Final Cut Pro X vs Sony Vegas 12 test results!

[TDP_Equinox]

So with all the buzz around FCPX rendering capabilities I decided to test it out. 

My method: 

Using a 2011 Mac book pro 15" with a core i7-2635QM, 12 GB of DDR3 1600Mzh and an AMD Radeon HD 6490M running OSX 10.11.3 and using Final Cut Pro X 10.2.1 and sony vegas pro 12 build 770 (64 bit) I used a series of 4K video files and rendered them out with settings as close to each other as possible. 

Main points:  H.264, 1920x1080 (Down from 4K source) at 60FPS (Source).  I did my tests in a native OS environment, meaning each piece of software had direct access to the hardware. 

Each file was take from an SSD, and then rendered onto a different SSD (SSD1 to SSD2, same in both program tests). 

 

I did my testing in Sony Vegas ,once for each of the files on their own, and once again with all of them in a row (No transitions, fading, or other VFX). 
I noted time taken to render and file size.  (Note: I was using windows 10 Home 64 bit with bootcamp, all proper drivers installed)
 

Sony Vegas Results:

Files	Time to render	Sony vegas default H.264 60 FPS 1080P	File size
Beach Jetty	0:42		11.4 MB
Beach Sports	0:40		12.4 MB
City Gallery	0:30		7.9 MB
City Market Display	0:29		7.6 MB
City river	0:31		7.8 MB
city train station	0:41		13.3 MB
Joggers raining	0:38		11.5 MB
All together	4:58		79.7 MB

 

More or less what I expected. 

 

Midway through my FCPX testing, I noticed a background render feature, and I was sure this was going to be why it rendered so fast.  I was mistaken. 

I finished my test with the background render on, and these are the results. 

Files	Time to render	FCPX Default settings H.264 60 FPS Pre Rendered 1080P	File size
Beach Jetty	0:05		29.3 MB
Beach Sports	0:08		44.6 MB
City Gallery	0:04		17.9 MB
City Market Display	0:04		17.9 MB
City river	0:04		19.3 MB
city train station	0:11		61.8 MB
Joggers raining	0:06		28.8 MB
All together	0:38		210.5 MB

 

Now the interesting part is when I turn background rendering off. 

Files	Time to render	FCPX Default settings H.264 60 FPS Pre rendering OFF 1080P	File size
Beach Jetty	0:06		29.2 MB
Beach Sports	0:08		45.2 MB
City Gallery	0:04		17.9 MB
City Market Display	0:03		17.9 MB
City river	0:04		19.3 MB
city train station	0:11		61.7 MB
Joggers raining	0:05		28.8 MB
All together	0:35		210.4 MB

 

Almost no change at all in rendering time, file size, or even temperatures (something I wasn't writing down, but keeping an eye on). 
I have not figured out what exactly the background render feature does, or if it affects the final render and not just the preview, but it appears to do almost nothing. 

 

 

If anyone has feedback or input, it's appreciated. I will be looking in to this background render feature, and in the future I plan on trying FCPX out for personal use, to see if I can use it as a replacement of Sony Vegas.