jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

Just see what the programs require to run them. They all list minimum requirements.

burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

A 12-year-old computer is ancient history. No, it’s not going to have the resources you need for today’s advanced imaging software. It’s running a dangerously compromised, unsupported operating system. Will it run Windows 11? Will it handle the graphics processing needs of the new software?

As for software, go to the vendor’s web site and find the requirements. Double the RAM and VRAM and disk space. Consider a Core i7 or Core i9 of recent years. Be sure the graphics processor is better than the minimum.

Unfortunately, computers age faster than we do, because the pace of improvements is accelerating!

FrumCA

I think the recommendations to take advantage of the free trials for some of these apps makes the most sense. If your current hardware isn’t up to par you will get validation on that fairly quickly.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

Definitely! I hate paying for software and then discovering that it's not right for me. I see more companies offering a free trial without a credit card. That's ideal.

Toment Loc: FL, IL

Just download the trial version
See what happens…

jeep_daddy Loc: Prescott AZ

Me thinks it's time for a new computer.

nathanweddings

Thanks to all. I'll just keep doing my stuff by hand. Grew up with film so no real hardshjp

rlv567 Loc: Baguio City, Philippines

I had an older, but very fast Dell laptop which I had to replace because it had been in use in an office not doing any graphics work, and did not have Open GL - very important. Most of the comments and suggestions here are on point. Most software programs have differing hardware requirements, and any valid source will tell you exactly what the minimum and recommended requirements are. Unless you have severe monetary constraints, it always is the best idea to procure more than the minimum. The purveyors of graphics software think not about your pocketbook, but about how fast they can surpass the competition's capabilities, regardless of what this means in terms of hardware cost. Bottom line - I believe there is no question you will need new hardware, especially in the area of "AI" (some of which is, and some of which is not truly AI!) And it's usually not a question of running fast or slow, but whether the software will run at all!!!

Loren - in Beautiful Baguio City

niteman3d Loc: South Central Pennsylvania, USA

That was my thought from the beginning... Adobe CC should be about as heavy a load as you'll put on the machine for photo processing (video rendering may be another story?). You can try it free for seven days and you'll know whether it works and how well. I use a much smaller set of programs that are all lifetime licenses and all are resident on my machine. They do some AI and it handles them more than adequately, but my machine was pretty bleeding edge when I bought it several years ago and is still no slouch. So, my best answer is to try before you buy. I think most of the other really heavy load programs allow some sort of trial as well, most even longer than a week.

goldenyears Loc: Lake Osewgo

I have Luminar AI, Topaz Gigapixel, Topaz Denoise and Topaz Sharpen installed on my 8 year old laptop. Do these programs run slow on this computer? (Specs attached) Yes, but tolerable for me, as I also am retired and have more time than money. Topaz Gigapixel would be the one that takes the most time... about 2 minutes to process a small image into a larger one. However, for most of my PP work, Luminar, and a few others that I use on every image I PP, I have found them to run fast enough for me. For someone else? I can't say. In years gone by, in the early 2000's, when I had less time, I used a really powerful custom built gaming desktop. A few years ago one of the boards finally gave up and the case would not accept the newer style components. Frankly, I'm happy to have gotten rid of it, since the other change in my life has been to downsize from a 2400 sq. ft. house to a 900 sq. ft. apartment, so space is a bigger worry than speed for me.

Attached file:
(Download)

burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

Please note that ALL Adobe programs (except for a very few Neural Filters in Photoshop) actually get downloaded onto your machine and run locally. You have the option to put files in the cloud. FILES, not programs.

I use Lightroom Classic with nothing in the cloud. Adobe checks once a month to be sure my account is paid, then leaves my software functional. When needed, they download and install updates, although I can set that to be triggered manually. If I decide to quit using the software, they turn off editing features, but I can still access my images. I don't use their cloud for anything.

There are certain releases of the CC apps that require recent hardware. You should check their websites for lists of what is needed on Macs and PCs:

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

https://helpx.adobe.com/lightroom-classic/system-requirements.html << LIGHTROOM CLASSIC is the desktop version — Files can be stored locally and shared through the Adobe Cloud with Lightroom CC. Advanced photographers use Lightroom Classic as the hub of their software workflow. Everything starts and ends with it, but there may be several trips out to other applications along the way.

https://helpx.adobe.com/lightroom-cc/system-requirements.html << LIGHTROOM CC is the networked-through-the-cloud version. Again, the software is installed locally on all your devices, but the cloud is used to share images back and forth from Mac to PC to smartphone to iPad...

profbowman Loc: Harrisonburg, VA, USA

Your major problem is that Win 7 is no longer supported by Microsoft. So, thaqt means no security patches and no fixes at all. It also means that no software is going to support its software on that operating system. And I am a person who likes to build and do my own thing with computers. Now whether you need AI software, my answer would be "No." :) --Richard

profbowman Loc: Harrisonburg, VA, USA

I should have given the MS notice about this. Here it is.

"Support for Windows 7 is discontinued, but the software will continue to function. After January 14, 2020, if your computer is running Windows 7, it will no longer receive security updates. Therefore, it's important that you move to a modern operating system such as Windows 10, which can provide the latest security updates to help keep you and your data safer. In addition, Microsoft customer service will no longer be available to provide Windows 7 technical support."
[ https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/windows-7-end-of-life-support-information#:~:text=Support%20for%20Windows%207%20is,no%20longer%20receive%20security%20updates. ]

--Richard

Pepsiman Loc: New York City

What is the {A1) program???

R.G. Loc: Scotland

AI = Artificial Intelligence.