HT202239: Final Cut Pro X, Motion 5, Compressor 4: Graphics card compatibility

Learn about Final Cut Pro X, Motion 5, Compressor 4: Graphics card compatibility
Randall White

Q: What is the best graphics card for FCPX?

In the nonstop anti-FCPX propaganda is an article of interest — posted 7/9/12 — comparing the benchmarks of FCPX and PP6.

 

http://www.streamingmedia.com/Producer/Articles/ReadArticle.aspx?ArticleID=83582 &PageNum=1

 

The system used was a 2 x 2.93 GHz Quad-Core Mac Pro from early 2009 running MacOS X version 10.7.4 with 12 GB of RAM and an NVIDIA Quadro FX 4800 graphics card with 1.5 GB of onboard RAM.

 

In most cases PP6 outperformed FCPX with this configuration. However, in the comments Ben Balser pointed out that FCP X's A/VFoundation engine wasn't ideal on the NVIDA card:

 

"Quadro is actually not the best card for FCP X's A/VFoundation engine, but great for CS6's Mercury engine, so the test is amazingly flawed right there. Try both on a 5780 card and watch things drastically change. I've done that test myself. Exporting to Compressor uses a MUCH more sophisticated encoding engine meant for higher level, professional transcoding, not simple outputs, which are faster using Export Media…"

 

Apple lists this card on its support page: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4664

 

So,

 

What is the best graphics card for FCPX?

MacBook Pro, Mac OS X (10.7.1), 13" MacBookPro8,1 - 2.7 GHz

Posted on Jul 13, 2012 12:03 PM

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Q: What is the best graphics card for FCPX?

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  • Helpful answers

  • by BenB,Helpful

    BenB BenB Jul 14, 2012 3:15 PM in response to Randall White
    Level 6 (9,901 points)
    Audio
    Jul 14, 2012 3:15 PM in response to Randall White

    Yes, I commented on that article, it's one of several that are VERY misleading.   The Quadro is a CUDA card, which is great for PPro.  For FCPX/Motion 5 you want to use an ATI Radeon HD 5870 along with at least 16GB RAM.

  • by Randall White,

    Randall White Randall White Jul 15, 2012 7:29 AM in response to BenB
    Level 1 (5 points)
    Jul 15, 2012 7:29 AM in response to BenB

    Ben,

     

    Thanks for chiming in on that article. It would be good to have a benchmark comparison with the two systems each with a preferred card.

     

    I'm hoping to see some other comparisons on this thread. Also, some links to other articles about best practices and configurations.

  • by Lonewolf2Koc,

    Lonewolf2Koc Lonewolf2Koc Jul 25, 2012 11:35 AM in response to Randall White
    Level 1 (9 points)
    Quicktime
    Jul 25, 2012 11:35 AM in response to Randall White

    I'm also using CS6 on the same system and has the Radeon 5870 on the 12-core Mac Pro. What's the recommended GPU for both CS6 & FCP X? So far 5870 is great for FCP X, but CS6 is not so great. Is this a on-going hardware war and I have to invest another $8K for a dedicated CS6 or Da Vinci system?