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Best for value for money. The best-value Mac for video editing is the Mac mini. If the iMac and iMac Pro are too expensive you're going to have to start to look at Apple's consumer range. The operating system is probably the biggest advantage. Since Macs are now Intel-based the hardware isn't much of an exclusivity issue. You can buy or build a PC with comparable parts for cheaper, but there can be some inherent problems with funct.
Wow are you asking to open a can of worms! The web is full of evangelists proclaiming the superiority of their hardware and software. Good news is that many of today's programs run under both Windows and OSX. I am not qualified to dissuade you from buying a modern Windows computer. It's been nine years since I've owned one, and I haven't used Windows8. But I am qualified to tell you that Apple offers reasonable alternatives that might work for you. I used PC's with DOS and Windows until 2005, and had to develop pretty good diagnostic skills.
(There were lots of crashes when editing with that old version of Premiere on WindowsXP.) Then I bought a PowerMac tower; it took a couple of weeks to adjust to the Apple interface, but it was easy to transition into Final Cut Pro 5. I now use an iMac to edit with Final Cut ProX. There are occasional problems, but my computer diagnostic skills have become rusty. FCPX has received mixed reviews; I happen to enjoy editing with its non-tradional magnetic storyline. Apple has certainly priced it competitively. But i f you long for a traditional timeline, you can license Premiere or buy other software.
So my suggestion is to borrow someone's Mac and see how you like it! Then you'll be able to make an educated decision about what software you want to edit with, and which machines will run it dependably. Note, I'm also not keen on editing with a notebook computer. Nothing beats dual monitors on a desktop! If you don't need portability, an iMac or Windows desktop machine can also give you a lot more bang for the buck!
Perhaps you have an older notebook that can be repurposed just for video data acquisitiion, then do the real work at 'home'. I have Adobe CC so have it on my and my new whizzy PC – I prefer editing on the PC, and as long as you don't fill the PC with software, the PC is perfectly stable.
Windows 8 is as most people say, horrible without a touch screen, so I bought a big touch screen and can say it's just a horrible with it! You get used to the quirks though and it's no big deal. The Mac is nice, and can do most things – but the thing I really hate is the lack of socketry – two USBs is simply not enough nowadays.
You can buy one of the flash in/out boxes to give you more connectabilty, but it's very expensive. I prefer editing on the PC, with three monitors. However, I can edit on the MAC quite happily when portability is needed, but I'd rather have a proper machine.
I've used both and I truly don't have much of a preference either way. I tend to use alot of resources running and Premiere, so I have had the enjoyment of crashing those programs on both a mac and a windows machines! I think macs have some of the best monitors I have seen, but they can be a bit pricey. If you are editing on a portable, you may want to consider having a docking station with an additional monitor.
Editing with 2 monitors when you can saves so much time and really gives you a bigger area to see everything at a glance. So, my advice is to get whichever makes you feel more comfortable, but don't get swayed by people who state that you must run a mac to do decent video editing. It simply isn't true.
But, if you prefer final cut, or the apple interface/hardware support, that might be a good direction to go. I bought an 'almost new' on Ebay in 2008, edited/uploaded over 500 vids since then and only switched this year to iMovie '11 but even from day 1 could've hardly been happier. My suggestion would only be to get the best that you can afford and stick with it and learn all the neat little tricks that most give up on and buy the next new thing instead. Other than green screen and CG effects, nearly all you need is in iMovie. To me, everything else needed for a convincing edit is pretty much a passing fad(i.e. Spinning titles laid over a crappy video).