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Question

Photoshop 2023, Mac and metal support

Forum|Forum|2 years ago
July 9, 2023
2 replies
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I wanted to install on my MacBook Pro 2012 (osx 10.15 Catalina) but I see it's not possible. The 2023 version requires BIG SUR and METAL support (but which version of metal, 1, 2 or 3?).

I also read that MacBook Pro models with AMD Radeon Pro 500 series graphics are excluded.

Now all MacBookPro from 2017 to 2019 are equipped with this series of boards; those prior to 2012 to 2016 do not accept the VENTURA system (osx 13).

I don't want to buy a new model with Apple M1 chip but stay on Intel and 16" version is too bulky for me. Versions from 2015 or newer accept Monterey (but not Ventura) and in any case have the incompatible graphics card.

But wouldn't it be possible to make Photoshop work without METAL?

If I try to install it on my MacBook Pro it gives me SSE 4.2 error How can I solve the problem?

macOS

This topic has been closed for replies.

Kevin Stohlmeyer

Community Expert

Hi @Fabrizio305771396fjd unfortunately you need Metal GPU in order to run any recent versions of Photoshop. I had a 2012 Mac that I kept my older PS installed on and did not attempt to update.

If you want to take advantage of newer features in PS, you're going to have to upgrade your hardware to a newer Mac. There are a ton of refurbished Macs that are still Intel available online.

F

Fabrizio305771396fjdAuthor

Participant

I thoroughly researched this problem... Photoshop and Lightroom ask for metal (but is version 2 ok or do they want 3?); to switch mac remaining on Intel with installable system versions such as Ventura (osx 13) and later you need to take a macbook pro from 2017 onwards but these models all mount AMD Radeon Pro series graphics cards and it is specified by Apple "* Metal 3 Excluding Intel- based models using AMD Radeon Pro 500 series graphics." Now if you look at the models, they all mount the AMD Radeon Pro 500 series so how to solve the problem?

VENTURA:
MacBook Pro (15-inch, 2017 or newer)
MBP Touch (2017) AMD Radeon Pro 555 with 2GB GDDR5- or 560 with 4GB memory
MBP Touch (2018) AMD Radeon Pro 555X with 2GB GDDR5 memory – or 560X with 4GB
MBP Touch (2019) AMD Radeon Pro 555X with 4GB GDDR5 memory – or Radeon Pro Vega 20 with 4GB
From the end of 2019 the 15” MacBook.Pro disappears for the new 16” (2019 – 2021 – 2023)

If Adobe software accepts and will accept metal 2 in the future, there are no problems; in case you need Metal 3 none of these can be purchased.

Kevin Stohlmeyer

Community Expert

Hi @Fabrizio305771396fjd I checked with the team and Metal 2 is ok.

Jeff Arola

Community Expert

Do you have a 13" or 15" 2012 MacBook Pro?

Macs from 2012 onward have the required Metal support for photoshop.

The exception is the 2012 Mac Pro where one needs to install a Metal compatible graphics card.

Sometimes if the MacBook Pro 15" has both an integrated and dedicated

graphics card, then one needs to disable the dedicated card and use the

integrated card for photoshop.

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT205073

Any MacBook Pro you buy that is Intel will have a limited lifespan, up to and when Apple drops Intel support for newer macOS systems.

There are plenty of 13" M1 Macbbook Pro and MacBook Air M1 out there on the used market for reasonable for Mac prices, so that's what i'd consider buying if you want something that will last for awhile.

F

Fabrizio305771396fjdAuthor

Participant

Thanks for the answer; the MacBook Pro is an 15,4" that has dual cards: both the integrated INTEL and the NVIDIA GeForce GT650M with 1GB RAM. Trying to install Photoshop I get the message about missing SSE 4.2

For MacBooks with M1 chip I exclude them due to the impossibility of Apple's choice to make a clone of the SSD and to start from an external disk. An absurd situation since if the internal disk were to be damaged I would lose all the configurations (I could only save the user data and not even the library which is invisible). A choice that I consider reckless.

Conrad_C

Community Expert

I also spent many years maintaining bootable backup clones of Macs. But I don’t think the problem you stated actually exists. You should not lose all your configurations in the event of a reinstall/restore today.

In recent versions of macOS (I think starting with macOS 11?), Apple started strictly segregating system data from user data. The main reason was safety/security and reliability: Third parties are no longer allowed to modify the core system. But the major advantage of this is, because user and system data are now strictly separated, it is possible to completely delete and replace macOS without affecting user data and configurations. And SSV verification (see below) means the OS cannot become corrupted as easily as in the past.

Another advantage of that separation is that it’s now possible to make a complete backup without having to also back up the actual system files. This saves a lot of backup space, and allows a restore to any Mac, and without a local copy of macOS. You would just grab a Mac, and your backup, have it restore, and it will reinstall macOS from the Internet and then restore your user data to that area of the Mac. The result should be identical to the Mac that was originally backed up.

As long as backups are kept up to date, it should be possible to completely recover from a total hardware failure, as long as there is another current Mac to use.

Yes, it’s too bad bootable backups are not supported, but due to the above, bootable backups are also not as useful as before. As Macs became more reliable, I found myself needing to use my bootable backups less and less. The price of staying on a 2012 Intel Mac is losing out on ten years of quite productive advances by both Apple and Adobe. I had a 2011 Intel MacBook Pro that was great, but given the sheer performance and immense battery life of the current Macs, I would never go back now. Using an Intel Mac is now painful…they are slower (especially graphics), they run hotter.

Maybe you already read the following info by Mac expert Howard Oakley, but if not, they will help you understand how things work now, particularly regarding the separation of system data from user data, and how Recovery mode works in case of a failure:

Rethinking recovery and re-installing macOS

Best practice for an M1 Mac is to ensure that it’s fully backed up, Data and external volumes only, to separable external storage. Should a problem arise which require Recovery, then it should be started up in primary Recovery mode. If necessary, it can then have its macOS container erased, a fresh copy installed, and migration performed from the backup. Cloning to or installing macOS on a backup disk serves no useful purpose, and just wastes 15 GB of space.

Do you still need that external bootable disk?

The other [reason for a bootable clone] is to provide a fallback macOS known to work, in the event that the upgraded macOS has problems that can’t be solved. These most commonly arose as the result of defective or failed upgrades, which have largely been addressed by Apple’s new updater/installer and the use of the Signed System Volume (SSV), which verifies every last bit in the System volume is correct. There will always be users who want to have a fallback bootable disk, but that can easily be created by a normal macOS install, rather than requiring any form of cloning.

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