Even on a 32-bit machine with RAM limited to slightly more than 3GB, the output improvement is well worth the cost. The frequency disparity between a machine with 2GB of RAM and one with 4GB of RAM is like night and day. However, if you have a 64-bit operating system, you can have unlimited access to the whole 4GB. If you’re running a 32-bit operating system, you’ll only be able to use around 3.2GB of RAM with 4GB enabled (this is because of memory addressing limitations).
The bottom line is that if you have a machine with 2GB of RAM and it seems sluggish, adding more RAM can make a big difference! 4 GB Sure, a lack of RAM can be a bottleneck on your machine, but 2GB is more than enough to get some serious work completed.ĢGB is still sufficient to operate a hardcore suite of apps such as the Adobe Creative Cloud (according to Adobe), but to be frank, if you’re paying so much for applications, you should be able to manage more RAM! You should be able to do pretty much anything a machine is capable of, like sports, image and video processing, running suites like Microsoft Office, and keeping a dozen or so window tabs open. You may be able to get away with fewer, but odds are it will result in you screaming at the machine!
The minimum device requirement for the 64-bit edition of Windows 10 is 2GB of RAM. With this little RAM, gaming would be painful, and activities like photo editing or CD ripping would essentially take over the whole machine. How Much RAM Do I Need For Adobe Creative Suite
Consult your Computer/motherboard manual, or if your PC was designed by an OEM, use a device checker to decide what RAM is compatible with your system.ġGB of RAM is the minimum device requirement for the 32-bit edition of Windows 10, and while we’ve had Windows 10 to work on this much RAM.ġGB of RAM is adequate for simple operations such as web surfing (though don’t plan to operate a window with hundreds of tabs open), email, word processing, and mild image editing. It is necessary to remember that the amount of RAM, as well as the form and speed that your device supports, is decided by your motherboard. How Much RAM Do I Need For Adobe Creative Suite? Is Your Computer Prepared for Adobe’s Latest Creative Cloud Apps?.How Much RAM Do I Need For Adobe Creative Suite?.
2017 models and newer all come with 4GB GPU minimum and pro users will want to spring for one of these to get the best from Photoshop. IMac 27-inch (Late 2015) will come with 2GB GPU memory as standard but can also be configured with 4GB GPU memory. IMac 21-inch (Late 2015) will run Photoshop well enough for basic edits and usage, however pro users will want to look at 4K models from 2017 or newer as these can be configured to have more powerful dedicated Graphics Cards with 4GB GPU memory. The much improved 2018 models have more powerful Processors and Graphic Cards (although they still max out at 1.5GB) which will run Photoshop more smoothly. Mac mini (Late 2014) are a little past their prime for day to day usage with Photoshop but they will happily run it if you need to do some basic edits.
The 15/16-inch MacBook Pro come with a minimum of 2GB memory and models from 2018 or newer have a minimum of 4GB, so if you are looking to use Photoshop to it's full potential the bigger brother MacBook Pro will be the one to go for. Photoshop will run on these devices, however if you are a pro user you might find that there are limitations with some GPU heavy features.
The 13-inch MacBook Air and Pro both have a maximum of 1.5GB GPU memory, which is below that recommended as a minimum. GPU memory is a little tricker to cater for so we have broken it down further for you below! Most Macs since 2012 support Metal, but you can check the Apple Support article here to confirm.