Exporting direct from FCP vs. sending to Compressor?

I've done both, but the choice ends up being a coin toss. So I'm curious if there's any accepted wisdom as to the Pros & Cons of each workflow (using the current versions of each app, and in a hypothetical All Things Being Equal scenario)?
In other words, if you were to create the exact same "Master File" from a given FCP Project using each route (in terms of the finished file's dimensions, frame rate, etc), and you selected the exact same codec/quality options to create that file (assuming the identical options exist to be chosen), would there still potentially be any significant difference between the two files? Either in terms of file size, length of time it takes for the file to be created, or any appreciable difference in image quality (despite the theoretically identical file settings)?
Because a difference in any one of those three categories might be enough to tip the scales towards using one workflow vs. the other, depending on the priorities in a given situation.
(And for the sake of this comparison, I'm leaving aside the issue of which app could still be used for other tasks while the export is in progress. Let's just assume for the sake of argument that in both cases the machine would not be being used for ANY other work during each of the exports.)
Any theories? Real-world experiences? Or has some 3rd-party test site already attempted this kind of direct comparison (using the latest versions of FCP-X and Compressor 4.x)?
Thanks,
John B
Toronto

Without considering every possibility, here are a couple of general thoughts.
Given the same Compressor preset there should be no quality difference between the output from a master fie to Compressor and sending it from the timeline to Compressor. There are speed differences and exporting from FCP X is the fastest workflow. Lately, I've found second fastest to be Send to Compressor. But the inferences differences aren't great.
Most of this depends on one's workflow preferences. The most lengthy workflow is to first export a master file and then bring that into Compressor;. Funnily enough, that is how I work because I want to have an iFrame master file that I can compress for different purposes over time.
One user recently posted that he used Send-to-Compresssor because it gave him the opportunity to pause the processes without losing his work.
In the past (particularly with legacy FCP) the Send-to-Comnpressor workflow was something I avoided. It was slow and unreliable. 10.0.x to 4.0.x was faster but troubled in other ways. The latest versions, however, seem to get it done efficiently.
Final thought: if you do your own tests, check o ensure you have similar amounts of free memory. Otherwise, it's not a "fair fight"/
Russ
edit: override the auto complete

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Harm Millaard wrote:
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treyvon wrote:
My two main criteria for "good workflow" being 1) speed and 2) quality of final image.
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Message was edited by: Matt Clifton

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Exporting direct from FCP vs. sending to Compressor?

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