Q: FCP 7 and FCP-X on same partition: what problems are caused?
I'm trying to figure out if the performance issues I'm having with FCP-X can be remedied, or if the problem is just buggy software. Apparently, even a newer, faster, more powerful Mac is not the answer, as I read complaints from people with new, suped-up Mac Pros who say the software slows to a crawl. Sounds familiar to me, but I'm on iMacs and a MacBook Pro -- all my Macs are 3-4 years old, and are from that Core 2 Duo era, not Quad Core processors. All my Macs are maxed out at 4 GB or RAM. So I'm certain new machines are in my future. But judging from what some people say about their newer, faster machines, I'm not entirely convinced that it would solve the problem I'm having with FCP-X.
There are numerous threads here reporting sluggish performance (perpetual spinning beach balls) relating to a memory leak or a problem relating to FCP-X's usage of memory (some say it happens worse in Lion). Is that the problem? And if it is, why hasn't Apple addressed it?
Then there is this matter of having FCP-7 (FCP Studio) and FCP-X installed on the same partition. Apple's "Best Practices" article clearly states that it's best to have the two applications installed on separate partitions. Only problem (for me) is, I already had FCP-7 installed on the primary partition. When I purchased FCP-X (the day it first became available), I hadn't read that article, so naturally, the software got installed...you guessed it...on the primary partition. And yes, I could uninstall FCP-7 (FCP Studio), create a new partition, and then re-install it. But I remember how long it took to install FCP Studio (about 4 hours, as I recall), so I've put off the ordeal of heading down that road.
So I'm wondering.......
What problems are known to occur as a result of having FCP-7 and FCP-X installed on the same partition? Would my sluggish performance be related to this? Or would going to the trouble of uninstalling FCP-7, re-partitioning, then re-installing FCP-7 (FCP Studio) into its own play space, only be a waste of time?
What evidence is there that this co-install is the culprit causing sluggish performance?
What ARE the problems that the co-install causes? I've never heard anyone address this specifically.
Posted on Feb 2, 2012 2:32 PM