So for the most part if you expect a fluid editing experience from a “stock” Mac realized before FCP X (2011) you’re likely to be frustrated. GPU and storage performance has skyrocketed in the last few years and FCP X has leveraged it. When Apple was “aiming where the puck is going to be” with FCP X, hardware was as in the picture. If this ball is your constant companion, it’s a good indication your Mac is ancient. But if I’m expecting it to use a keyer, stabilization, and 5 animated titles without rendering, then I’m delusional. The requirements for Final Cut Pro X are not extreme. In fact, I have a 2007 iMac in my office running FCP X 10.2.3 that edits just fine using proxy over our NFS network. Symptom #1 FCP X is just plain slow, all the time, doing everything. This article continues the series that began with How to recognize and fix 11 common problems in Final Cut Pro X. If you’ve experienced slowness, or are looking to squeeze more speed from FCP X this article is for you. However, you’ll also hear some reports from folks who have had the opposite experience. Do some googling and you’ll see benchmarks and YouTube videos showing Final Cut Pro X to be not just faster, but many times faster than other NLEs at importing, playback and export.
