FCPX on baseline 2012 Macbook Pro?

Hello-

I'm wondering how well Final Cut Pro X will run on a 2012 non-retina baseline Macbook Pro? I plan on using it for non-intensive video editing and motion 5 graphic work for my youtube channel. I'm sick to death of PC's so I'm jumping to Mac. But being as it's my first Mac and I'm on a bit of a budget, a refurbished Baseline Macbook pro is all I can afford at the moment. I plan on adding 16gbs of ram and likely a SSD harddrive down the road.

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Originally released June 2012
13.3-inch (diagonal) LED-backlit glossy widescreen display, 1280-by-800 resolution
4GB (2 x 2GB) of 1600MHz DDR3 SDRAM
500GB Serial ATA @ 5400 rpm1
8x double-layer SuperDrive (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW)
Intel HD Graphics 4000

Watch this for an example of the work I'll be doing, editing and graphic wise:

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Anything you can offer by way of advice would be awesome. Hope I posted in the right place.

-David

Zeppoe,
It is going to be very slow.
4GB ram just won't make it. 16 really is minimum.
5400 hdd will give you pain. Definitely get a fast external drive for media.
The integrated 4000 GPU with shared memory and the dual core CPU all will result in spinning beach balls.
If doing any multi-cam work and adding effects, it will drive you nuts.
If you go this route, plan on using proxy media for better editing performance with long export/rendering/transcoding times. Also be careful about codecs and photos.
BareFeats is a good website to visit to see testing of various configurations. Here is just one that tests the computer you are thinking about.
www.barefeats.com/rmbp13.html
There are other comparisons, you'll just need to explore or use the search on the BareFeats site.
Hope this helps, Greg

It will really depend on what you're editing. If you edit 4k RED footage, then it's going to be a frustrating experience. If you edit AVCHD, then you'll probably get away with it. Editing with Proxy footage is always an option.

I edit regularly on a 4gb 2010 macbook and it's useable. I was editing last week on an 11" Macbook Air and while I wouldn't want to do that every day, i got the job done without cursing at the screen too much.

My advice though would be that unless you're desperate to have a laptop, you'll get better value and performance with a refurb iMac.

The reason for the Macbook Pro is to be able to be mobile. Otherwise I'd absolutely go for an iMac. And the model I'm looking at least a little customizable. Hence the ram upgrade and SSD harddrive. It'll work for a starting editing computer to learn my way around FCPX and Motion 5 while starting my youtube channel. If I can't afford the best, at the very least I can make due with what I've got to work with.

The files I'll be working with are going to be MOV files from a Canon EOS M.

my set-up is on the very low end of supported specs: a late 2012 Mini, a handful of cheap usb3 platters, only 'extra' is 16GB RAM - no idea about hardware (I'm a Mac User, since '86, hardware??) …graphic cards, gigahertz, rpm, stuff … :lol:

And I did this stunt with that configuration:
www.fcp.co/forum/2-off-topic/20516-4k-mu...th-a-macmini-why-not

So, it really depends on, what and How you do it.

I've seen FCPX on a 4GB machine... well, ... it does work. Somehow. :blink:
Your example is 'plain cuts', some 'swoosh transitions', some color corrections, plus hand-crafted lower-thirds - that's a simple task, lil' Motion-builts, done.

Except the RAM, plus 2-3 usb3 hard-drives, a nice combo - imho!

(no, I don't recommend this for professional work; but 'pro' implies 'paid', for me. And with a big wallet, I'd prefer a 'Big Mac' too... :silly: )