What good is extra RAM for FCP 7?

I have a Mac Pro with FCP 7. When I zoom or pan on a still, it sputters. I thought that was because it needed more memory, so I upgraded from 3 GB to 12. Now, I see no difference in FCP's efficenccy. Other World Computing told me that FCP 7 can only use 4 GBs of Memory. Is that true? If so, what's the point of upgrading? What is causing the stills to sputter?

My settings are:
Application: 100% (2560 MB)
Still Cashe 10% (241 MB

Thmbnail Cashe
Disk 8192 K
Ram 512 K


Please advise,
Colleen

Not much, really, except that the OS can access the RAM and make use of it, so the 4 gigs can be used almost entirely for FCP.



www.strypesinpost.com

And there is this thing called a swap file, otherwise known as virtual memory (aka your system drive), which is a lot slower and is used when you start running out of available RAM. Having more RAM prevents the machine from writing pools of temporary data onto your hard disk, slowing down some processes.



www.strypesinpost.com

Increase your still cache, and make sure to prep your stills before importing them to FCP. Make them only as big as you really need them to be. Lots of still cameras shoot in what amounts to very HD in FCP.

It's not so much good for FCP as it allows you to run multiple apps very fast along side of FCP. I have 8 GB RAM on my MBP and I generally have FCP / AE / PS / Firefox all running at once all day and they all fly. I would max the RAM out but it is highway robbery what they are asking for MBP 16 GB RAM kit ($1400) when the 8 GB kit is $85.00. They should be bloody ashamed of themselves.

When life gives you dilemmas...make dilemmanade.

But of course the revolutionary new FCPX changes all that!!

Dammit.

- Loren

Today's FCP 7 keytip:
Summon your Video Scopes with Option - 9 !

Your Final Cut Studio KeyGuide? Power Pack
with FCP7 KeyGuide --
now available at KeyGuide Central.
www.neotrondesign.com