Like most software developers, Adobe maintains a list of system requirements for Photoshop that can be used to help ensure the hardware in your computer system will work with their software. However, most “system requirements” lists tend to cover only the very basics of what hardware is needed to run the software, not what hardware will actually give the best performance. In addition, sometimes these lists can be outdated, show old hardware revisions, or simply contain sub-optimal hardware.
Because of how inconsistent these lists can be, here at ProX PC we run and publish our own set of extensive hardware benchmarks to ensure that the systems we sell are perfectly tailored for Photoshop. Even better, you don’t have to take our word for what to buy, you can browse and examine all our testing in detail in our Photoshop hardware articles. Based on all our testing, we have our own list of recommended hardware for an Adobe Photoshop PC.
The processor (or CPU) is one of the most important pieces of a Photoshop workstation. While GPU acceleration is gaining traction, right now your choice of CPU is usually going to make a much larger impact on overall system performance. However, be aware a CPU that is theoretically more powerful is not always better since there is a limit to the number of cores that Photoshop can effectively take advantage of. In many cases, spending more money can actually result in worse performance so it is more important to get the right CPU over a more expensive one.
What CPU is best for Photoshop?
Currently, the best CPU for Photoshop is Intel’s Core i9 14900K. It leads the pack of other 13th & 14th Gen Core and AMD Ryzen 7000 Series processors in our Photoshop benchmark, though it is only slightly faster than the previous 13900K. The i7 14700K is also a solid option if you want to save some money.
Do more cores make Photoshop faster?
Adobe has been making improvements in order to make more effective use of higher core count CPUs, but for now, having beyond ~8 cores is only going to give you a minimal increase in performance. In general, the architecture of the CPU is often more important than the raw number of cores.
Does Photoshop work better with Intel or AMD CPUs?
At the moment, Intel has a slight lead over AMD. This tends to change as both brands release new products, however.
Should I use a Xeon CPU for Photoshop?
In the past, Xeon CPUs were more robust than their Core series counterparts. Today, however, there is very little functional difference between the two Intel product families for workstations. In addition, Xeon CPUs are almost always clocked slightly lower than the Core i7/i9 CPUs which means that you will be giving up a small amount of performance to gain a set of features that are typically only useful for servers.
Does Photoshop perform well with a Dual Xeon or EPYC CPU setup?
Since Photoshop cannot effectively utilize higher core counts, workstations with two physical CPUs tend to do relatively poorly. Not only is there additional overhead when there are multiple CPUs in the system, these CPUs also tend to be clocked lower than their single CPU counterparts which results in even lower performance.
A Photoshop workstation needs to be quick and agile, allowing the creative process to flow without interruption. ProX PC photo editing systems are designed to ensure that you are able to complete your work with minimal disruption.
