Can I upgrade to latest Photoshop?

[Tahnee Anne]

Hi Brian, 

I'm am wondering if you can tell me if my mac is powerful enough to handle upgrading to the latest photoshop? I'm currently using 23.5.5 and it works great, however, I would love to have access to the new AI features that photoshop has made available. Hence wanting to upgrade. I have used about 460gb out of 1tb of storage.

 

 

Thank you 

[Brian]

Short Answer: No.

Long Answer: You have an i5, only 24GB RAM, a 4GB Video Card, (you want 8GB of Video RAM at a Minimum,) and are approaching the "No more than 75% - 80% Full on ANY Mac HD." If you do upgrade, expect issues. Expect lagging and error messages. Expect to create posts here or in FB Ask Damien begging for help because your computer keeps locking up or being stupid since you upgraded.  

The modern macOS Operating Systems are really meant for the new M1 & M2 line of Mac Computers, not the Intel-based stuff.

Oh, no downgrading either; this is a "One-Way Proposition." If you do decide to take the plunge and want to go back to Big Sur, you are completely reformatting your Main Macintosh HD and re-installing everything from scratch. Fun times. I've done it. I wouldn't recommend it.

In reality, it's time for a new Mac if you want to play with the new AI Stuff. Start saving.

[Tahnee Anne]

Thanks Brian. I was afraid of that. 
 

All good though. I will hold off for now. It’s working well so I’ll leave it alone 😆. 
 

I’ll upgrade the Mac in the next year or so 😊

[Brian]

Now, if you had a upgraded a few things, meaning...spending A LOT more money, you'd have the following items:

• Intel 3.6GHz 8-core Core i9
• Radeon Pro 580X with 8GB of GDDR5 memory
• 64GB RAM
• 1TB SSD

If you had those options, you could have upgraded, BUT NOT IF YOU HAVE SESSIONS FOR PAYING CLIENTS TO EDIT FIRST!!!  Doing a major OS Upgrade (Going from Big Sur to Current) can create all sorts of problems and lots of people are having issues with Sonoma and the latest version of Photoshop. The Liquify Tool has stopped functioning, but seems to be patched in the next update. So while the AI stuff looks tempting, I'd still get a new Mac to do what you want to do. Unfortunately, that will cost you money. Way more money than you spent with your 27" iMac. There might be a slight update to this article of mine, Buying a Mac in 2023, as we are heading into 2024, but when it comes to Apple, the prices pretty much stay the same. Meaning, you are spending around $4600 for a new Mac.

Welcome to 2024! Where the average house cost $450,000+, cars cost $50,000+ new, and Macs cost $4600!

I know my configuration is on the more expensive side, but it's meant for your exact situation. You could have spent a little more a few years ago, and had a computer that would have handled the current OS / AI Stuff being offered now, about 4 to 5 years later. When I build my systems, I have a 7-8 year Lifespan in mind. You might have spent about $800 more back then, but that's way cheaper than forking out $4600 now. KWIM? There is a "Method to my Madness."