Running Lion and FCPX on 21" iMac...actually 2 iMacs with lion run slow...like unbearable slow. 3rd iMac with snow leopard...runs smoothly.
I thought the latest FCPX update would help. It didn't.
I have removed old events and projects from the default FCPX folders....a slight speed increase. But it still jams on numerous actions.
Anyone with a memory issue or the spinning wheel?
Final Cut Pro X, Mac OS X (10.7.3), FCPx and Lion have memory issue
Here's my pet answer for this (very common) question - don't lose heart! It's an awesome application - you just need to see why it's not working well on your system.
FCP X runs very well (not perfectly, by any means) on my 2009 MacPro 2 x 2.26 GHz Quad-Core Intel Xeon with 16 GB RAM and ATI Radeon HD 5870 1024 MB
First, check the spec of your iMac against the system requirements:
http://www.apple.com/finalcutpro/specs/
Particularly your graphics card. If it's listed here, it's not suitable:
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4664
If you are getting crashes, there is some conflict on the OS. Create a new (admin) user account on your system and use FCP X from there - if it runs a lot better, there's a conflict and a clean install would be recommended.
Other ways to improve performance:
Create optimised media.
Hide Waveforms at all times when you don't need them (both in Browser and Storyline / Timeline). They take up a lot of processor power.
Create folders in the Project library and put any projects you are not working on currently, in there. (Twirl it closed to hide them).
Move your Projects and Events to an external HD (make sure it's formatted OS Extended - with journaled on or off) and run from there.
The biggest single improvement I saw in performance was when I upgraded the RAM from 8 GB to 16.
Andy
Still getting the spinning beach ball constantly
