D300 Vs D700 for FCPX

[MacPro61]

Hello!!

I'm the owner of a basic Mac Pro 6,1 with 4 Core and D300 graphic card. Editing 1080 videos works nice but I'm interested to work with 4K videos right now and I'm on serious problems with the timeline and the kind of files...

Thinking about upgrade the Mac Pro to 12 Core 2.7GH, and I have the choice to get very very cheap the 'high end' Mac Pro with the D700 series.

I'm looking for an advice if it will be enough with the 12 Core and D300 for 4K edition or It is much better choose a D700 based system.

 

[chrfr]

I'd recommend saving your money and get an Apple Silicon Mac. The D700s were not terribly reliable and the 2013 Pros are all dramatically outperformed in Final Cut by Apple Silicon Macs. None of the 2013 Mac Pros support hardware encoding or decoding of H.264 or H.265.

 

[MacPro61]

I'd recommend saving your money and get an Apple Silicon Mac. The D700s were not terribly reliable and the 2013 Pros are all dramatically outperformed in Final Cut by Apple Silicon Macs. None of the 2013 Mac Pros support hardware encoding or decoding of H.264 or H.265.

HI!
I really apreciate your post. Yeah, I know there are better options but I'm not asking in this way. But I repeat, thank you very much for your help.

I didn't found any comparison on the net about my question: D300 vs D700 on FCPX.

 

[arw]

I'm not using Final Cut.
But as you already own a 4-core D300 machine, I'd check CPU and GPU usage with Activity Monitor during times you see the Mac Pro struggeling.
I would say you'd only benefit of the D700s if one of the two GPUs hit close to 100% usage.

 

[MacPro61]

I'm not using Final Cut.
But as you already own a 4-core D300 machine, I'd check CPU and GPU usage with Activity Monitor during times you see the Mac Pro struggeling.
I would say you'd only benefit of the D700s if one of the two GPUs hit close to 100% usage.

Oh, I just tried and yes, the D300 it is only used max at 37%. Definitely that's the answer that I need it.
Thx!!


The lack of Mac mini M1 is the storage capacity. In the Mac Pro I have 4TB internal SSD + 16TB external via USB 3.

 

[R S K]

By wasting your money on such ancient technology, you are simply postponing the inevitable. Even the most basic Mac Mini for a measly $600 will exponentially outperform the 6,1. I have no idea why anyone would want to still invest in such an archaic machine. Never mind that 'upgrading' (in the loosest sense of the word) to a D700 won't even move the needle anyway. And if you want the 4TB, why not take it out of the 6,1 and use it externally? 🤨 Which, as I said, you should be doing anyway when editing with FC, just for redundancy reasons alone.

 

[MacPro61]

By wasting your money on such ancient technology, you are simply postponing the inevitable. Even the most basic Mac Mini for a measly $600 will exponentially outperform the 6,1. I have no idea why anyone would want to still invest in such an archaic machine. Never mind that 'upgrading' (in the loosest sense of the word) to a D700 won't even move the needle anyway. And if you want the 4TB, why not take it out of the 6,1 and use it externally? 🤨 Which, as I said, you should be doing anyway when editing with FC, just for redundancy reasons alone.

Man... I know and your advice is logical
I'm not rational choosing that choice because the design of Mac Pro I really love this machine, the last one with the Jobs and Ive signature, I think so...
I am aware that it is not positive to be romantic with technology

 

[chrfr]

Man... I know and your advice is logical
I'm not rational choosing that choice because the design of Mac Pro I really love this machine, the last one with the Jobs and Ive signature, I think so...
I am aware that it is not positive to be romantic with technology

But again even if you do stay with this old Mac Pro, the D700 is quite prone to failure due to overheating so really, just save your money and stick with what you have.

 

[MacPro61]

But again even if you do stay with this old Mac Pro, the D700 is quite prone to failure due to overheating so really, just save your money and stick with what you have.

Ok, thx for the advice!

 

[R S K]

I'm not rational

True.

the last one with the Jobs and Ive signature

Yeah. I'm sure that Steve Jobs's ghost had a lot of input. 🙄

It's entirely up to you what you want to waste your money on. 🤷🏼‍♂️

 

[rx7dude]

What version of Mac OS and FCPX are you using? 4K was not usable on my 5,1 until I upgraded to OS 12 and FC 10.6.8
I realize you have a 6,1 but worth mentioning.
Also Greg has a ton of information regarding upgrades for your MP:

The Definitive Trashcan Mac Pro 6.1 (Late 2013) Upgrade Guide

A guide with every conceivable Mac Pro 2013 upgrade, from SSD hacks, CPU upgrades, to eGPUs.

blog.greggant.com

 

[MacPro61]

What version of Mac OS and FCPX are you using? 4K was not usable on my 5,1 until I upgraded to OS 12 and FC 10.6.8
I realize you have a 6,1 but worth mentioning.
Also Greg has a ton of information regarding upgrades for your MP:

The Definitive Trashcan Mac Pro 6.1 (Late 2013) Upgrade Guide

A guide with every conceivable Mac Pro 2013 upgrade, from SSD hacks, CPU upgrades, to eGPUs.

blog.greggant.com

I use FCPX 10.6.5 under macOS Monterey 12.7.3. And yes, I have the 6,1 'trashcan'. Can I notice a better performance with for 4K edition using the 10.6.8 version of FCPX?

I didn't know the website you mention, thank you very much, I will check it for sure!!

 

[e1me5]

What format are your 4k videos? If it's h264 then you gonna have a big problem as the mac lacks hardware acceleration for these formats. It's not about horsepower but efficiency. Convert to Prores, place them in an SSD and probably you will be good to go. I have a mid12 MacBook pro that could handle 4k with a fast drive so i bet you will be fine.

 

[MacPro61]

What format are your 4k videos? If it's h264 then you gonna have a big problem as the mac lacks hardware acceleration for these formats. It's not about horsepower but efficiency. Convert to Prores, place them in an SSD and probably you will be good to go. I have a mid12 MacBook pro that could handle 4k with a fast drive so i bet you will be fine.

I am recording in iPhone 8/13/15 in HVEC and converting to ProRes with Final Cut. But there are many types of ProRes (4444XQ, 4444, 422 HQ, 422 LT, 422...) Which one?

 

[e1me5]

I am recording in iPhone 8/13/15 in HVEC and converting to ProRes with Final Cut. But there are many types of ProRes (4444XQ, 4444, 422 HQ, 422 LT, 422...) Which one?

I guess even LT is fine considering the low quality source material you have. Do a test between LT and plain 422 and decide.

 

[MacPro61]

I guess even LT is fine considering the low quality source material you have. Do a test between LT and plain 422 and decide.

Low quality? What is using people around there more powerful than an iPhone 15 Pro Max?
Thx for ur advice, I will get it!!

 

[e1me5]

Low quality? What is using people around there more powerful than an iPhone 15 Pro Max?
Thx for ur advice, I will get it!!

Proper cameras! 🤣