Please Help. Which older laptops work with 2023 photoshop? Requirements page is confusing.

[MantraRay360]

I want to purchase a current subscription to photshop. 

I want to know which older laptops will work with photoshop.

*Can I use a macbook pro 2015 WITH the dedicated gpu? I read online that model wont work becuase of the intel iris GPU in that machine, but what if the laptop has the dedicated GPU from that year? ( AMD radeon R9 M370X  )Also if that machine does not work with all the latest photoshop features, is it possible to just pay for a current subscription but use an older version of photoshop? I saw youtube videos showing how to find and use older versions from the Creative Cloud manager, but I can't find that anywhere. OR is it possible to just run 2023 photoshop on that machine or a different older machine by disabling settings in photoshop? ( such as "old gpu mode" )

*What if I buy a 2016, or 2017, or 2018 macbook pro? Can I get current photoshop to work on those machines? I paid for photoshop trial one year ago and ran the full version of photoshop on my 2018 macbook air that I am typing on right now and it worked just fine, but now when I am signed in to my adobe account it says "phothsop not compatible with your computer"

Also, I did read the requirments page for current photoshop and it said, must have at least gen 6 intel processor or later, the gpu needs to be compatible with Metal, and also ARM processors. A lot of older machines have gen 6 or later CPUS and GPUs that support metal, but how do I determine which Windows machines use ARM architecture?

Any help on how to run current photshop or even a limited version without Ai etc, on an older macbook, or windows laptop would be really helpful. 

I can't afford to buy a brand new laptop right now just to run photoshop but I would still like to purchase and use the software in 2023. I have spent probably 10 hours of research trying to figure this all out, if anyone can help me answer these questions, I would be so grateful. Thanks, and have an awesome day.  : )

[Peru Bob]

You could install the trial and see if it works.

If you do that, see here about trials and canceling:
https://helpx.adobe.com/manage-account/using/creative-cloud-subscription-terms.html
https://helpx.adobe.com/manage-account/using/cancel-subscription.html

[MantraRay360]

I appreciate your response. However, the reason I am trying to determine this information is I want to know which laptop will work and what the options are before I purchase the laptop.

I am hoping someone with very specific knowledge of the different hardware requirements will be able to de-mystify which machines will work with photoshop, so I can weigh my options.  : ) 

And I imagine this compiled information would be helpful to many other people as well.

Thanks again.   : )

[Peru Bob]

@RjL190365  

[gener7]

I own and use a mid 2015 MBP, the last model where the drive can be upgraded. I have a 2 TB WD PCI-Express and I recommend 16GB ram for system memory. The latest MacOS it will run is 12.6.8 codenamed Monterey. No upgrade path to Ventura or 13.x.x  Someday future versions of Photoshop will be locked out as Adobe drops support for 11 and then 12.  I run 24.7 but the gpu is fully qualified:

Pass: OpenGL available
Pass: OpenCL available
Pass: Metal available
Pass: Above required VRAM (1610 MB of 1500 MB required)
GPU Detected: Intel Iris Pro Graphics (INTEL)

If you are using the latest version of Adobe Camera Raw, these are your GPU features. Display only.

The good news is that it supports the new AI based healing brush:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_B_Q_ti2vFo

[MantraRay360]

Thank you so much for your response Gener7! 

That is so helpful to know that model is currently being used.

Do you know if there are any features that are not available because the GPU use for processing is not enabled?

More specifically, you said the Ai healing brush tool works, but are there other new photoshop features that wont work? Such as providing a text prompt to describe a change you want made to the image, and ai then makes that change? Or any other new features?

Thannk you so much for your helpful response!   : )

[Kevin Stohlmeyer]

Hi @MantraRay360 I also have a 2015 MBP similar to @gener7 setup.

That being said I would not recommend purchasing an 8 year old machine and expect it to have any longevity with future releases. Purchasing something this old puts you on a shortend runway for upgrades - (maybe 2 years?) before you are stuck. 

The current System Requirements is Mac OS Big Sur (11.0). However looking ahead Adobe ususally supports the last two OS and future realeased may require Monterey at minimum and that is the end point for a 2015 MBP. Once Ventura becomes the minimum - youre out of luck.

You're much better off looking for a newer model that can install Ventura.

[MantraRay360]

Hi. Thanks for your response. I am not opposed to getting a newer computer, possibly even PC.

There are reasons I like the 2015 macbook pro, rather than 2016/17/18 etc. But I have not ruled out getting a newer machine.

I actually dont like OLED, so I am looking for a machine that is IPS. I also like machines that are closer to the aspect ratio of a full frame sensor instead of 16:9.  And I also want color accurate with reasonably high gamut covering more than just SRGB. and I like a reflective screen because it just seems to translate better to most devices. So I am constrained to some limitations/preferences. 

I have considered using DUET from PC to Ipad 12.9 as my output screen, but I do not knoq if it is possible to color manage across devices. If I could achieve accuracte color with that approach, that would be great because I could also use the ipad to do editing directly on the image.

If I use PC and seperate portable screen there are actually a lot more options for using a newer format. And still have USb 3 ports, display ports,  etc for peripherals.

As far as computers aging out, I have seen youtube clips where they show even running 2017/2018  versions of photoshop right now for various reasons. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UpsTroy64JM

I would be content using older versions of CC even if they arent supported, I still haven't figured out to what degree I will be able to do that.

Thanks again for your response!  : )

[Kevin Stohlmeyer]

Hi @MantraRay360 that is completely your choice - if you decide to "time capsule" your setup to 2018 standards then that should work without issue. However, you wont be able to upgrade your OS, or CC without risk. The other issue is any bugs or issues noted in older software may have a resolution that requires newer updates, so you may want to research "known issues" in the versions you intend to run prior to downloading previous versions from ProDesignTools.

[gener7]

I can at least vouch for now, that the Mid 2015 here runs smoothly and had not needed any service since I bought it off Ebay in Nov 2022 from this seller: https://www.ebay.com/itm/115505880937 It was $776 when I got it with 16GB ram and the 2TB SSD option. It's now $400 for the same configuration. It does run Ps 24.7 and for the few days I played with it, even the Beta. You shouldn't have any issues running  those and should not need to run the older software. 

I do know the clock is ticking on Monterey, but a 2 year cushion is fine for me. As you can see, the prices are dropping in the used market.

Like medicine and software I can't garantee it will be problem free, so research further if you still have questions.

[MantraRay360]

thanks again so much Gener7.  : )

A couple more questions...does your 2015 macbook pro have the dedicated GPU? if so which one? (amd or radeon)

Also, have you tried the new ai functions of photoshop, and they all work ( even if slow compared to a newer machine )

Thanks!   : )

[gener7]

Just the dedicated Intel Iris Pro. Some models do have a AMD Radeon R9 M370x 2GB card. You'll want to check with the seller

Specs here: https://support.apple.com/kb/SP719?locale=en_US

I haven't had a chance to do comparisions between mine and other models on AI features.

[MantraRay360]

Oh, I didnt mean a comparison with other models, I just meant does your model work with all of the current Ai features?

That last part I just meant it would be awesome if it worked with the Ai features even if is slower than newer laptops.

But to clarify you have tried your model with the new Ai features and it all worked?

Thanks for the clarification.  : )

[gener7]

I can't say I gave it a total check. I decided to chuck the beta and wait for the final. It seemed ok and will be a bonus if it holds up to the final release. I'm just happy to have the magic healing brush in the current stable version. Just make sure you have 16 GB system ram.