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What computer is right for InDesign and Illustrator

Forum|Forum|6 years ago
December 27, 2019
5 replies
5479 views

Hi there,

My Macbook has older than dust and isnt working the greatest. I am looking to get a new tablet/laptop but I dont want to pay the $1,000+ for one. The main programs I use are InDesign and Illustrator and occasionally Photoshop or Lightroom. After some research I am learning that I need a 16gb ram but is it 100% necessary? Can I get away with an 8gb ram and still be able to run those programs?

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Correct answer Ashutosh_Mishra

Hi Hannah,

Thanks for reaching out. Steve, Derek and Bob have suggested correctly about the machine you should go for.
4GB memory is the minimum required to run the InDesign app but it won't be recommended to run other apps simultaneously with this.
You mentioned you want to use Illustrator, Photoshop and Lightroom as well. In order to have smooth operation and stable performance, 16GB is recommended.

You can check out other hardware requirements as well on the below help articles:
1. For InDesign: https://helpx.adobe.com/indesign/system-requirements.html

2. For Illustrator: https://helpx.adobe.com/illustrator/system-requirements.html

3. For Photoshop: https://helpx.adobe.com/photoshop/system-requirements.html

4. For Lightroom: https://helpx.adobe.com/lightroom-classic/system-requirements.html

Hope it helps.

Regards,

Ashutosh

Scott Citron

Legend

I have a vintage 2010 MacBook Air with a mere 4GB of RAM. On it I'm able to run InDesign CC 2020, Photoshop CC 2020, and Illustrator CC 2020. As Steve Werner said, it's best not to run all three at once, but it is possible. Nevertheless, if you bought a 2018 MacBook Air you should be fine and still come in under your $1000 budget.

Ashutosh_MishraCorrect answer

Inspiring

Hi Hannah,

Thanks for reaching out. Steve, Derek and Bob have suggested correctly about the machine you should go for.
4GB memory is the minimum required to run the InDesign app but it won't be recommended to run other apps simultaneously with this.
You mentioned you want to use Illustrator, Photoshop and Lightroom as well. In order to have smooth operation and stable performance, 16GB is recommended.

You can check out other hardware requirements as well on the below help articles:
1. For InDesign: https://helpx.adobe.com/indesign/system-requirements.html

2. For Illustrator: https://helpx.adobe.com/illustrator/system-requirements.html

3. For Photoshop: https://helpx.adobe.com/photoshop/system-requirements.html

4. For Lightroom: https://helpx.adobe.com/lightroom-classic/system-requirements.html

Hope it helps.

Regards,

Ashutosh

BobLevine

Community Expert

16GB is the minimum recommendation. And if you're looking to spend less than $1,000 you're going to have to move to Windows.

Derek Cross

Community Expert

You can't run InDesign on a tablet. I prefer a Mac but Windows computers are cheaper and there's no difference in running the applications. You'll need 16GB of ram.

BobLevine

Community Expert

There is a touch interface for InDesign in Windows but it's hardly a wonderful way to work. It's very much like using Comp.

Steve Werner

Community Expert

I'd say 8 Gb for programs like InDesign and Photoshop would only work IF YOU ONLY HAVE ONE APPLICATION OPEN AT A TIME most of the time, and if your images are not very large. If you're willing to do that (which I would find unacceptable for productivity) you could probably get by.

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