I currently have an iMac DVSE with 256 ram. it does not seem to function all that well for DV work. especially when it comes to free flowing playback. In getting a new system I have thought about the Cube 500 and the MP 500 G4s. despite the fact I find the Cube more visually appealing, I feel I must go with the MP tower 500. is there any configuration I will have beeter luck with to get the best DV playback and editing? would there be much difference between 256 and 384 ram or an ATA HD or perhaps the SCSI HD? what is recommended as far as specs for the system I am going to get? thanks

i have a G4 350 (sawtooth) w/256 ram (also a G3 400 @ work w/128 ram) and i have no problmes w/playback on either one.

i dont think that your system needs to be upgraded, but if u feel the need, i would go with the MP or just the straight tower. Dont go w/the cube. You might want or need the PCI slots later down the road.

also, in my G4 towre @ home, i use ATA's for capture/playback. No problems there either! just use speed disk (norton) before capturing!

e-mail me if u have any more questions.
thedarkhalf@mac.com

It all depends on what your final goal is, but I think the upgradability of the G4 is the way to go if you're getting serious with DV. You'll need to look at a big seperate drive for media capture, and maybe a third one for rendering if you can afford it. For DV ATA drives are fine, SCSI generally for use with capture boards like Targa. You didn't say which programme you use, 256 RAM generally enough for FCP.

As always if you're using Final Cut Pro I highly recommend the boards at www.2-pop.com for all your DV questions, I've found them invaluable for setting up my own system:G4 450, 320 mb RAM, extra 30 gb IBM ATA HD.