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Q: Will Final Cut Pro X on a MacBook Air with 8 gigs RAM work?

I'm looking to purchase a new, Macbook Air 13" w/8gigs of RAM. Will FCP X work on the MBA 13" computer?

Thanks Folks,

David Healy

iMac, OS X El Capitan (10.11.4), airport express

Posted on Apr 22, 2016 2:38 PM

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Q: Will Final Cut Pro X on a MacBook Air with 8 gigs RAM work?

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  • by BenB,

    BenB BenB Apr 23, 2016 5:59 AM in response to aeffects1
    Level 6 (9,836 points)
    Video
    Apr 23, 2016 5:59 AM in response to aeffects1

    Just barely.  If you can't get a better laptop, at least get 16GB RAM.  8 GB RAM is bare minimum, and will grind to a halt if you do work that is long, and/or too complex with titles and compositing.  The GPU in the Mac Air is pretty week, and FCPX is GPU intensive.  I'd get to an Apple retail store, and try it out.  Yes, it will run, BUT performance will depend on the complexity and duration of what your editing.

     

    You'll want to get a USB 3 or Thunderbolt external drive for your media and Libraries, for sure.  Do NOT put that stuff on your system drive.  Or the MBA will grind to a halt very fast.