Photoshop - how important is the GPU?

EspressoJunkie · 6 Sep 2017

I built a system about 18 months ago for Photoshop and gaming so I put a decent GPU in it (GTX 970).

However I really don't game on it at all anymore so I'm wondering just how useful the GPU is for PS. I do a little video but not a lot and I usually use PS for this as well.

My CPU (i5 4690k) has some graphics on board, and I'm just wondering will I notice any difference if I was to remove the GPU, or replace it with a less powerful one.

My reasoning is that I find I still prefer gaming on a console (sacralige I know) but I've given my Xbox to the kids and I could use the money from selling the GPU to get a PS4 etc!

Terrywoodenpic · 6 Sep 2017

EspressoJunkie said:
I built a system about 18 months ago for Photoshop and gaming so I put a decent GPU in it (GTX 970).

However I really don't game on it at all anymore so I'm wondering just how useful the GPU is for PS. I do a little video but not a lot and I usually use PS for this as well.

My CPU (i5 4690k) has some graphics on board, and I'm just wondering will I notice any difference if I was to remove the GPU, or replace it with a less powerful one.

My reasoning is that I find I still prefer gaming on a console (sacralige I know) but I've given my Xbox to the kids and I could use the money from selling the GPU to get a PS4 etc!

My new computer has a nVIDIA GT1030 2GB GPU which Photoshop can make use of for some processes. Though for most things it is not used at all . My CPU is a Intel SkyLake i5 6400
More important is lots of memory. I have 16GB DDR4 2133Mhz – 2x8GB
With the programs on an m.2 SSD this is all fast enough.

petersmart · 6 Sep 2017

If you have modern on-board graphics then not much - just suck it and see.

I put a 1GB Radeon card in my i7 not because I play games but because I wanted to use my 40" TV as a monitor and needed HDMI.

But it worked fine using the on-board graphics for ordinary output so I think yours would too.

I also have 16GB RAM but want to upgrade to 32GB just for rendering videos.

Rath · 6 Sep 2017

Your not gonna get much for a used 970, is it really worth pulling and trying to sell? Yup to you I guess, I always like having a dedicated graphics card, never know what you'll want to do in the future, you may get more into video editing and wish you had that graphics card again.

MitoG · 6 Sep 2017

This should help you make a more informed decision:

https://helpx.adobe.com/photoshop/kb/photoshop-cc-gpu-card-faq.html

troutfisher · 6 Sep 2017

Personally for what you would sell it for I would keep it if only for the output sockets, one day you could find yourself needing to plug a monitor into a non existent socket, the way things are moving old fashioned VGA sockets won't be around when your nice flat screen has packed up and you need to plug in a old CRT in to get things working and you ain't got a VGA socket you might be glad of the old graphics card sitting in a drawer

EspressoJunkie · 6 Sep 2017

Rath said:
Your not gonna get much for a used 970, is it really worth pulling and trying to sell? Yup to you I guess, I always like having a dedicated graphics card, never know what you'll want to do in the future, you may get more into video editing and wish you had that graphics card again.

They seem to go for about £150 on eBay which is still a decent amount.

Major Eazy · 8 Sep 2017

EspressoJunkie said:
I built a system about 18 months ago for Photoshop and gaming so I put a decent GPU in it (GTX 970).

However I really don't game on it at all anymore so I'm wondering just how useful the GPU is for PS. I do a little video but not a lot and I usually use PS for this as well.

My CPU (i5 4690k) has some graphics on board, and I'm just wondering will I notice any difference if I was to remove the GPU, or replace it with a less powerful one.

My reasoning is that I find I still prefer gaming on a console (sacralige I know) but I've given my Xbox to the kids and I could use the money from selling the GPU to get a PS4 etc!

Leave it in. You never know, maybe one day your computer would need the GPU. Who knows? Photoshop would one day have additional new systems, new packages, new tools, whatever, and your GPU may come in use.