Boro

iTrader: (1)

Hey guys, I know there are a few mac users on SN so thought I'd ask for some advice.

I bought my gf a 2010 Macbook which was factory reset so doesn't come with any additional software added.

She wants it for editing GoPro videos in HD and I wondered what would be the best (not too expensive) software to use.

Also, would I be better off upgrading OS Lion?

Currently running 10.6.8 which I believe is Snow Leopard?

Its been upgraded to 4GB ram if that would help it run.

Any other software you would recommend for a blank canvas...

JackClark

Does it have iLife installed? If so you'll have iMovie which works great with GoPro HD footage. If it's not installed have a look on the App store, click the Apple then App Store... and look for it in there.

JackClark

Get the Lion upgrade from the App Store as well. Very much worth the £20

Boro

iTrader: (1)

I've just checked and it doesn't have iLife but I can get just the iMovie app for a tenner! Ideal.

Will Lion slow the machine down at all?

Ant

Not really , is it a MacBook (white) MacBook pro silver metal body?

I have a MacBook pro 2010 model and it coped with lion perfectly, remember we aren't dealing with windows here

If yours is a 2010 mbp you can upgrade the ram to 8gb for £35

Boro

iTrader: (1)

Its only the Macbook, not the mbp.

Markus

To echo what others have said:
Get Lion, it isn't overly expensive, and as time moves on, more apps will start being Lion only.

Get more RAM, it's fairly cheap at present, so get as much as you can afford or the machine can handle.

As you have found, the App Store will allow you to get the iLife apps as a separate package, so iMovie should be able to handle the GoPro HD videos.
BEFORE you download iMovie, did the machine come with any install DVD's? You said it was a factory reset, was this from Apple, ie; Apple Refurbished, if so then it should still have all the install media, and that might include iLife apps. Worth checking before shelling out a tenner.

Boro

iTrader: (1)

No, I didn't get any DVD's with it unfortunately but I have got iMovie '11 from the app store, so that's a start.

How much RAM will a 2010 Macbook take, it's been upgraded from 2Gb to 4GB and had a larger/faster hard drive fitted, 320GB @ 7200rpm.

Any other upgrades that would help?

Ant

Boro, this site will tell you. http://www.crucial.com/uk I also bought my ram from here.

IPhoto is a good purchase too.

Boro

iTrader: (1)

It seems 4Gb is the max achievable so I'm at the limit already but will check out iPhoto.

Do I need any security software?

JackClark

Sophos is free, run it for a while see how you get on. It's simple to turn on and off once installed.

Markus

If you mean AV / Malware then if you're just using OS X, then no, not really. There aren't any silently auto-installing viruses that I'm aware of, ala the Blaster worm on Windows (ok, I know it's been patched for a very long time, but it's the only thing that instantly springs to mind as something that will instantly infect a totally unprotected XP machine when connected to the internet - ok, perhaps not instantly but in under 30 seconds).
There have been a few malware things (malwarebytes?) which Apple did put in some security updates to address, and as with any system, if you download something without really checking what it is, open it and it asks you for your local admin password and you enter said password, well, you're asking for trouble.

The main reason for AV on OS X is to prevent you from forwarding on infected attachments to windows based users, which could include yourself if you run windows on your machine.

I haven't run AV on a mac for a very long time and have not fallen foul of anything yet.

If you mean firewall, OS X does have one built in, it's ok, but you may want to look at something like waterRoof which provides a graphical interface for the full ipfw firewall that is part of unix.

jonc

For someone who is new to any system, it would be foohardy not to make sure your system is protected since you would be less likely to recognise if and when you have been a victim of such an attack. Partly due to the relatively small user base for OSX, infections have been low. As Jack advised, install Sophos, it doesn't cost musch to have little bit more security.

http://www.dailytech.com/Another+OS+...ticle21518.htm

Trout

iTrader: (1)

Just to reinforce I use iMovie to edit multiple HD sources including GoPro - it is fine with all.

I have to say that moving up to an i7 machine did hugely speed up video processing

Trout

iTrader: (1)

You've gotta hate Macs really - stuff just works - basic software does everything you need - terrible!

DYK

I upgraded to Lion and its effortless to do,took about one hour to install on mac pro 2010 model.Also would be worth downloading VLC player for mac.
You can also download mackeeper which comes with Antivirus.
Caffeine is a good free app to download too.

JackClark

Oh yes, Core 2 Duo edited GoPro HD just fine i7 is a pleasure and should do me for a good few years.

Boro

iTrader: (1)

I was just about to go looking for Sophos but came across a thread on the sophos forum pointing to it freezing macs, then it all got a bit complicated and I didnt bother installing it.

http://openforum.sophos.com/t5/Sopho...-p/3703/page/3

Is this an issue?

Markus

Sounds like you need to exclude certain volumes, which are hidden from being scanned by Sophos otherwise it'll freak out. The volume in question seems to be used by Lion for local time machine backups (local meaning, I think, on a different partition of the same hard drive, or maybe on an external disk, e.g.; not cloud based) and also the new version control that Lion introduces.

It's possible if you exclude these items from scans then Sophos may well work, then again, there could still be issues.

bootsy

i just upgraded my MBP ram using crucialcheap price for 8gb and fast delivery.ordered yesterday 3pm turned up this morning.thats with normal free delivery as well