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FCPX runs faster on a clean install of macOS - how to replicate on existing install?

Hi guys, I have noticed during testing that if I make a new macOS user account, FCPX loads projects much faster than my current user account. There may be a 10 second difference. Other actions are also faster, including when I quit. I'm used to loading a new, big library taking maybe 20 seconds, but on the new macOS user it took 1 second.


Now I know I could just use a new account and start over, but I have these concerns and questions for you:


  1. Once I get all my other programs, settings, and files into the new User account, are they going to cause the same slowdown to effect FCPX? In other words, though it seems snappier with a fresh clean account, might I be about to waste 5 hours only to then cause the same slowdown once the install is no longer "clean" but rather bogged down?
  2. Is there a trusted "cleanup tool" I can run on my current User, to get the same effect? (I have already trashed FCPX prefs, run Disk Utility, got lots of empty space, etc.)


Thanks in advance.

iMac 21.5″ 4K, macOS 10.14

Posted on Sep 18, 2020 3:07 PM

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25 replies

Sep 19, 2020 1:32 AM in response to AppleIIme

Your system drive is essentially full, and it is "Fusion Drive", and one of those with only a 28GB SSD.

It is not fast to begin with, and the fact that is full can only impede responsiveness.

You may thing that 77GB is a lot, but it is under 8% of the drive. Any drive, especially the system drive, needs more than that for smooth operation. One usually recommends at least 15-20%.


That could be easily be remedied with an external SSD.

If you were to boot your mac using one the SSD you already have, or even install the system in smaller SSD, the responsiveness of your mac would change very signifcantly.


You have several old kernel extensions.

The Samsung extensions are old and not needed for access to its drives.


I have grave doubts about the effectiveness and safety of an application like Turbo Boost. It is trying to be smarter than the OS, and that can often lead to crashes, or decreased performance. It also seems to be more "useful" in a laptop, as a way to (try to) increase battery life. I recommend you let the OS handle the CPU in your mac.



Sep 19, 2020 8:19 AM in response to Luis Sequeira1

Thanks for the feedback. Here's where I'm confused. I mentioned my FCPX ran much faster with a new user account. But it was using the same boot drive. The fusion drive.


How can I remove those kernel extensions?


I don't use turbo boost, it was from a previous laptop. How can I fully remove it?


Finally, can I use migration assistant to move to a SSD for boot and system usage?

Sep 19, 2020 10:27 AM in response to Luis Sequeira1

Well once again, I don't understand why I shouldn't migrate applications/settings.

The new user account uses the same "old" applications, but was significantly faster.


My question is, is there anything I can do with my current user account to simulate that, as clearly it's not the apps that are the problem.


I've uninstalled Turbo Boost. The only thing left seems to be the Samsung kernel extensions. How can I remove those?


Thanks.

Sep 19, 2020 1:00 PM in response to AppleIIme

"I don't understand why I shouldn't migrate applications/settings."


That's probably what you've been doing for years, at least that's what I see on many computers. What you're doing is dragging mountains of useless junk and extensions that clog up the system, some of which are probably doing things for no purpose at all. As a rule, whenever there's a new OS I always do a clean wipe and install. In many studios they regularly wipe systems, usually once a year, as well as copying archive material to new drives. It's really not that painful, if a bit tedious.

FCPX runs faster on a clean install of macOS - how to replicate on existing install?

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