I need to make this Mac faster...help?

[Ross Monster]

Hey guys! I work for a production house and the Mac Mini they have me working on has always been pretty slow since the last guy they used to have working in my position. My boss is pretty much ready to help me get this computer going faster but I'm unsure where to start. Hoping you can help me! :Blushing:

The specs of this Mac:
- Running OSX Yosemite
- Mainly used for Final Cut Pro X (FCPX version is current)
- Mac Mini (Late 2012)
- 2.5GHz Intel Core i5 Processor
- 16GB 1600 MHz DDR3
- Startup Disk: Macintosh HD
- Intel HD Graphics 4000 1024 MB

**NOTE: The Macintosh HDD reads 200GB free of 499.25GB. We also have a secondary external HDD (A Seagate HDD) that reads 972GB free of 2TB.

The memory tab reads:
- Your Mac contains 2 memory slots, each of which accepts a 1600 MHz DDR3 memory module. All memory slots are currently in use . (16GB INSTALLED)

Problems I'm having:
Some of the problems I am having are small but they really do make a large impact. Overall, the Mac takes a long time during editing to render the simplest of tasks. Moving one clip from one place to another takes a significant amount of time and sometimes will cause the program to freeze and close out. The mouse has its points where, during editing, it tends to lag, moving very slowly (no matter how much I physically move the mouse). During normal internet use, the responsiveness of everything lacks (even when FCPX is closed). Lots of spinning beach ball loading mouses almost all the time...

Is it the amount of memory? Do we need a bigger HDD? I'm not quite sure where to go and I want to be sure that when we DO spend the money, we know it went towards the right place. If someone could steer me in the right direction, it would be so much appreciated.

Thank you!

- Ross

 

[pigoo3]

- From a hardware perspective you could install an SSD. Ram is maxed out at 16gig.
- From a software perspective…run the free maintenance app "Onyx":

Titanium Software - OnyX

If after doing this the computer is still not powerful enough for your needs. Then it's time for a newer faster computer.

- Nick

 

[vansmith]

Do we need a bigger HDD?

Given that you've maxed out the memory, the place to start is here but not with a larger drive. What you need is a faster drive. A solid state drive would be nice but note that they are generally smaller per dollar (what you get for a dollar in terms of space). I imagine that a significant amount of content is stored on a server or somewhere else external so this may not be such a huge issue.

 

[Ross Monster]

- From a hardware perspective you could install an SSD. Ram is maxed out at 16gig.
- From a software perspective…run the free maintenance app "Onyx":

Titanium Software - OnyX

If after doing this the computer is still not powerful enough for your needs. Then it's time for a newer faster computer.

- Nick

First off, thanks for replying! Got really excited when I saw a reply. I understand what you're saying - kind of.

I remember when I was in my internship fresh out of video school, they used SSD's at the office. Now, I guess my question is (from my boss), does that get plugged into the already existing Mac Mini HDD or does it replace that Mac Mini HDD completely? I looked up SSD's and the ones I see for a 2012 iMac look almost exactly like the one we are running from.

Sorry for any dumb questions! I'm trying to learn as I go.
Either way, we are prepared to make the changes we need! Thanks again!

 

[Ross Monster]

Given that you've maxed out the memory, the place to start is here but not with a larger drive. What you need is a faster drive. A solid state drive would be nice but note that they are generally smaller per dollar (what you get for a dollar in terms of space). I imagine that a significant amount of content is stored on a server or somewhere else external so this may not be such a huge issue.

Good to know! Thank you!
And yes, we have most of the content for the video stuff stored on an external HDD. During editing, I typically move them from the external HDD to the Mac Mini HDD temporarily, and then put them back in their respective folders when finished so I'm not editing from one HDD to the other.

 

[MacInWin]

To see exactly what hardware you have installed, click the Apple logo upper left corner of the desktop, then About this Mac and in the resulting window click Storage. It will show your attached drives and under the icons it should say what type drive. If not, then go to the Overview tab and System Report. Your hard drives should show under SATA/SATA Express and show the type there.

SSDs will definitely speed up the machine if you don't have one now.

 

[pigoo3]

Now, I guess my question is (from my boss), does that get plugged into the already existing Mac Mini HDD or does it replace that Mac Mini HDD completely?

The SSD replaces the current HD in the Mini. But be aware. SSD's are MUCH more expensive/gig than traditional HD's. Right now a good price is around $.50/gig. So about $250-$300 for a 500gig SSD.

- Nick

 

[alicepattinson]

You can install SSD to make it faster.

 

[poejoe]

Ditto ditto ditto.. Samsung 512GB EVO SSD at Amazon LLC. Can't go wrong!

 

[johnodd4]

SSD Still isn't going to help with rendering issues.

What you need to understand is most intel graphics chipsets are no where near fast enough to keep up with current rendering demands. You will always take a long time to render not because of the hard drive but because of the graphics card itself however a SSD will give you a nice speed performance boost.