Well, finally got a new Macbook (2.2GHz quad core, Feb 2011 edition)
I initially bought it with 4GB. The Peakbreak project which is still my biggest on FCPX with over 7500 clips didn´t do too well on that new machine either.
So I equipped it with 16GB just like my Mac Pro....and now it works great.
The timeline of the final movie has 1004 items according to the Project-Itemlist. You can choose items and the cursor jumps in a split second to that clip; waveforms and thumbnails are turned on BTW. In FCP7 such a timeline would often crash on me. Not FCPX 10.0.2. I played around for 2 hours now without a major hiccup.
One more thing about the 16GB: I had a motion project and my new machine was maxed out with the 4GB-RAM and Motion was rendering slow. Once I had the 16GB built-in, Motion started flying and used 13GB of the RAM. I then opened FCPX with a big project and maxed out those 16GB again. Motion renders slowed extremely down again. Closed FCPX to free up the RAM.....suddenly the fans in the Macbook jumped to live and Motion started working again! So Motion needs RAM to use the quad core.
In render-busy times I also found this workflow: In Motion I can export with a Compressor setting; Motion then uses the CPUs. At the same time you can work on in Motion. At the same time you can export out of FCPX to ProRes, because that export uses the GPU(!!!) so you won´t feel a decline in speed in the compressor render......so if you are once in a pinch you can export with both programs.
This was probably the last post about this megatest.....it was successful and FCPX has found its way into my workflow. From documentary to music video....I have done it all now with it and once the OMF-export and broadcast-preview is fixed I will see no reason at all to use FCP7 ever again.
If you are here for the first time I suggest you read some summer-archives about this project; an adventure in FCPX when everyone else said it wash´t capable.......
