Are there any current budget GPUs that stand up to PS's demands?

[Huglust]

Recently discovered my GTX 970 is not compatible with OpenCL so I can't scrubby zoom or do a bunch of other things in PS. Currently unsure if it would be worth spending hundreds of dollars on a new GPU just so PS will function fully. I have CSP and SAI I can use which won't cost me hundreds of dollars and a 21$ monthly sub. 

It seems there are some lower end cards that are compatible but I doubt they will fully encompass PS's demands, which seem to be all over the place. 

[davescm]

Hi

Before you look for a replacement have you tried updating your GPU driver directly from the NVidia website. The GTX970 does have OpenCL 1.2

https://www.nvidia.com/download/index.aspx?lang=en-us

Dave

[Huglust]

Thanks for the reply. Yes I have updated to that driver. To be honest, I don't know if OpenCL is actually working or not. What I do know is scrubby zoom does not work and I can't personally see myself painting digitally without that.  A lot of the advanced options in Performance are greyed out. Multiple sources I've found on google lead me to believe this is because my GPU doesn't support OpenCL. You mentioning this is the first time I've seen anything about my GPU supporting it. 

Hmm I've found a post from 2016 on some forums about someone else not having OpenCL support. Everyone says reinstall drivers

edit: doing a clean installation of the drivers to see what happens.

edit: Nothing changed. The option for "Use OpenCL" is still greyed out in photoshop too. 

[davescm]

In Preferences > Performance does your GPU show up?

Dave

[Huglust]

In the "Detected Graphics Processor" space, there's nothing but the "Use Graphics Processor" option is checked.

[Guest · Accepted solution]

Hi

What exact version of Photoshop do you have, there are issues with version 21.2 not detecting old and not so old GPU's, reverting to version 21.1.3 fixes the issue

[Huglust]

21.2.0

Thank you very much for the help. I'll try installing an older version. 

edit: I'm already not seeing how to install an older version of this. I can't find a download on google or an option in Creative Cloud.

edit: Do i need to be subbed to PS to install older versions? The option is not there.

I found a list of versions after clicking "Learn More" on the menu for the app and then clicking "21.2" under "Version" but only 21.2 is there and no option to install an older one.

[Guest]

From the creative cloud app

[Huglust]

I think I made a mistake and uninstalled PS instead of the update, assuming that's what's going on in the first frame. Looks like that's the only possible mistake that could be made, and I made it! I'm reinstalling. 

I need to leave for work so thanks again for the help. I will get back to this later.

[Huglust]

PS downloaded quick. I think I need to be subscribed to install an older version. There's no "Updates" button or menu. I can only open Photoshop, or use the menu for "Learn More", "Go to Discover", or "Uninstall"

Someone mentioned on a post I found on google that you need to be subbed to install older versions.

[Guest]

Version 21.2 is only an update for Photoshop 2020 and 21.1.3 was the previous update, did you click on the three dots to show the previous versions

[Huglust]

Yes I clicked there. That's what I meant. When I click there, I only see "Learn More", "Go to Discover", and "Uninstall" in that order.

I probably should've mentioned from the very beginning that I am only on the week trial for Photoshop. I've been trying to try it out. 

[D Fosse]

"I think I need to be subscribed to install an older version."

You have a subscription. Otherwise you wouldn't have Photoshop at all, it's the only way to get it.

"won't cost me hundreds of dollars and a 21$ monthly sub"

Let's just get this clear. A Photoshop subscription is $10 a month. That's it, all included. How much did you pay?

[Huglust]

That reply sure seems toxic for something coming from an "Adobe Community Professional". Doesn't seem like you're trying to help here. It also appears you didn't read the original post or you wouldn't have asked me how much I'd spent when I haven't spent a dime yet. "Currently unsure if it would be worth spending hundreds of dollars on a new GPU" - direct quote from my first post.

Photography is $9.99/mo. Not the digital painting version which is $20.99/mo from what I can see here https://www.adobe.com/creativecloud/plans.html?plan=individual&sdid=KPGPI&product=Creative%20Cloud%2....

Unless I haven't noticed that the "Photoshop" inclusion in the Photography sub is actually the same Photoshop that I would get from the 20.99/mo "Photoshop" sub which seems ridiculous to me. Regardless, I don't have a sub. I'm using the week trial.

[Huglust]

It worked! Thank you! When I get home from work I'm gonna spend all night playing around with this.

[KR Seals]

@Huglust If you subscribe to the Photography Plan, it will cost you $9.95 per month in the USA. That will include Photoshop, Lightroom Classic, a web site and some online storage.

It wasn't clear in your original post that you were on a trial version.

I am using the NVidia GTX 970 and get full GPU utilization in Photoshop and Lightroom Classic.

The participants in this forum are all volunteers who do their best to help with questions an issues from beginner and experienced Photoshop users alike. From time to time, though, you will see Adobe employes participate.

[Huglust]

That would be great! Does that plan include all features I may need for digital painting? I'm willing to pay more for more  but really the basics is enough for now, which I unfortunately am not getting due to this GPU issue.

Do you also have to use an older version of the software for it to recognize your GTX 970? If not, that's concerning. Maybe it's just a trial limitation?

[Guest]

It's not a limitation of the trial version, it's an issue with the most recent update, using the trial version you are limited to using only the most recent update, to avail of previous versions you need a subscription.

There are no limits on the trial version in relation to features.

If you are just considering digital painting why not give Krita a try, it's free and open source

https://krita.org/en/

[Huglust]

I've tried Krita in the past and didn't like it too much but I could try it again. I might feel differently now having far more experience with painting software. I use Clip Studio Paint now after using SAI for awhile. I just hear so many good things about PS it makes me feel like I'm missing out on something and I should at least start learning the software.

I'll give the 10/mo sub a shot and see if I can get the ball rolling here. Thanks for all the help, everyone.

[Huglust]

I subbed to photography, installed 21.1.3 and it recognized my GPU! Thanks for all your help!