[Bobby Cullipher]

Sorry… this question is following the same thread. To be used for video editing with FCP 6.6/7/X, as well as Adobe After FX and Premiere Pro 6.

[Bobby Cullipher]

Anyone using a laptop configured like this? If so, hows the performance?

15.4″ MacBook Pro
Quad-core Intel Core i7 2.2GHz
16GB RAM
750GB 7200-rpm SATA HDD
Intel HD Graphics 3000 and AMD Radeon HD 6750M
SuperDrive
Thunderbolt port
Aluminum unibody
Hi-Res Glossy Widescreen Display

My biggest concern is the video card… was told I needed an NVIDIA Quadro 2000 or better.

[Bobby Cullipher]

Follow up:
I replaced the ATI Radeon HD 2600 with the ATI Radeon HD 5770 for the use of FCPX… its working great so far. The card is huge and requires a little finesse to install.

[Bobby Cullipher]

Thank you for sharing!

I will post feedback when/if I get another laptop with better specs. As of now, I can not drop the cash to make this dream of mobility come true… I’ll stay home with my MacPro DT.

[Bobby Cullipher]

Just a follow up. After trying all suggestions, the performance was still too slow for us. I contacted Dell to arrange a return and the support person (very knowledgeable and understanding guy) said that all of the steps I took could help, but would not give the results I was expecting. Via remote access, he watched what I was experiencing. He said in order to get a laptop to perform as close to my desktop with real-time rendering/playback, I’d have to get:

Dell Precision or another manufacture:
Nvidia Quadro or ATI Firepro
I7 QM or XM 2800
Increase the RAM to 16GB
Small internal SSD for the media needed for the specific project… or a bigger SSD and store all of it… but it’s very $$$.

This configuration with Dell is about $2900… if I’m lucky.

Do you Macbook Pro users find that you need the same configuration for smooth editing? At this point, it’s all about price… and price is now dictating which editing software we use… not a good day.

[Bobby Cullipher]

ah ok.. great. I do appreciate your assistance, and to offer it so quickly! I will give it another try in a few. Much thanks!

Bobby

FCP 6 | 6.0.6
Mac OS X 10.6.5
2X3.2 GHz Quad-Core Intel Xeon
4GB 800 MHz DDR2 FB-DIMM

[Bobby Cullipher]

Hi John,
I appreciate the assistance. I’m trying your steps now… but I do not see where I can “enable MPE hardware mode” – in Project > Project Setting > General – the only options in “Video Rendering” are:

Mercury Playback Engine GPU Acceleration (this is selected)
Mercury Playback Engine Software Only

Am I missing a step?

Bobby

FCP 6 | 6.0.6
Mac OS X 10.6.5
2X3.2 GHz Quad-Core Intel Xeon
4GB 800 MHz DDR2 FB-DIMM

[Bobby Cullipher]

I have not tried editing the text file. I didn’t even know there was such a thing! This is the kind of stuff that confuses people like me who have always relied on staff engineers to provide the tools we need to get the job done as fast as possible… I’m like a lost puppy without them. I will try editing the text file, but I’d prefer to just turn it on and have it work 🙂 – my fcp suite and my old avid suite have always been workhorses… maybe this laptop pace is just something to get used to.

As for USB 3 vs esata… I’m lost. I’ve been reading these guys who post bench tests and they all say esata is the way to go. I have a couple external usb3 SSDs… I need to try one to compare… its just finding the time to test, and not edit once i get home. I’m doing all of this troubleshooting during my downtime between client meetings/shoots/edits at my day job.

Again… you guys are great and you should be compensated for your time. I will def pay it forward if given the opportunity.

[Bobby Cullipher]

Thanks everyone. I assumed it would be mixed feelings. It comes down to the immediate demand, I guess. I am upgrading the video card in my MacPro (desktop) to be compatible with FCPX… should be in today. I will decide on the Macbook Pro and FCPX once I have had an op to give FCPX a whirl. Either way, I’m quite disappointed with the performance of PP and my new Dell… this has to change.

The Dells specs:
XPS 17 1920×1080
NVIDIA Geforce GT555M 3GB (cannot believe this is not on Adobes list)
750HD 7200RPM
2 X 1TB External GRaid HD 7200RPM
8GB Mem
BR Burner

In my readings, USB3 is not the way to go for video editing… esata was most recommended. But again, I am in no way a tech guy… this is just what I have read. My current setup is via esata, but I’m only using one drive. I could not get the computer to see both drives at the same time. It’s obviously something I am doing wrong… just haven’t had time to research it… too busy churning.

Again, its great having a place like this filled with industry pros like yourself… great collaboration. I do appreciate everyone’s time!

[Bobby Cullipher]

Thank you for your feedback. I am going to give it a try… just ordered one from Peter at B&H. Very helpful gent.

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?sku=726537&Q=&O=productlist&is=REG&A=details