does Final Cut Pro version 7 still only uses 2.5GB of RAM?
 

Anyone done an in-depth look to check whether FCP is still crippled with the 2.5GB RAM limitation?

Since it is not yet 64-bit, yes it still only uses the 2 gigs of RAM, though I would hardly characterize it as "crippled."

Thanks Mike; I agree, my wording was a bit harsh :)

For some FCP plugins which seem to use RAM from the Final Cut application process, such as Neat Video, the RAM limitation is a problem (causes crashes, etc).

That's the result of bad programming on the part of the plug-in manufacturer. Since these limitations are a known issue, the plug-in software engineers should have taken care to manage the RAM usage.

There are some things for which I would lay the blame at the feet of Apple, but this is not one of them.

I agree with you on this one.

FCP 6.06 constant crashing issues
 

I am having constant problems with FCP 6.06 crashing and unless I am missing something, the problem with the code is with FCP and/or OS X, since I am not using any pluggins. The system is a first generation 8 Core 3.0 Ghz system, which has been known to have some performance issues. The problem starts to happen when too many sequences are open. The video flashes with green. If I try to close the canvas to close all the sequences, it then hangs. If I don't close then shortly it will hang also.

Any ideas besides don't open too large a project or too many sequences at once?

Are you sure that's not a graphics card issue?

Non-linear editing of high res is always going to require a fast disk system. RAM can't hold all the places one can go when editing. SSD will probably make more difference than a true 64 bit FCP.
More usable RAM may make rendering faster, however.
I'll be interested to see if Snow Leopard makes a difference with FCP 7.

James,

Your issue has nothing to do with the original thread of RAM usage in FCP. You've got a different kind of problem that should be addressed in it's own thread.

Have a moderator move this to a stand-alone thread so those that have time can help.

In the meantime, please submit more detailed information about both the configuration of your hardware and, what kind of sequences/codec/s you're working with, then we can drill down the culprit of your woes.

Thanks Robert; allegedly the Neat Video plugin just got updated with better memory and frame handling (literally a day or two after I posted here). On a long (2hr) DV project, it hasn't crashed, so I'm more or less a happy camper. I have a quad core Mac pro with 8gb RAM, although it's been added as I could afford it, and it's not symmetrical on the riser per the FCP note on Apple.com (of course, it's added in symetrical pairs though).