Upgrading VRAM in 2012 15inch macbookpro?

[mrk123]

I have Adobe Photoshop Version: 23.4.1- 2022.
My 2012 macbookpro has 16gb and 1tb ssd and currently using catalina, tho it has sonoma too...
When I open up photoshop it's saying i have insfficient VRAMN, 536 of 1500 needed.
But it opens up ok and seems to work ok, obviously I have not pushed it, i can be editing quite intensive files doing interior shoots sometimes..
Is there any way to get this vram up to 1500? Will I experience lag when I start to work on big PS files?

 

[sonamo]

The only components of note that you can upgrade on that machine are the Hard Drive and RAM (the RAM only if it's the non-retina version). VRAM is the graphics memory, and it's part of the main board and cannot be upgraded.

It might be time to start looking at some of the current Apple product lineup options to upgrade to. If you are getting by with a machine from 2012, I'm fairly certain the entry level MacBook Air 15 should meet your processing needs.

Let's face it, a computer is not the same concept as a car that you would want to keep running forever. If it was people would still be using the iPhone 1. Your Mac is no longer getting critical security patches from Apple, and the version of Photoshop you are using is no longer available for download from Adobe — they only provide downloads/support for the most recent version and the one prior.

I recommend checking out these articles, depending on which model you have, to see what you are able to upgrade in the machine:

MacBook Pro 15" Unibody Mid 2012 Repair Help: Learn How to Fix It Yourself.

Released June 2012 / Core i7 processor with Turbo Boost / Up to 1 GB GDDR5 Video RAM

www.ifixit.com

MacBook Pro 15" Retina Display Mid 2012 Repair Help: Learn How to Fix It Yourself.

2.3GHz, 2.6GHz, or 2.7GHz quad-core Intel Core i7 processor (Turbo Boost up to 3.7GHz) with 6MB shared L3 cache.

www.ifixit.com

Either way, I don't think you can perform a hardware upgrade on your machine to solve the Photoshop problem.

 

[mrk123]

The only components of note that you can upgrade on that machine are the Hard Drive and RAM (the RAM only if it's the non-retina version). VRAM is the graphics memory, and it's part of the main board and cannot be upgraded.

It might be time to start looking at some of the current Apple product lineup options to upgrade to. If you are getting by with a machine from 2012, I'm fairly certain the entry level MacBook Air 15 should meet your processing needs.

I recommend checking out these articles, depending on which model you have, to see what you are able to upgrade in the machine:

MacBook Pro 15" Unibody Mid 2012 Repair Help: Learn How to Fix It Yourself.

Released June 2012 / Core i7 processor with Turbo Boost / Up to 1 GB GDDR5 Video RAM

www.ifixit.com

MacBook Pro 15" Retina Display Mid 2012 Repair Help: Learn How to Fix It Yourself.

2.3GHz, 2.6GHz, or 2.7GHz quad-core Intel Core i7 processor (Turbo Boost up to 3.7GHz) with 6MB shared L3 cache.

www.ifixit.com

Either way, I don't think you can perform a hardware upgrade on your machine to solve the Photoshop problem.

Thanks.
An air is definitely not for me.
I run Lightroom, Photoshop and Illustrator at the same time, no 3d rendering but feel i need a little more power than an air. You mean an M1 chip?
If PS starts to slow down I guess I can just grab a 2020 copy which I think does not need such high ram..
I just checked 2022 ram requirements and it says 8gb, don't most of these new macs only come with 8gb ram?

 

[sonamo]

Thanks.
An air is definitely not for me.
I run Lightroom, Photoshop and Illustrator at the same time, no 3d rendering but feel i need a little more power than an air. You mean an M1 chip?
If PS starts to slow down I guess I can just grab a 2020 copy which I think does not need such high ram..
I just checked 2022 ram requirements and it says 8gb, don't most of these new macs only come with 8gb ram?

The Air is currently on the M3 iteration, and the M4 is on the latest iPad Pro. I generally recommend upgrading the RAM to 16 GB, and Apple has a pre-configured MBA that is readily available in stores and has 16 GB of RAM.

The MBA is available with a 15" screen that is very similar in size of your current machine. I can't imagine that the M3 machine wouldn't meet your requirements. It's going to be a few times faster than your current one in nearly every way.

The idea that your 2012 machine would be anywhere near close to the performance of this 2024 machine (only $1,699) is frankly laughable. There are plenty of resources online, including YouTube to learn more about the performance. If you do go with a new machine I definitely don't recommend Photoshop 2020 on it.

I realize the last thing you probably came on here for was to hear someone tell you to get a new computer. Anyways, best of luck with everything.

 

[nathan_reilly]

Ok, take a step back before you go down the whole "I'm running an old unsupported version of PS and it's bad" route.

There are a lot of folks here who can't fathom that old tech works. Now you are getting a warning, but you say the software and hardware works for your workflow. So you have to decide if you want to buy a new computer to get rid of a warning.

If it is working, there is absolutely no need to change it in my opinion. And there is no reason to run the latest version of some software if a previous version is working for you.

 

[JonnyMacx86]

Ok, take a step back before you go down the whole "I'm running an old unsupported version of PS and it's bad" route.

There are a lot of folks here who can't fathom that old tech works. Now you are getting a warning, but you say the software and hardware works for your workflow. So you have to decide if you want to buy a new computer to get rid of a warning.

If it is working, there is absolutely no need to change it in my opinion. And there is no reason to run the latest version of some software if a previous version is working for you.

There's definitely wisdom in this advice. With older tech, you're more or less delaying the inevitable, but if it works for now, let it be. Then again, if you do upgrade, even an 8GB machine in today's hardware will run laps around what you're currently using.

 

[nathan_reilly]

There's definitely wisdom in this advice. With older tech, you're more or less delaying the inevitable, but if it works for now, let it be. Then again, if you do upgrade, even an 8GB machine in today's hardware will run laps around what you're currently using.

I agree completely re what can be had with today's hardware, but it's about marginal utility I think. If your workflow is "flowing" then I'd say all is right with the world. Sometimes I feel like we're on this hamster wheel of consumption and it can be tough to take the blinders off. Sure, you could upgrade your computer, but do you really need to?

Naturally, at some point you will have to. But is that time really now? I think Apple does a great job of convincing us we really need something, even if that is not always the case.

 

[ignatius345]

Thanks.
An air is definitely not for me.
I run Lightroom, Photoshop and Illustrator at the same time, no 3d rendering but feel i need a little more power than an air. You mean an M1 chip?
If PS starts to slow down I guess I can just grab a 2020 copy which I think does not need such high ram..
I just checked 2022 ram requirements and it says 8gb, don't most of these new macs only come with 8gb ram?

A base model M1 MacBook Air would absoluely roast the Mac you're using now. I've run Photoshop, Illustrator and InDesign simultaneously on mine. It's fine, and an M2 or M3 Air with 16 GB of RAM would do even better.

If you're using your Mac to generate income, which it sounds like you are, a newer Mac would no doubt make things go a lot faster.

But since you mention Adobe, you're aware no doubt that newer versions of the programs you use are all subscription. Might be justifiable if you're billing hours, but something to be aware of.

 

[mrk123]

I agree completely re what can be had with today's hardware, but it's about marginal utility I think. If your workflow is "flowing" then I'd say all is right with the world. Sometimes I feel like we're on this hamster wheel of consumption and it can be tough to take the blinders off. Sure, you could upgrade your computer, but do you really need to?

Naturally, at some point you will have to. But is that time really now? I think Apple does a great job of convincing us we really need something, even if that is not always the case.

Well I just got near 14 years from my MBP 2011 13 inch... put 1tb ssd and 16gb ram in (i now have that ram in my brand new to me 2012 15 inch And guess what, the 2012 feels like a brand new spanking laptop to me. Sonoma was nice but was having trouble running some borrowed software that Adobe kindly lent me.

 

[winxmac]

You can only upgrade the VRAM in Windows desktop and macOS desktop [intel] using discrete graphics while for Apple Silicon [M series chipset], it has unified memory which allocates memory depending on the application being run... You cannot upgrade the VRAM on Apple Silicon machine but you can choose a higher memory at purchase time... Since you use your device for a long time, switching to Apple Silicon would be a good move... Just be aware that the old version of software you use will not work in newer macOS versions...

 

[Fishrrman]

Get an Apple refurbished m2pro MacBook Pro, either 14" or 16".

Get 64gb of RAM (if it's offered) -- for 3 Adobe apps at once, you're going to need it.

Hmmm.... is "Illustrator" still current with Adobe, or has it been replaced?
(not an Adobe user here)

 

[nathan_reilly]

Get an Apple refurbished m2pro MacBook Pro, either 14" or 16".

Get 64gb of RAM (if it's offered) -- for 3 Adobe apps at once, you're going to need it.

Hmmm.... is "Illustrator" still current with Adobe, or has it been replaced?
(not an Adobe user here)

I disagree on several counts here but I'm going to choose to focus on the fact that we definitely agree about the refurbished element

 

[ignatius345]

Get 64gb of RAM (if it's offered) -- for 3 Adobe apps at once, you're going to need it.

Hmmm.... is "Illustrator" still current with Adobe, or has it been replaced?
(not an Adobe user here)

You're not an Adobe user, but you insist someone needs like $1000 worth of extra RAM to run three apps? That's not even remotely true. Source: myself, who has used Illustrator (which is alive and well), InDesign and Photoshop alongside a host of other productivity software, all on 16 GB of RAM in an M1 Mini or M1 iMac. It's fine. No beachballs, no weird lags.

If I was spec'ing a new Mac right now to multitask all day I'd say stretching to 24 GB would be very sufficient today and allow for higher demands in the future.

 

[nathan_reilly]

You're not an Adobe user, but you insist someone needs like $1000 worth of extra RAM to run three apps? That's not even remotely true. Source: myself, who has used Illustrator (which is alive and well), InDesign and Photoshop alongside a host of other productivity software, all on 16 GB of RAM in an M1 Mini or M1 iMac. It's fine. No beachballs, no weird lags.

If I was spec'ing a new Mac right now to multitask all day I'd say stretching to 24 GB would be very sufficient today and allow for higher demands in the future.

I tried to hold back but honestly, this^^

 

[mrk123]

Get an Apple refurbished m2pro MacBook Pro, either 14" or 16".

Get 64gb of RAM (if it's offered) -- for 3 Adobe apps at once, you're going to need it.

Hmmm.... is "Illustrator" still current with Adobe, or has it been replaced?
(not an Adobe user here)

I think when I upgrade next something like that will be my choice.
But my 2012 is ok so far

 

[Chancha]

Photoshop GPU FAQ

Find answers to commonly asked questions about Photoshop and graphics processor (GPU) card usage.

helpx.adobe.com

Check the above Adobe support article, and try to tinker with your Photoshop settings accordingly. The VRAM warning is meant for workflows with tools that do involve using VRAM, and you already mentioned that you don't even realize slowdowns.

 

[MacInTO]

I think when I upgrade next something like that will be my choice.
But my 2012 is ok so far

If you are willing, you should try to downgrade your OS and software. I have a 2012 MBP also and I'm running High Sierra and Photoshop CS6. I also still use Aperture. It all works like it is 2012! 😂