Computer for Photoshop CS5

jsteen84 · Feb 4, 2011

Looking to get Photoshop CS5, but was wondering, the computer I have now is a low end laptop. What type of computer is necessary for running photoshop? Should I buy a laptop with a dedicated graphics card? Is it easier to just buy a desktop? Is it necessary to buy an LCD screen/monitor to get a good picture quality? It sounds like everyone has a setup. My desktop from 2006 just died so I'm looking to find what I need to do to upgrade.

HWesh · Feb 4, 2011

system requirements | Adobe Photoshop CS5

Those are the recommended system requirements that Adobe has on their website.
I suggest that you get better specs than that for your computer since those are the minimum I believe.
I personally prefer a desktop since I am able to replace the components in the desktop.

dxqcanada · Feb 4, 2011

I have an Asus g60Vx running CS5 with no lags (though I have done anything really intense with it) ... it is a "gaming" laptop. It only has an Intel Core 2 Duo 2.13GHz processor, the key thing is that it has a NVIDIA GeForce GTX 260M with 1 GB DDR3 VRA ... and it was cheap.

If you really do not need a laptop, you can get desktop computers cheaper with a good video card and an Intel i3/5/7 processor.

Trever1t · Feb 4, 2011

i do everything from this HP pavilion I got on sale for $550

dual core win7 64

lyonsroar · Feb 4, 2011

I ran CS4 on my vintage Toshiba Satellite with 1.5 GB RAM...ran it in conjunction with iTunes all the time. It ran...poorly, but it ran. Also ran LR, but NOT at the same time. That'd crash it real quick...

jsteen84 · Feb 5, 2011

thanks for feedback. I saw adobe's requirements but haven't had a lot of luck matching vendor specs to a cpu. I'd like a desktop but wife wants a laptop... spend time together or some junk.

sanderso · Feb 5, 2011

I have a Toshiba laptop, 4GB ram, 500GB disk, Win7. Keep pix on an external 1Tb disk. Runs LR and CS5 like a champ.

dxqcanada · Feb 5, 2011

What is your budget ?

KenC · Feb 5, 2011

It depends a whole lot on your file sizes. If you are running 8 bit files out of a 8-15 MP camera and not adding more than a few layers to them, the minimum would work just fine. The further you get from that, e.g., 16 bit files, 20-25 MP files, lots of layers (especially full background image copies vs. just adjustment layers), the more you'll need.

RockstarPhotography · Feb 5, 2011

Macs are the "preferred" machines to run photoshop. probably 90% of people that use it for a living run it on osx.

RyanLilly · Feb 5, 2011

The minimum ram listed is 1gig. I'm running CS3 with 3 gigs, and It pretty good, but not fantastic, but my graphics card is pretty old as well.(older macbook)

I would suggest as my minimum when I upgrade, Core i5, 4gigs of ram, 512meg video card. This should keep photoshop happy, when using many layers, large files from new 18-20somthing mp cameras, and even stitching panoramas.

Trever1t · Feb 5, 2011

Glad to see I'm not the only one editing on a laptop. 4g ram 64 bit system handles most everything just fine. My only concern is the monitor and color representation but it seems to do ok in this respect.

KmH · Feb 5, 2011

Laptop computer displays are notorious for not having the kind of accurate viewing angles needed to effectively edit photographs.

In fact for image editing, the type of computer display is as important as the computer specifications. Laptops usually have TN (Twisted Nematic) type displays, while most image editors recommend using a IPS (In-Plane Switching ) or PVA (Parallel Vertical Alignment) type of display.

Consequently, desktop computers utilizing a regularly calibrated IPS or PVA display(s) are typically used to insure accurate image editing.

many image editors use a multiple display setup so that work pallets can be put on a second display to free up display space on the primary display for the image being edited.

If you insist on getting a laptop computer, seriously consider also getting a external IPS or PVA display to plug into it to use for image editing.