BlackMagic Disk Speed Test and AJA System Test test large chunks of data (large sequential reads and writes)-measuring what is needed when playing back media but not necessarily storing your Library. Unfortunately the most popular apps we use for benchmarking our drives measure the opposite. Accessing your FCP X Library on poor performing storage will bring your edits to a crawl.įCP X Libraries perform best when located on storage which can write and read tiny chunks of data (small random reads and writes) very fast-which is what you need when editing. While this means you won’t lose your edits in case of a power outage or a crash, and you can export and make changes to the same timeline concurrently (this feature blows my mind), this also means FCP X Libraries (and caches) shouldn’t be stored on any old drive. In fact, every operation you perform is immediately saved to an FCP X Library database.
#How make mac run faster pro
Final Cut Pro X is different when it comes to NLEs as it relies on storage during editing. You can have the latest CPU and GPU but poor storage will bring FCP X to a standstill.
I can’t emphasize enough what a big deal storage performance is. Symptom #2 Slow response when trimming & moving clips, delay when starting playback Diagnosis: Poor storage But if you are a pro, you need something with more gusto. Sure a Mac Mini, MacBook or MacBook Air can run FCP X. Get a Mac with fast storage (see Symptom #2 below for more on this), memory (16GB or more) and a dedicated GPU (not integrated). If you decide to buy new, I would recommend buying as much machine as you can possibly afford. The newest macOS release, Sierra, has eGPU capabilities built-in, so be sure to keep your eye on their development. External GPUs (eGPUs) are just coming to market, with the first offerings like these provide an amazing boost to FCP X. If you have a Mac Pro tower (pre-2013) you do have several choices ( this is a good place to start) and FCP X can even utilize 2 GPUs as this forum thread discusses. For recent Macs with Thunderbolt 2 or 3, you have even more choices.
#How make mac run faster upgrade
He texted me later to say “this computer’s a-blazin’!” Upgrade your GPUĮasily upgrading an internal GPU in recent Macs is unfortunately not possible without significant DIY skills. When he opened up FCP X and scrubbed through some projects (spots for a major toy retailer), he was flabbergasted. With a kit and instructional videos from Other World Computing, I helped him upgrade to a 1TB internal SSD. Just last week, I helped a buddy who thought his 2010 iMac was a goner because of its sluggish performance. To boost FCP X performance add as much memory (RAM) as your Mac can handle (16GB is good, 32GB is great) and swap out your startup drive with an SSD. But your older Mac might just benefit from an upgrade. PrescriptionĪ shiny new 5K iMac with SSD or a cylindrical Mac Pro will make FCP X sing. So for the most part if you expect a fluid editing experience from a “stock” Mac realized before FCP X (2011) you’re likely to be frustrated. GPU and storage performance has skyrocketed in the last few years and FCP X has leveraged it. When Apple was “aiming where the puck is going to be” with FCP X, hardware was as in the picture. If this ball is your constant companion, it’s a good indication your Mac is ancient. But if I’m expecting it to use a keyer, stabilization, and 5 animated titles without rendering, then I’m delusional.
The requirements for Final Cut Pro X are not extreme. In fact, I have a 2007 iMac in my office running FCP X 10.2.3 that edits just fine using proxy over our NFS network. Symptom #1 FCP X is just plain slow, all the time, doing everything.
#How make mac run faster how to
This article continues the series that began with How to recognize and fix 11 common problems in Final Cut Pro X. If you’ve experienced slowness, or are looking to squeeze more speed from FCP X this article is for you. However, you’ll also hear some reports from folks who have had the opposite experience. Do some googling and you’ll see benchmarks and YouTube videos showing Final Cut Pro X to be not just faster, but many times faster than other NLEs at importing, playback and export.