Lagging Editing Process

Hey there Guys,

So far things have been going well since my last visit to the forum. I had been able to crank out work product with FCX in relatively short order. But recently, it seems that I'm getting faster or my computer is getting slower and it's about to drive me nuts.

My hardware:

Mac Pro 3,1 8 core 2.8GHz
16 GB ram
1 x 1TB boot drive
2 x 240 GB SSD (striped for speed)
1 x 3TB timemachine backup drive
Apple ATI 5770 Graphics

Here's my question.. As I'm in FCX and I'm simply moving around, it wants to really drag.. it seems that I have to wait between clicks or sliding the timeline back and forth. I've run activity monitor and when I've got my apps open I'm showing that all 16 GBs are full with at least 16gb swap space going.

So here's my question. I can upgrade the ram to 32 GB easily enough. But, will it help smooth things out during editing, or is it simply time to look at a completely different machine? I have a Macbook Pro i7 with 750 drive and 8 gb ram that runs about the same, actually slower in rendering, etc.

Can you all advise me what I should do here?

Thanks!

Rick

What OS and software versions?

I suppose that would be helpful!

I'm running Mac OS X 10.9.3

FCX version 10.1.2 build version 249514

Thanks

Rick

I also have the same Mac Pro.
16GB ram is not a lot if you're doing larger projects and getting more would help. I also had a 5870 graphics card and SSD boot drive, but for me the problem was simply the general interface speed. It's something about the system ram bus or something - FCPX just runs better on a year old Mac. In my case I had an additional issue - I shoot with a camera that FCPX will import, but will not transcode. So I'm forced to edit native - that made my problem worse.

The Mac Pro is now 6.5 years old - it was time. Last fall I got the newest, fastest iMac and it's *Worlds* better. If you get an iMac, be sure to get the 4GB video card. Instead of getting a new Mac Pro I got the top iMac plus a Thunderbolt raid. It's great!

Thanks for the info.. I can get 32 gigs for about $375 which I may do to see if it will hold me over. I believe you may be on to something regarding the interface and the memory bus speed.

I'll probably get the ram ordered and then let you all know how it worked out. I really want the new Mac Pro, but that will have to wait for now.


Cheers

Rick

OK.. Quick Update.

After looking at prices and comparing specs.. I opted to go for a MacPro 5,1 that's been pretty much maxed out.

Quad Processor 2.8
32 GB ram
4 x 2 TB drives
5870 ATI Graphics

I'm hoping that the newer bus design and higher bus speeds do the trick. I figure I can sell my old box for a good bit of what I paid for this one ($1850).

I'll update the thread once it comes in and I've had a chance to try it out.

Cheers,

Rick

Take a quick look at this and see if it looks similar to your situation:



www.fcp.co/fcp-forum/4-final-cut-pro-x-f...fferent-drives#48943

Thanks for the notes.

That's sort of what I'm dealing with. I've got dual SSDs on Raid 0 (striped) with read of 350+/- and write of 450+/-.

I was considering trying to use my MacBook pro, but it also lags somewhat. I'm pretty sure that it's the disk speed, as it still has the factory 750GB drive.

I'm looking forward to getting in then newer MacPro.

Cheers
Rick

The large file read and write are needed for accessing large media files, but that doesn't necessarily translate to something that will be good for storying the Library files.

Do you have access to QuickBench? You might give it a try to see what it reports for the drives where you store library files. See the other thread for updated info:

www.fcp.co/fcp-forum/4-final-cut-pro-x-f...fferent-drives#48618

Lagging Editing Process Update:

So my last post was about me opting to get a newer mac vs upgrading the ram in my old box. I received my newer mac in time to edit videos for this month's production work and it has made a HUGE difference. This mac is not that much newer, its a Mid 2010 vs an Early 2008, but it came with 32 GB ram and what I'm guessing is a much faster bus speed overall. It also has the ATI 5870 vs the 5770. I'm not sure how much of a difference that makes, but it seems faster.

Overall I'm pretty pleased with what I'm getting so far. I will say that after a few hours of editing and if I've got too many unnecessary libraries / projects open, that things start to bog down some. A simple close and reopen of FCX seems to straighten things right out.

This new mac has 4 2TB drives. I've got 3 of them stripped into a 6TB work drive. I'll be moving to 3 stripped SSDs before too long. Need to make some money to help pay for this beast first.

Thank you all for all your help and insight.

For a look at what I'm doing you can visit my youtube channel: www.youtube.com/airgunweb .

Cheers
Rick