Apple Final Cut Pro 5 - Manual (Page 1302)

Chapter 23 Using RT Extreme 515
III
About External Video Monitoring
If you enable external video monitoring (such as DV output via FireWire), this adds
additional load to your computer’s processor. The Safe RT mode takes into account
whether or not external video monitoring is enabled. When external video monitoring is
enabled, you usually get less real-time performance than when external video monitoring
is disabled. For more information, see Volume I, Chapter 16, “External Video Monitoring.”
Maximizing Real-Time Playback Performance
Many aspects of computer system contribute to the playback of real-time effects:
 CPU speed: The faster your computer CPU is, the more real-time effects
Final Cut Pro can perform.
 Multiple processors: Computers with more than one processor have significant real-
time performance advantages over single-processor computers.
 Level 2 and Level 3 processor cache: The sizes of a computer processor’s level 2 and 3
caches affect its real-time capabilities. The larger these caches are, the more real-
time performance is available.
 RAM: The more RAM you have available in your computer, the more potential real-
time performance your computer has.
 Memory bus speed: Computers with a faster memory bus allow better real-time
performance.
 Fast hard disks: Faster hard disks improve real-time playback performance,
especially with multiple video tracks and multiclip playback.
 Fast graphics card: OpenGL, a simple set of computer graphics subroutines that can
be built directly into a video graphics card, is used to accelerate real-time display in
the Viewer and Canvas.