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Memory Install from 3GB to 12GB still slow render… help!
Hello Everyone,
I hope someone can please help me.
I have a 3 month old Mac Pro 2.66 Quad Core Intel Xeon. I’ve just upgraded the memory from 3GB to 12GB because I find the render times in FCP so slow and also working with After effects Projects are at a snails pace.
Anyway, I just installed the memory (from crucial), took the three single GB cards out and replaced the new 4GB cards into the same positions. Computer tells me that I’ve installed correctly the new memory.
I now start FCP and render out an edit that runs at about 1hr 30 minutes and it is so slow, says about 50 minutes!
Can anyone tell me what I am doing wrong please, as I thought the computer would now be flying?
Best,
Russ -
6 Replies
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What kind of maintenance do you make to your Mac?
Do you have clean Permisions?
Directories?
Caches empty?
rafael -
Rendering speed is largely determined by CPU speed, not by how much RAM you have, unless your system is seriously lacking in RAM.
What is the primary format (resolution and codec) of your video projects?
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Thanks so much for the replies, they’re much appreciated. I edit in NTSC Anamorphic 720 x 480 (DV) format. I know that the CPU controls the speed of exports and renders, but was told at the Apple Store here in the UK that adding more RAM would make things far faster when it came to renders and exports.
I use a Lacie 1TB external drive just for my edits.
Best,
Russ -
What kind of connection is your external on? If its only USB that could be an issue, go for Firewire 800 or eSata if possible.
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What are you doing in your edit that requires rendering? In Final Cut Pro, if your sequence settings are correct then rendering should only be necessary for transitions, speed changes, composited clips (text supers, keying, etc.) or filters.
When you drop clips in your timeline (without applying any filters), do you get a red or green bar above them? If so, then your sequence settings don’t match your footage. If not, then let us know what you’re applying to your edit that requires rendering.
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Are you sure your memory is working?
I have an 08 Mac Pro octo and you can only install memory in matched pairs.
If that is the case 3GB wouldn’t be a valid combo, same for 3 x 4 GB. Any memory that doesn’t have a mate would be ignored.
But maybe the requirement of having matched pairs has been dropped on the newer machines.Also there are preferential locations for memory that will produce slightly better processing speeds if you are not filling all the slots with matching memory. Some benchmark tests by OWC show that there are some combinations (total larger memory) that don’t benchmark as well as all matched memory of a smaller overall size. I’m guessing that 8 x 1 GB sticks would benchmark faster than 12 GB (assuming that 3 x 4 GB is a valid combo).
Last, but not least, FCP can’t use all that memory anyway, so once you get past that number you are not going to see a FCP improvement.
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