Upgrading RAM... how much of an improvement in performance?

Hi guys!

I'm new to FCP. I have been using it for a couple of days editing a multicam clip, which is what I will be doing from now on, and I've noticed my machine struggles a little bit.

I have a MBP from late 2011 with 4GB RAM, 2.2 i7 and an AMD Radeon HD 6750M 512MB :blink: running FCPX 10.0.8 on Lion.

The problem I have is that it takes a lot of time to convert the videos to proxy media, and even once this is done it still drops some frames during playback - this is all before applying any effects, transitions, or anything that has to be rendered. The videos are 1920x1080 encoded to ProRes 422.

The first thing that came to my mind was upgrading the RAM memory to 8GB, but I would like to know how much of an improvement in terms of performance when working on FCPX it will be. As far as I know, rendering is all about the processor, but would having more memory help avoiding those times and dropped frames?

Thank you!

When reading your machine specs, I immediately said to myself: "Add more RAM!".

I would not even consider working on FCP X with only 4GB unless I absolutely had to.

Two other very important things: Hard drive and OS!

You should use an external drive on a fast connection to store your media. The internal drive is used all the time by the OS, and is not optimal for video work.

The current version of FCP X is 10.1.1. Starting with FCP X 10.1, Mavericks (10.9.x) is a requirement.
So there will never be an update of FCP X that supports Mountain Lion, let alone Lion.
Mavericks is free to boot, and overall a much better OS than Lion;
more importantly, 10.1 introduced many great features, and first and foremost a great media management model that makes the old system of drives and folders seem almost ridiculous. Your events and projects reside in Libraries, that you can open and close as needed, and store just about anywhere.

lvilloslada wrote: Hi guys!
I have a MBP from late 2011 with 4GB RAM, 2.2 i7 and an AMD Radeon HD 6750M 512MB :blink: running FCPX 10.0.8 on Lion.

I have a similar field editing MBP but with 1GB VRAM. Can you verify your VRAM for the AMD 6750M? What are your internal & external (if any) hard drive specs? Where are your media stored, internal/external drive? If external, how are your drives connected? USB2.0?

The problem I have is that it takes a lot of time to convert the videos to proxy media, and even once this is done it still drops some frames during playback - this is all before applying any effects, transitions, or anything that has to be rendered. The videos are 1920x1080 encoded to ProRes 422.

What playback settings & used media are you using in 'Preferences/Playback'?

The first thing that came to my mind was upgrading the RAM memory to 8GB, but I would like to know how much of an improvement in terms of performance when working on FCPX it will be. As far as I know, rendering is all about the processor, but would having more memory help avoiding those times and dropped frames?

If you can afford 16GB for ~$140, get the extra 8GB ( amzn.com/B006ON5KZC ) - it will for: multicam, skimming clips, and working with large Libraries & Projects. The 512MB VRAM could be causing dropped frames since FCPX relies heavily on the graphics card especially for multicam and also affects rendering.

Another speed booster is upgrading your system drive to a SSD. Depending on your budget, they are from $79 for a 120GB ( amzn.com/B00BQ4F9ZA ) to $259 for a 512GB ( amzn.com/B00BQ8RHJ2 ).

HTH. Good luck.