View Full Version : RAM Upgrade for FCP


Brian Mercer
April 2nd, 2009, 07:00 PM
I just upgrade my Mac Pro (Quad-Core) RAM to 10 GB. I run FCP. Any thing special I need to do to optimize the machine to get the most out of it?

Mike Barber
April 3rd, 2009, 09:59 AM
I just upgrade my Mac Pro (Quad-Core) RAM to 10 GB. I run FCP. Any thing special I need to do to optimize the machine to get the most out of it?
FCP will not get the full benefit of that much RAM, however it will be advantageous in Motion and Compressor, especially when setting up Compressor clusters (http://web.mac.com/mikedcurtis/iWeb/HD4NDs_Image_Galleries/FasterCompressor3.html).

James Miller
April 3rd, 2009, 10:20 AM
If you upgrade your hard drive, graphics card you can bin the 'Final Cut Pro Obj Cache' & 'Final Cut Pro Prof Cache' found within the users:

'Library/Preferences/Final Cut Pro User Data'

directory.

When you next launch FCP it will preform the RT optimization profile. Worth a try when adding Ram, I guess.

Mike Barber
April 3rd, 2009, 10:30 AM
Final Cut Pro allows a maximum memory allocation of 2.5 GB.

Maximum memory usage in Final Cut Pro is 2.5 GB (http://support.apple.com/kb/TA27734)

Brian Mercer
April 3rd, 2009, 01:19 PM
James,

I have installed 3 1TB drives in the remaining bays. Can you give me more info the RT optimization?

Thanks.

James Miller
April 3rd, 2009, 02:27 PM
Hi Brian,

Here is the directory link, *change as necessary.

file:///Users/*James/Library/Preferences/Final Cut Pro User Data

Link within Safari.

But as Mike pointed out FCP won't see past 2.5GB ram.

I re-run the 'Profiling for RT extreme' after I change things around in my mac, be it memory, graphics cards, hard drives. Although fcp should pick up some of these changes and preform the RT test by it's self.

I always restart my mac and make sure no other apps or background processes are running to give it a fighting chance.

Heath McKnight
April 3rd, 2009, 02:34 PM
The Compressor Clusters take advantage of the processors. It's really made encoding in Compressor faster on our old Power Mac G5 Dual-2.5GHz system.

heath