What's the best Mac for running Final Cut Pro X?

At this point with any of the higher end iMacs it's just a matter of best bester bestest. I am running FCP on a MacPro 1.1 with a 5770 card. Hardly the cats meow and probably much slower than any current shipping iMac and I have no issues at all. I would get in trouble quickly if I did multicam, I'm sure but from my experience on this and several other machines I think you can safely buy almost any imac...and I'd certainly stick with an i7, and max it with RAM and you're golden. I am running with 8GB and sure, I'd like to have more and FCPX would use more and you should get as much as you can afford but if you had an 8GB imac with an i7 you could happly run FCPX with no problem for single cam work. I don't know where multicam issues become a problem and if that's a concern you should look into that specific limitation but for non-pro, single cam editing you can grab virtually any i7 iMac and be successful. My advice is to prioritize the i7, then max the RAM to 16 unless you want to actually go beyond that, and then the question of SSD + HD is a matter of pocketbook and although it's nice for boot and such, it's definitely not necessary for smooth FCPX work.

I do high end video editing and recently ordered the most optimized iMac that Apple sells. I got the faster processor, 64gb of RAM, 2TB SSD storage and the highest end video card they sell (don't know which one it is but it cost an extra $1,000). The machine that arrived at my studio is the absolute 'top end' of what Apple sells without going to a Mac Pro. I was prepared to purchase the multi-core Pro but after speaking with an Apple advisor, they suggested buying the iMac because it seems to do a better job editing video because of it's hyper-threading. The MacPro is better at scientific work but doesn't do quite as well at video. All this to say, you can order the most expensive, tricked-out Mac and you still will have times that it frustrates you. Some days, when I am working on projects from multi-cam, even this turbo computer bogs down and crashes. And sometimes, when I am moving around big blocks of text or graphics, I also have issues with my computer locking up. So, there is not definitive 'one computer to rule all' machine. Get the fastest processor, the most RAM and the fastest external drives you can afford. But even it you do spend a fortune on a high end Mac (mine cost over $5,000) you will STILL have occasional poor performance if you don't keep your drives clean, clear your memory, shut down non-essential programs while editing and BACK UP everything!

And, oh yeah, to the guy that posted that FCPX is substandard editing software, he apparently has not worked with it very much. I have used the program to edit national television commercials, independent films and feature segments that have appeared on several national networks. I worked with Premiere for several years and hate the added time it takes to finish a project. FCPX is fast and easy and has the same pro features with a work flow that is much faster!

Hey !!! I loved your answer but I got a question so I have a MacBook Pro 13" early 2011

Toshiba 1tb internal hardrive

2.3 GHz intel core i5

8gb 1333 MHz ddr3 ram

Intel us graphics 3000 512 mb

I also have a glyph drive 1tb

The computer runns great when I'm not using FCPX but once I start using the program to make a simple 3 minute music video it takes for ever to render is there anything I can do to make this faster or should I just buy a new Mac ... 8gb ram and 1tb hardrive I just put it and made it faster but just not for final cut !!! Please any ideas !!!! Thanks you !!!

That's easy - get the most powerful Mac with the best graphics card and as much RAM as you can possibly afford.

Andy

So much depends on what codec your footage is and what workflow you'll use.

If you're prepared to transcode and use proxy media, you can get away with far less processor power but I still recommend the best garphics card and as much RAM as you can manage. FCP X is very RAM hungry.

I have 16 GB RAM but I wish I had 32 or even 64 GB.

Andy

Yes. Begin with the fastest processor / graphics card / and as much RAM as you can afford. (As all three will become obsolete over time.)

I started from scratch. I have a 27-inch iMac with a 3.4 G Intel Core i7. (currently the fastest processor for an iMac) I also ordered the best graphics card--AMD Ratheon HD. I ordered 16G of RAM, but recently added more RAM to equal 24G. (OWC makes good after-market RAM for iMACs.)

Last, I ordered a flash drive / SATA hard drive combo. (250G on flash / ITB on SATA). The OS and all of my applications run off the flash drive. (for fast start up!)

I put all of my media and FCP projects onto the SATA hard drive.

Now, I had the option to order a 2TB SATA. But, I realized I can always buy more external storage as I edit more and more projects. ALSO! FCPX is GREAT when it comes to editing projects on external drives! I can segregate an entire project and its media files onto a removeable drive. I simply launch FCPX, plug in the drive and--poof!--I'm ready to edit. It sees the project and the media right away. When I'm done editing, I can then send this drive to another editor (also using FCPX) or attach it to my MacBook if I want to edit the same project in the field.

This has worked for me. I wish you luck.