Slow Performance in Illustrator

[maahir390209673t0t]

hello guys, i have big problem with illustrator. since i was using it normally i have got a problem. so when i switching my tabs i mean when i have 3 or 5 open AI files & they are opened for me i cant switch them like its stacking & lagging. when i iswitch from a tab to another i have to wait like 6 or 7 seconds or even more to work out that tab. but when i switched that fast there is no way i could do anything i gotta wait. & i feel like its lagging issues. if anyone has same problem with me  or even seen it before. please help me. thank you 

[Bobby Henderson · Accepted solution]

It's hard to say what could be causing the lagging problems. Are other applications open and running in the background? Some apps, such as web browsers, can be memory hogs. Rebooting the computer into a fresh session can resolve some issues. Temporary files can build up in various locations (especially in Windows-based PCs). Cleaning up those files can boost performance.

The Illustrator AI files themselves can create their own problems, depending on their complexity and file size. A document raster effects setting that is set too high for certain types of layouts can cause problems. For instance, a vehicle wrap design set at full size but with a raster effects setting of 300ppi would create a serious burden for the computer. A lower setting of 72ppi would be more manageable.

The computer system's hardware is another issue. If a computer has only 8GB or 16GB of RAM it won't be able to handle complex Illustrator documents very well, much less handle multiple documents at a time. The quality of graphics board in the computer is also important. Drivers for various pieces of hardware, especially the graphics board, usually need to be kept up to date.

[maahir390209673t0t]

thanks brother now its better. but i think its the RAM as long you have complex tasks u need more ram. i already have 16 which is not enough for multi tasking. so am ordering new 32 RAM DD5.

[Bobby Henderson]

If your computer can support 64GB of RAM I'd strongly consider bumping it up to that. With Windows-based PCs it usually doesn't cost all that much (relatively speaking) to boost RAM amounts up to those kinds of levels. That could be done when the computer system is being ordered or buying more RAM later as an upgrade. It's usually easy to do that with most desktop computer models; they almost always have memory slots with removable modules on the motherboard. Notebook computers are far more tricky. Some may have removable RAM modules and others will have "baked in" RAM soldered into the motherboard. You'll even see this from a single company, such as Alienware. One notebook will have removable RAM modules and another model will have baked in memory. I'm not a fan baked in RAM since the memory cannot be upgraded or replaced after the computer is ordered and built.

[eric_5223]

I really think Adobe experts need to stop suggesting upgrading hardware in most performance cases. Illustrator uses minimal resources.  The bottleneck is the legacy code which uses single core processing and linear logic. I have a 10 year old laptop quadcore with 16gb ram and 2gb gpu that runs Illustrator at the same speed as my i9. Task manager proves that Illustrator just doesn't use the extra resources even when under heavy workflow. 

[Bobby Henderson]

Some of the equation depends on what kinds of projects you're creating with Adobe Illustrator. I would find it very difficult to believe a 10 year old notebook would be keeping up with a current era computer on most tasks. The CPU is only one variable. The amount of hardware RAM, the type & quality of hardware RAM, the quality of GPU in the computer and even other variables will all factor into the mix.

I've lived through trying to use a 10 year old notebook to run Illustrator. The device was a top of the line computer when it was brand new. But over time it started showing its age as newer, more demanding features were rolled out into applications like Illustrator and Photoshop. Certain features like animated zoom stopped working with new versions of Illustrator. Eventually it just became necessary to buy a new notebook.