080 video editing and rendering. The i5 processor is a bit under-powered for this but if you aren't in a rush it will do the job.

Thanks all for the help. The graphics card is integrated and I think totally kak for anything of use. I think it is Intel HD Graphics 4000.

Not sure if it is, or isn’t worth spending the money on the machine, or elsewhere. I am not very on the money with this sort of tech stuff, so perhaps it would be better to get an iPad to edit instead? Any advice welcome.

New Macs seem like big dollars and I like the idea of keeping my old mini going, but I am not sure if you can add external graphics power to them, or if this is like trying to make a Trbant into a Porsche.

i5, integrated graphics card? These are things that will make editing HD video feel like wading through treacle. Boosting your RAM to 16GB and adding an SSD will make it a bit faster but crunching the data will still be sluggish.

What's it like at the moment for playing with video in iMovie? Imagine that but with fewer pauses for chugging data on and off the HDD.

I'm pleased to see @Jason 's comment on iPads as I can't comment on them for editing. I find them less than satisfactory for most anything I've tried them for.

Sell it.

I put together newspapers on that model of Mini but editing video was always a “may as well go and put the kettle on” experience. 500Gb SSD and 16Gb RAM but the extra RAM didn’t make that much difference when the SSD was fitted. Brilliant bit of kit, but maybe not ideal for this job.

If you do sell it you  can put the money to one of these and add a shedload of RAM to it from Crucial.

Well, it seems like there is a big(ish), but relatively simple decision I need to make; sell my Mac Mini seems a given, but chosing the replacement not so simple. I have heard about people just using an Ipad to edit stuff, but mine is only a 32GB IPad mini 2 I think, so again perhaps old hat.

Could I sell off my Mac Mini, then just get a better Ipad for editing and use cloud storage? I wonder if I am better to get rid of a desk top altogether and just use cloud storage (the only other key item for me is where to store photos - I don't use itunes anymore and just use spotify; have thought about using Go Pro's cloud storage subscription service.

I like the idea of a desk top/lap top and have an ok screen, spare USB hard drives and an apple keyboard and track pad; so a mac mini (as per the pimped refurbed one above) seems like an obvious choice.

Keep the Mac as your daily driver, get a cheap Windows PC purely for the video editing?

I use an 64gb IPad Mini 4, and that works fine with 1080 60fps footage from the GoPro. That is all I use the iPad for so it is empty of other stuff. I have found Avimovi to be the best basic editing app. Fine for putting together a video montage of multiple clips with various transitions and effects. Maybe not ideal if you want to create the next Star Wars film, but great for my requirements. If you have the iPad and GoPro now try out your current setup before spending on anything new.

Thanks Jason. I am going to take it slow. I will cost up all the various options above and then in the mean time try and get some footage to have a play with.

Appreciate all the suggestions; some good ideas.

I have a tricked out late 2012 mac mini, max ram, quick SSD. It's pretty rubbish for editing 1080p or bigger (that you can get from go pros)

It's also really slow with my big library in Photos since Catalina, but I expect that to improve.

So just as an update, I went for the following: 16GB RAM upgrade. I then went for the external SSD option (running off thunderbolt, so it is quicker than old USB); I know an internal SSD would have been quicker, but thought that option would stop be from re-using the external SSD in the future on another computer, if I upgraded.

Seems to run loads better and boots up quickly. I know it is going to be pish for any editing, but once I get a chance I'll test the Go Pro footage on the current set up and perhaps upgrade the ipad if needed.

Whatever you do, don't use the GoPro Studio for anything other than import, terrible program. At the very least run iMovie or FCPX if you have a licence.

Specs wise, you'll probably be fine if you're just planning on cutting/splicing simple clips together, but expect long render/transcode times. Anything fancier like colour grading or posh effects will be pretty painful. If you do use Final Cut make sure to edit in proxies, will massively increase speeds. I run a newer dual core i7 machine and get by fine, but I wouldn't recommend trying anything above 1080p30 unless you're much more patient than me.

Thankyou Lewzz10.