FCP X system requirements

[woodbine]

I was reading a white paper from Silverado about FCP X and MacPro requirements. They are clear in their paper that they would like the reader to upgrade to the highest spec machine they make.

But my MP is a 2008, 2.8ghz model and I'd like to know what people here think are the worthwhile improvements I can make to this machine to make FCP X work a lot faster...without my replacing it with a more recent MP.

I'd love FCP X to make better use of my machine.

Currently it has 16GB of memory and an ATI 3870 gfx card.

Would I see a nice performance boost by increasing the RAM (I have 8 x 2GB) and swapping out the 3870 for a 6xxx series?

My FCP 7 use is average. Not a power user.

 

[Hellhammer]

I think you should wait for it to be released as then we will know a lot more about its performance and what upgrade would be the most worthwhile for you.

 

[Bear]

You would also need to look at what (if anything) is bogging down FCP performance on your system. IAn while looking at it now would give you an idea of what might be needed, I would wait for FCP X to see how that performs on your system to figure out what is the best way to go.

It may turn out to be memory, disk, video, or even the cpu that is your limiting factor.

 

[strausd]

Did Apple say that it was going to come out over the summer? Considering there have been no recent rumors about it, I think it's pretty safe to say it won't be announced tomorrow.

 

[zedsdead]

I would wait. Apple is integrating GCD and OpenCL into FCX, but we have no real world data on just how much faster it will be.

I also am hoping it finally takes advantage of my machine.

It is scheduled to come out this month, but I would bet money that it needs Lion to run. We should be hearing something about it in the near future, likely toward the end of the month.

 

[Cougarcat]

It is scheduled to come out this month, but I would bet money that it needs Lion to run. .

Doubt it, they demoed it on Snow Leopard.

 

[zedsdead]

Doubt it, they demoed it on Snow Leopard.

The new 64-bit api's will not work in Snow Leopard because Quicktime-X currently does not support all codecs and everything. Lion is adding functionality to Quicktime-X, and FCP-X is likely based on that framework. I don't know the exact specifics, but there has been discussion before about this type of backend support. Don't be surprised if it is Lion only. There is a reason they are waiting until the end of June to release it.

 

[Bear]

The new 64-bit api's will not work in Snow Leopard because Quicktime-X currently does not support all codecs and everything. Lion is adding functionality to Quicktime-X, and FCP-X is likely based on that framework.

Apple could release an update for QuickTime on Snow Leopard. It wouldn't be the first time you had to upgrade QuickTime to install just released software.

I'm not ruling it out, but I doubt FCP X will require Lion to run. There was nothing aid at the announcement that would absolutely require Lion.

 

[bpeeps]

The new 64-bit api's will not work in Snow Leopard because Quicktime-X currently does not support all codecs and everything. Lion is adding functionality to Quicktime-X, and FCP-X is likely based on that framework. I don't know the exact specifics, but there has been discussion before about this type of backend support. Don't be surprised if it is Lion only. There is a reason they are waiting until the end of June to release it.

Drop $299 on FCPX and then drop up to $129 on Lion to use it, slim chances are slim.

 

[TheStrudel]

Hard to know before FCP X is seen in action, but one thing that would help now is to replace your boot disk with a SSD, if you haven't already.

 

[CaptainChunk]

The new 64-bit api's will not work in Snow Leopard because Quicktime-X currently does not support all codecs and everything. Lion is adding functionality to Quicktime-X, and FCP-X is likely based on that framework. I don't know the exact specifics, but there has been discussion before about this type of backend support. Don't be surprised if it is Lion only. There is a reason they are waiting until the end of June to release it.

So why during the NAB presentation did the Apple reps state (along the lines of, anyway), "FCP X takes advantage of the existing technologies present in Snow Leopard (OpenCL, Grand Central Dispatch, etc.)?"

You're running off of the assumption that FCP X will rely on the Quicktime-X framework, which nobody knows for sure yet.

 

[Torster]

I was reading a white paper from Silverado about FCP X and MacPro requirements. They are clear in their paper that they would like the reader to upgrade to the highest spec machine they make.

But my MP is a 2008, 2.8ghz model and I'd like to know what people here think are the worthwhile improvements I can make to this machine to make FCP X work a lot faster...without my replacing it with a more recent MP.

Woodbine,

I wrote that paper. In my opinion, I think changing your boot drive to SSD, adding a powerful GPU like Quadro 4000 or Radeon HD card, and upping your RAM will significantly extend the life of your system and make it much more powerful for for FCPX. You won't get hyper-threading, but with OpenCL you may notice a huge increase in performance from the GPU change alone.

Also--OpenCL 1.1 is due out in Lion, so Quadro 4000 will have much better support.

TL