Computer specs for Photoshop Illustrators?

[Jennifer Bourne]

What are the recommended computer specs for Photoshop artists? I can paint low res, small pictures just fine, but larger resolutions (and multiple layers, masks etc...) slow things down to a crawl. Thanks in advance!

[Chip Valecek]

A few months back I got a Surface Book which you can get all the specs from here: https://www.microsoftstore.com/store/msusa/en_US/pdp/productID.335715000?gclid=CIf8h53kv84CFQ-QaQodvksANA&VID=335715100&s_kwcid=AL!4249!3!84410703018!!!g!216729438258!&WT.mc_id=us_datafeed_pla_google&WT.mc_id=pointitsem&WT.mc_id=Surface&ef_id=VyGAhAAAAQwN7lyJ:20160814014502:s

I love it. I can take it anywhere and draw while on the train or outside. I am no longer stuck to draw/paint in my office.

[Jennifer Bourne]

@Chip-Valecek said in Computer specs for Photoshop Illustrators?:

A few months back I got a Surface Book which you can get all the specs from here: https://www.microsoftstore.com/store/msusa/en_US/pdp/productID.335715000?gclid=CIf8h53kv84CFQ-QaQodvksANA&VID=335715100&s_kwcid=AL!4249!3!84410703018!!!g!216729438258!&WT.mc_id=us_datafeed_pla_google&WT.mc_id=pointitsem&WT.mc_id=Surface&ef_id=VyGAhAAAAQwN7lyJ:20160814014502:s

I love it. I can take it anywhere and draw while on the train or outside. I am no longer stuck to draw/paint in my office.

Looks like a good one! How responsive is the pen?
My (older) machine has a one but it's crude, so I rely on a cintiq. That pen works great but I have compatibility problems and am forever resetting and recalibrating to get my computer to cooperate with it.

[Chip Valecek]

@Jennifer-Bourne I had to calibrate it once, and that was it. Once in while it will lose connection. From what I read online its just some static build up where the battery and cap meet. I was unsure of buying it at first. I went into store looking to get a nice desktop and then order a cintiq. That would have put me well over $4000. But I saw the surface book and tried it out and saving that much money as well as the option to take it anywhere I couldnt pass it up. Not sure where your located but if you go into any Best Buy or MicroSoft store you can try it out before you get one. I see a lot of artist now using the iPad Pro and getting away from the cintiq, only thing with the iPad is you can not run photoshop which I am a fan of.

[mattramsey]

I have a surface pro 3 and I really dislike using Photoshop with it. The pen is too laggy for how I work.

I do love my Bamboo though--some people don't like that whole drawing on the tablet and having it show up on the screen but I'm convinced that a few hours of practice and your brain will get used to it.

Anyway, computer specs: I can give you mine when I'm on my home computer if you'd like but really you are going to want about an i5 (or equivalent) processor and as much ram as you can get. 8GB would probably be fine.
I'm not a computer guy so I'm not 100% sure how the video card factors in but I'd imagine that any one within the last several years should be good.

That brings up the question: how old is your computer? Probably any current mid-level out of the box (that is, non-custom) computer will be really good for you.

[Nazuba]

I usually paint 3000px at the highest and on 300DPI. Some artists use 600DPI but those are mostly for film production. I've included a spec of my PC. Mine works just fine.

[Jennifer Bourne]

@mattramsey It's from 2012, so it's about 4 1/2 years old.