How can i improve my Mac Pro 2x 2.66 Dual-Core Intel 6GB on a budget

[Zane Barker]

What type of media drive are you using. I see a lot of people that completely overlook how important a good media editing raid is when it comes to video production.

There are no “technical solutions” to your “artistic problems”.
Don’t let technology get in the way of your creativity!

[Jason Morton]

i’am using gtech3 1tb x 4 formatted as raid set connected with fw800 to my mac for the pro res hq and xdcam hd. For the uncompressed i have a
gtech speedpro connected via esata for the uncompressed stuff

[Ben Holmes]

There are really only two upgrades you can perform:

1) Fit more RAM (I think you’ll see the system run better when you have multiple apps open) – 12Gb is recommended, but must be fitted symmetrically and ideally in matching sets (so fit 3x2Gb sticks in each riser for example).

2) Upgrade the GFX card if you have the stock one – the 4870 is a good bet, and probably the best value for money.

Buy RAM from a third party like OWC or Crucial.

Edit Out Ltd
—————————-
FCP Editor/Trainer/System Consultant
EVS/VT Supervisor for live broadcast
RED camera transfer/post
Independent Director/Producer

https://www.blackmagic-design.com/casestudies/detail.asp?case=therydercup

[Jason Morton]

Thanks Ben, am i right in think the more RAM the better for FCP, i think there is enough room to go up to 16, is it worth the money or should i stick with 12 as you recommended. I presume thats a Nvidia gfx card you are also recommending.
Regards, Jason

[Walter Biscardi]

[jason morton] “I presume thats a Nvidia gfx card you are also recommending.”

No, that’s the ATI 4870 card he’s recommending and right now it’s the best card for Color. All ATI cards far outperform nVidia in Color.

Walter Biscardi, Jr.
Editor, Colorist, Director, Writer, Consultant, Author.
HD Post and Production
Biscardi Creative Media

“Foul Water, Fiery Serpent” now in Post.

Creative Cow Forum Host:
Apple Final Cut Pro, Apple Motion, Apple Color, AJA Kona, Business & Marketing, Maxx Digital.

Blog!

Twitter!

[Jason Morton]

Thanks Walter, Ok so the ATI is the one to go for.

[Zak Mussig]

If you do much h.264 compression for client review or delivery, the Matrox Compress HD card could be a good, albeit less traditionally considered, way to improve your system.

Since encoding speed would probably be the number one reason to upgrade to an 8 core system (at least until grand central dispatch is in wider use under Snow Leopard) this would stretch the life of your 4 core system.

[Jason Morton]

Thanks Zak. Don’t do a lot of delivery on H264. Can you use it for any other codecs. Or is it just dedicated to H264.

[Zak Mussig]

It’s h.264 only, so it doesn’t sound like you would benefit much from having it.

I’m still troubleshooting it on my system, which may in itself not be a ringing endorsement, but it’s let me drop data rates pretty drastically while improving visual quality with faster than realtime compression times. If you ever find yourself in a situation where you start doing a lot of h.264 it’s worth a look.

[Todd Sansom]

The answer to your question is no. From everything I’ve read at apple fcp uses no more than 4 gb of ram. it is a 32bit app. https://www.apple.com/finalcutstudio/specs/. Yes on the graphics card the new ATI 4870 screams and it can improve fcp and motion workflow a lot.

Re: How can i improve my Mac Pro 2x 2.66 Dual-Core Intel 6GB on a budget
by jason morton on Nov 9, 2009 at 2:21:19 am

“Thanks Ben, am i right in think the more RAM the better for FCP, i think there is enough room to go up to 16, is it worth the money or should i stick with 12 as you recommended. I presume thats a Nvidia gfx card you are also recommending.
Regards, Jason”

Todd Sansom
Cinematographer .:. Editor