Which MBP is better for Final Cut Pro?

Hi Everyone,
I'm looking to replace my 2010 MacBook Pro 13" on a budget. I'd like to get a retina 13" macbook pro, either the refurb 2012 with 8GB ram and the i5, or the refurb 2013 with 4GB ram, i5 and the new Intel Iris graphics card. Which is better for medium to intense final cut pro, photoshop, and dreamweaver work? Does the Intel Iris card make a big difference or should I be getting more RAM?
Thanks

First, check the Model Identifier in your Mac's Apple Menu > 'About this Mac' > 'More info' > 'System Report' > 'Hardware Overview'
Next, check OWC to find out exactly how much RAM your proposed MBPs can take. Apple gives correct specs at time of development. Later, larger RAM is developed that will work with some Mac models.
For video, FCPX will use as many processor cores as are available. It will use all 12 cores of the latest Mac Pro. This makes FXPX run very fast. Most other programs don't use multiple cores at all and a few only use a couple of cores. With more cores comes slower clock speed, which is needed by programs that dont use multiple cores.
Eventually, all high-end programs will use multiple cores, so, if you have the option, get as many cores as you can with your current purchase. This will especially benefit FCPX immediatly, it will help higher-end programs later, and the slower clock speed won't really affect the more run-of-the-mill programs (like word processing) because clock speeds are pretty reasonable these days (for a laugh, read this in fifty years time).
Get the minimum RAM available because you can upgrade later and will probably have to sacrifice the RAM you have. Third party RAM (again, you can check OWC) is cheaper than buying it with your computer pruchase. Make sure it's designed for your Mac.
You can use Activity Monitor to check if FCPX (or any program) is paging. You don't want this. It means it is writing to disk—effectively virtual memory—that should be handled in RAM. This is very slow and inefficient. It only does that when it needs more RAM than is available. That's when you upgrade your RAM (which could be immediatly after you buy).
The single most effective thing you can do to get FCPX to perform better on an existing computer (or any comuter) is to swap your hard drive for an SSD. SSDs read and write so fast compared to even the fastest hard drive that you can do multicam edits in real time without dropping frames. Rendering is a lot faster becuse it writes the render to disk, and so is launching and exporting (or, as Apple insists, 'Sharing'), which also writes to disk. SSDs may seem expensive (they are coming down in price), but the productivity gains are absolutly worth it.

Similar Messages

  • Which MBP features best for Final Cut?

    Hi folks. I need to buy a MacBook Pro that will be used primarily to run Final Cut Pro (and the other FC Studio programs). Can anyone help a fairly tech-unsavvy consumer understand which processing/memory features will have the most impact on FCP performance? For example, if I'm picking and choosing where to spend my money, should I go with the 2.16GHz processor, or would I be better off adding more RAM and/or a faster hard drive instead? What's going to give me the most bang for my buck? Also, which of these would be easiest/cheapest to upgrade myself rather than paying Apple the big bucks for the upgrade? I'm pretty ignorant about how these various hardware components actually impact performance, so any guidance would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

    First, Apple's is obscenely expensive, and you expressly do not void the warranty by adding or replacing system RAM, so you should not hesitate to do it yourself. All you need is a nubmer 0 or 00 Philips-head screwdriver and 10 minutes.
    Second, take the recommendations of the users here and avoid Corsair and Patriot memory. The consensus seems to be that Other World Computing (OWC) and Crucial are reliable sources with good prices.
    One thing about Crucial: If you use the product locator and answer the questions about manufacturer, model and spec, you'll be led to a more expensive option if you tell it you have a 2.0 GHz or 2.16 GHz model (at least that was the case up through yesterday—these things change rapidly, of course), but there's no reason to pay more for the exact same SO-DIMMs!
    Randall Schulz
    iMac 20" Core Duo; MacBook Pro   Mac OS X (10.4.6)  

  • Which processor to choose for Final Cut Pro working with files from DSLR?

    I am shooting in hd with Canon Eos 5d MK II and another camera the Panasonic HDC sd700.
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    A point to remember Motion uses the RAM on the graphics card for rendering not the machine RAM .. I have also read that while FCP is still 32bit it can only access something like 4 / 6Gb RAM at a time .. so as a previous post says you can always add more RAM and more HDDs in a MAC Pro .. indeed it is a breeze to upgrade a graphics card too .. I have both a MAC Pro and an i7 iMAC I never use the iMAC for FCS work .. it is powerful enough but Geekbench (free benchmark tool http://www.primatelabs.ca/geekbench/) puts my MAC Pro way ahead of the iMAC .. my Pro is a 2 X Quad Core 2.26 with 12Gb RAM
    Regards
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    P.S. Ive been producing music for 15 years.Recording on Logic plat.Mastering and remixing every thing. I love mac!!! Now going into video i want to be just Pro with it as i have been with my music.I purchased the jvc because Mac Recomended it and how it plugs right in. FCP 7 is intense!

    All the available formats are "OK" for FCP7, the more important question is what's good for the movies you want to make?
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    My personal preference is towards high-bandwidth footage like the 35Mbps HQ Mode your camera offers because it behaves so nicely in Color.  Many people advise staying away from interlaced (HDV) footage unless you totally need it for action scenes.
    I think the last 4-5 music videos I've done were all 720p24 and were web released.
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  • MacBook Pro 13" or MacBook Air 13" for Final Cut Pro?

    I am looking at buying either a MacBook Pro 13 inch with 8Gb of RAM, 750 GB, and a 2.8 Ghz i7 Processor or a MacBook Air 13 inch with the 4gb of RAM and a 1.8 Ghz i7 processor. Which is better for Final Cut Pro X? I would rather have the Air, but if the Pro is better (which is what I currently have) that's what I will get.

    Is it a very noticable difference? Will I REALLY notice it? I know that the Pros are more powerful but I just wanted to factor in the SSD in the Air.

  • Student Help advice! what is best iMac model for Final Cut Pro and logic pro

    Hi
    I am currently looking into getting a iMac, but is toggling to device if I need a 27inch or a 21inch(top model),which will be used for Final Cut Pro and logic
    There is a lot of money being invested iMac, and I really not want to be stu k with a computer that not going to keep up with the amount of work load in the future.
    The specs that I have on mine are..
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    Or
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    Anyone who has brought a iMac for final cut or logic what would you likely buy?..Am really stuck on the hard drives between the 27inch fusion and 512gb on the 21inch
    My budget is £1900
    My fear is that the 21inch top model's graphic card may not be good enough for advance editing on Final Cut Pro In the future when I start to get more deep into editing..logic really only needs 8gb to run smoothly..buts its the final cut specs that am having problems deciding. I know iMacs are not future proof or technology lasts for that matter, but I do expect to have it run good for a number of years before I upgrade again.
    If anyone can give me some advice, or even tell me about there set up they have for media work please let me know.

    All kinds of things affect system & HD performance, I can't tell you why your 4 year old Mac is slow.  Just because your old Mac is slow doesn't mean that a new iMac will be equally slow.
    You are correct about the issue with the smaller fusion drives.  It's one of the reasons I am not high on recommending them.  Everyone thinks they want power & performance but don't understand the gap between marketing and real life performance.  The 1TB fusion drive however should give you a good combination of rapid access and sizeable storage capacity.
    I have used external FW800 / 7200rpm drives for years and have never had a problem with any of them.  I consider them very reliable but admittedly I DO NOT use consumer drives like the WD MyBook that the big-box stores sell.   For the most part I assemble my own with OWC Mercury Elite enclosures.  In the past few years I have centered on WD Caviar Black and WD Scorpio Black drives.  I also have some Seagate Barracuda 7200.xx drives.  They all perform excellently and reliably.
    Pls. refer to my earlier post for what i recommended to you.

  • Which firewire interface for Final Cut Pro on MacPro?

    I currently own a Presonus Firepod, and it seems to work pretty well, but may sell this when I upgrade from a MacMini to a MacPro. I use my Mac for Logic Pro currently.
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    I saw the Traveller ads in Videography mentioning
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    I found this in some ad copy:
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    For Final Cut Pro use, I'd probably shoot in HDV.
    When shooting a green screen near my computer (or
    maybe even on-site), I wondered if there would be an
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    like the traveller.
    The advantage is that you could capture additional mics and audio tracks with your mac while the cameras shoot. Just slate your takes and sync up later.
    Do I actually need an interface that provides time
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    I have SMPTE I/O on my Unitor8, directly accessable in Logic Pro. In 8 years I've probably used it twice to capture audio from some modular digital multitracks. So, unless you have some specific need.....
    Maybe it is simpler just to connect to the mic
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    Indeed. You should always have camera audio available. Anything else is supplemental. Alternatively, you could use the Travaller or RME, etc. as a "live to camera" mixer in a studio situation. Plug your mics into the interface, create a submix and send it to the camera while simultaneously capturing each mic to an individual track in Logic Pro. There are many possibilities.
    G5 QuadPPC2.5, Ram:12.5g, Magma PCIe-PCI expansion   Mac OS X (10.4.8)   2X Hammerfall DSP Digiface+Multiface, Digi 002r, 4X UAD-1

  • I need to buy a camcorder -- upgrading from a Flip. Which would you recommend as easiest to use with iMovie 11? Which for Final Cut Pro? Thanks!

    I need to buy a camcorder -- upgrading from a Flip. Which would you recommend as easiest to use with iMovie 11? Which for Final Cut Pro? Thanks!

    You can't run iMovie 11 on a PPC G5 running the old OS 10.3 Panther - which is what you say you have.
    iMovie 11 - cameras supported:
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    iMovie 9 - cameras supported:
    http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3290?viewlocale=en_US
    iMovie 8 Camcorders supported:
    http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1014
    Digital camera RAW formats supported by OS X Lion:
    http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4757?viewlocale=en_US
    Digital camera RAW formats supported by OS X Snow Leopard:
    http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3825?viewlocale=en_US

  • WHAT IS THE BEST VIDEO CARD FOR FINAL CUT PRO and MOTION?

    Hello folks,
    I have found a lot of posts regarding all kinds of troubles with ATI READEON X1900 video card.
    When I talked to people from Apple, trying to decide which videocard to install in new MAC PRO, Ati Radeon X1900 was the one they did recommand for FCP and Motion. So are there any other cards which would actually suite better for Final Cut Studio2, or is Ati Radeon X1900 really the one to go with?
    Thanks for any suggestions,
    Kootenay

    Techreport has some more information on the new 55nm Radeon (X3000) which should be another "mid November" releases, as well as an updated 8800 GT that still is under wraps.
    So seems Intel and everyone else is trying to get new products out before the end of the year, if possible.
    Drivers for graphics controllers may or may not need the work that sometimes seems to plague companies.

  • Can I add a secondary location for Final Cut Pro Documents?

    Hi Guys,
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    Sure -- go to Final Cut Pro menu on your menu bar and select System Settings.
    The first tab is SCRATCH DISKS -- that's the term too -- not secondary folder for FCP Documents.
    Change it there.
    Drawbacks...
    It has been a while since I've had to deal with this, but FCP used to not remember (feature or bug??) a project's original scratch disk location and if you change it for ONE project it will be changed for ALL future AND past projects... until you change it back.
    Now, that in itself isn't a BAD thing. All that that means is that if you continue to capture material into that old project it will now put it over here instead of over there. Also, other things like render files and such which won't really matter much unless they do... and now you've got stuff spread over a coupla drives.
    FCP's projects don't care. They've already mapped where they need to go to get the video and render files it needs. Move your Scratch Disk 33 times... won't make a difference to the browser and timeline. -- UNTIL you remove one of the important drives. THEN red lines galore! Un renders, missing files... messy messy messy!
    Much better to start and finish a project in scratch disk. Makes for easy cleanup. Kinda like cooking thanksgiving dinner (American??) in 5 houses at once.
    Good luck,
    CaptM

  • Problem with DVI to video adapter on MBP 2.2 (using FInal Cut Pro)

    When I plug an Apple  DVI to video (composite and S video) adapter into the DVI socket the screen reduces its resolution and the higher screen resolutions are no longer available from system preferences. This happens on both my MBPros so is this a fault with the adapter or what ...?   The reason I'm doing this is to have dual display for Final Cut Pro 7 although this behaviour happens withourt FCP running , which is why I ask in this section.

    Setting it to FireWire Basic didn't work. It still only played thru the first few frames, then came back with the same message- that there were dropped frames detected (not bad sectors, as I reported earlier). One other thing I noticed: after the failed capture attempt, it resets the In point to the same time code as the Out point.
    I'm going to try capturing by just clicking Play, then clicking the Capture Now button, and see if that works.

  • Following Media Files Are Not Optimized For Final Cut Pro

    I'm sure you've seen this before and I've tried to search for a thread on it here and fell asleep, so sorry if this is a repeat.
    I have edited projects in Premiere Pro (on my PC) and I have tried to transfer them in FCP. It worked with the exception of two things:
    1. the error message, "Following Media Files Are Not Optimized For Final Cut Pro"
    2. the quality *****! watching it on the playback in FCP it looks great, but then when I burn it to Disc it's pixelated in spots and generally has a lower quality picture.
    I know that it's Standard Def. and can't expect the best, but I've done it before (once or twice) and it didn't seem this bad.
    Can someone suggest anything to help the quality? Should I run my AVIs through MPEG Steamclip to make it a QT file and if so what is the best format in that since there are many to choose from and most I'm not familiar with?
    Thank you,
    Crayton

    I did compress them to DV NTSC then burned it to DVD and the result was no bueno.
    I thought what I would do is try compressing them again before I send them on over to DVDSPRO. Here is a simplified break down of the situation:
    - I have edited the raw footage in Premiere Pro on my PC. They were recorded and captured as SD.
    - I rendered them in Premiere, then transfered the rendered AVI file to FCP.
    - When went to place the files in FCP, I received the warning message; "Following Media Files Are Not Optimized For Final Cut Pro" but I went forward anyways and it allowed me to do so.
    - Originally I went ahead and compressed them from FCP to QT Movie as a DV NTSC, which ended up poorly.
    - Therefore my question is, should I compress them using another file type (other then DV NTSC)? Which leads me to another program that I have called MPEG Streamclip, which offers tons of file types of which I am unfamiliar with most. I want the best quality of course but don't know what file type is the highest going from AVI to a format that can be accepted by FCP and ultimately DVDSPRO. Keeping in mind that I only have FCP5 and do not have Prores.
    Did that make sense?
    Thank you again,
    Crayton

  • Is there a "Wish List" for Final Cut Pro?

    Is there a "Wish List" for Final Cut Pro?
    Can we start one? Would it do any good?

    For those that are interested HERE is the main feedback page for  which allows you to send  feedback on various products.
    This page is useful for anyone who hasn't purchased a product yet maybe because upon researching they've discovered certain features unavailable and they would still like to send  feedback of their concerns. Or you might not own said product but still have an idea for it. I'm just trying to think outside of the FCS2 box here (pun)
    So go ahead and send your feedback to  and who knows, you might just make a difference!

  • Code for Final Cut Pro 2 not being accepted by FC Studio 2

    I upgraded to OS X 10.4.11 from 10.4.2. The FC Studio 2 icon would bounce a few times and stop, but nothing else would happen. 10.4.2 was reinstalled, erasing everything. An attempt was made at starting FCP 2, but the OS is not finding the files necessary in OS 9.
    Upgrades Final Cut Pro 4 and FC Studio 2 were made since purchasing FCP 2 as a full package approximately 7 years ago, but FC Studio 2 is not accepting the code for Final Cut Pro 2. How do I correct the problem short of buying the full FC Studio 2 or buying a new hard drive?
    Thank you.

    It doesn't make sense to me either. As Thomas stated, the crossgrade that required you to send in your old FCP install disc was for Final Cut Studio version 1 (which included FCP 5.1) - NOT version 2. And regardless of the fact that you sent in your install disc, you should still have the serial number for FCP 4. It was printed on two stickers that were attached to the "Installing Your Software" booklet that was included when you purchased FCP 4 (upgrade or full retail versions).
    There is NO need to have the old software installed in order to install and upgrade to FCS 1 or 2. All you need is the serial number form the older version; you'll be prompted to enter it during the install process for FCS 1 or 2.
    FCP 2 may install on an OSX version, but will NOT run on ANY OSX version - it only runs on a full installation of OS 9.
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  • Plugins for Final Cut Pro X

    It looks like Final Cut Pro X does not support import or export of FCXML. My company wrote a plugin that appears under the import,export menu using a Final Cut Pro provate API we had to sign an NDA for.
    We now need to rewrite for Final Cut Pro X. Who can we contact to answer our questions?
    ps: I'm part of both the Mac and iOS developer programs yet I don't see any forums or developer information for this...
    best,
    Tuviah

    no it was another plugin API that I got from Apple to develop plugins such as the one by YouSendIt, or EVS, or Automated Duck which allows adding a menu item to the FCP import and export menus.
    Unfortunately the Apple contacts we had 3 years ago, such as Adam Green, who gave us these APIs no longer work there or are not responding.
    I've actually tried using my technical incidents to get answers but keep getting told that I need to ask the final cut pro team without so much as an email or other link.
    so I'm REALLY REALLY hoping someone at Apple is monitoring this list and can help out. Or perhaps another plugin developer.
    I would think Apple would want to make it easy for 3rd parties to integrate..

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