My FCP X starts crashing

My FCP X 0.8 is starting to crash - after launching the program in a very short while is becomes extremely slow, it takes forever to do even simple things. Even closing/ quitting the program takes forever. It also sometimes used to crush/ quit when I pressed 'share' button but I could get around by relaunching FCP and for the second time it worked fine. But now I got several crushes/ quitting in a row. When it quits it also quits Safari, if it was open. Restarting computer doesn't help.

I've got Mac Pro OS X 10.6.8 two hard drives with plenty of free space. I wonder, what could be wrong and how this problem could be fixed?

You should not have your event and project files on your system disk, this might lead to strange behavior. Better to have them on a separate disk.
You might try to trash your preferences. If that does not work, use disk utility to check and repair your disk. Another step would be to re-install FCPX.
Hope this works for you. If not, please post back. I'm sure someone more experienced will jump in with more sophisticated advice. Good luck!

Sorry to hear you are having this problem. Let's take this step by step.

1. Check your RAM.

How much RAM do you have on your system?
Check if all your RAM is still working. Press the Apple icon top left of your screen and select "About this Mac". How much RAM is showing in the info window?

2. Check your system drive.

How many GB does your system drive (the one where your OS and applications are stored) have?
How much of that space is free?
Does your computer only slow down with FCPX or is it also slower using other applications?

Start with these questions and we will go on from there.

- Ronny

You are right, I have event and project files on my system disk. Will get rid of them!

It doesn't mention RAM in 'About this Mac' but I guess that is under Memory and it says - 5GB 1066 MHz DDR3.

In my activity monitor I see that system drive has 636 GB space utilized and 364 free. I have two hard disks, the second one recently attached. Before that I stored my media on my only - system drive. I still have one project left on it. The new projects now I store on the other drive.

Sometimes I have a suspicion that Safari might slow things down too. But now, when I quit Safari, my FCPX still didn't start working faster.

Thanks for helping!

Yes it says "Memory", my apologies.

5 GB RAM is very limited for working with FCPX. When working with minimum RAM you should close any other applications when you are using FCPX. So you are right that having Safari open at the same time can make your system run slower. If possible for you it would be ideal to add more RAM, you will notice a huge performance boost.

Your system drive still seems to have sufficient free space, but it is a wise decision to remove any FCPX Events and Projects from your system drive. Editing from your system drive is never a good idea, not with any NLE.

But I do hope your external drive is FireWire and not USB2. If it is USB2 and you edit from that drive you will also get slowdowns because USB2 is simply not fast enough for editing.

- Ronny

OK, I get it now. What would your suggestion be for a RAM size? Is it an easy thing to do - to add RAM card? I wonder if I can do that myself.

It is very easy and yes you can do it yourself. What is the exact model of your MacPro?

Don't know which specs are the right ones, so I write them all - MacPro 5,1, Quad-Core Intel Xeon, 2,4 GHz, 2 processors, 8 cores.

That's a mid 2010 Westmere MacPro, a very good machine. But before we go into upgrading the RAM I am wondering if you don't have a faulty RAM block already inside your computer. This would definitely explain the system shutdowns.

By default, this model was configured with 6 GB of 1066 MHz DDR3 ECC SDRAM. You say you see 5 GB listed in your system info. This does not seem right, so I would like you to check something:

Press the Apple icon and choose About This Mac. In the info window press the "More information" button. You will get a detailed list of your system. In that list, under Hardware press "Memory". Can you post a screenshot of the Memory details? If you cannot provide a screenshot just tell me what kind of memory modules are listed and check if the Status of all your RAM modules says "OK".

- Ronny

Good to know it is a good machine!

Here I'm posting the screenshot you asked for

Hm, I don't know why my attachment is not being attached...

First press "Add File" and select the screenshot you have made.
Then press "Insert" to attach the screenshot to your post.

That is exactly what I did but still no attachments. Will try again, if still no luck, I'll write the specs manually.

If your screenshot is a PNG or a TIFF its file size may be too big to attach. Try posting a JPEG. I usually don't exceed 15OKB file size and it always works.

For some reason it is not working for me, so here I write it manually:

It doesn't say OK for in all status rows.

DIMM1 - 1GB DDR3 ECC 1066 MHz OK
DIMM2 - Empty
DIMM3 - 1GB DDR3 ECC 1066 MHz OK
DIMM4 - Empty
DIMM5 - 1GB DDR3 ECC 1066 MHz OK
DIMM6 - 1GB DDR3 ECC 1066 MHz OK
DIMM7 - 1GB DDR3 ECC 1066 MHz OK
DIMM8 - Empty

This explains it all.

You have a faulty RAM module in slot 8, That's why your system has suddenly slowed down. RAM modules are always stored in equal pairs for optimal performance. The default configuration of the Westmere Quad is indeed 6x1GB and the info shows one of your modules is not working.

As the list says slot 8 is "Empty" this could mean the module is just badly inserted. So before anything else I would suggest you open your Mac and check the RAM module in slot 8.

To do this first watch the video in the middle of this page:

www.everymac.com/systems/apple/mac_pro/f...-upgrade-memory.html

Just make sure your Mac is not on a static surface (like a carpet or so) and you will be okay. When the Mac is open just remove the RAM module in slot 8 and put it back in again, making sure it is fixed tightly. This might solve your problem. It's very easy to do this, but if you don't feel like doing it yourself just bring your Mac to any Apple dealer and they will do it for you.

Wether this works or not, I would still suggest you get your RAM up to 16 GB. You will see an immediate performance boost. Fortunately RAM for the 2010 model is not very expensive. OWC has very good replacement RAM, same as Crucial. You can either put it in yourself or ask the store where you buy the RAM to do it for you.

- Ronny

I just opened up my computer and had a look at those RAM. I have them placed in slots 1, 2, 3 and 5, 6, 7. So I figure No. 2 is the faulty one, because I have it empty in the memory status list. I pulled it out and placed back and turned back the computer on but still have it empty. Does it mean that this RAM piece is broken?

Now I will replace these RAMs with bigger ones (just have to find where to purchase them), so that means the old ones will have no use and I have to dump them?

Yes I think it is. And you are correct: the faulty one is the one in slot 2.

You have two RAM trays with 4 slots each. This is your decision, but I think for most normal editing jobs 16 GB is sufficient. If you take 2 sticks of 1 GB out of each tray (including the defect one of course) and you add 4 x 4 GB sticks (around 150 dollars) you will have a total of 4x1 + 4x4 = 20 GB RAM.

You can throw away the defect 1 GB module, but I would keep the other 1 GB sticks as spares in case another stick in your Mac would die.

Many people get their replacement RAM from OWC because they have a decent reputation, but you also can see if there is a local Apple dealer or parts supplier who can help you out.

Here's a link to see the correct RAM for your Mac:
eshop.macsales.com/shop/memory/Mac-Pro-Memory#1333-memory

And here's the link to the OWC 4 GB sticks;
eshop.macsales.com/item/Other%20World%20Computing/85MP3W4M16GK/

OK, new 4x4 GB it will be. Will do as you say

Only, I can't find anything from OWC here in Latvia, that's where I live. I found this - Corsair XMS3, 16GB, DDR3, 1600MHz, CL9, Kit of 4. Do you think it will go with my Mac?

And thanks a lot for your help, Ronny!