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I'm taking a few classes that require Photoshop and Autocad. By the end of the month I will be taking a new job an hour away from campus. Right now I don't mind the 20min to go to the school to use their labs but that will change when the commute more than doubles. I have an extra lap top I haven't used in awhile, a Lenovo Thinkpad. I wanted to clear that completely of everything to use solely for Photoshop and Autocad/work computer. I'm not computer savvy so I called a pro to see what could be done. He said due to the size of these programs a new drive would be installed and operating system. Overall it would come out to $200, maybe more. He says without these upgrades the computer will be considerably slow. Is this really necessary?

My computer I am using now is a Windows Surface. Not opposed to using this one if it is for some reason better, but overall haven't been very happy with this computer and would prefer to keep it seperate.

u gonna be using the very newest version of photoshop?
look up the system requirements and see if they match your pc

also u could try running photoshop on your current setup and if it works fine, dont upgrade

Minimum system requirements for Photoshop CC
Windows
Minimum requirement
Processor Intel® or AMD processor with 64-bit support*; 2 GHz or faster processor
Operating system Microsoft Windows 7 with Service Pack 1 (64-bit)*, Windows 10** (Version 1709 or later)
RAM 2 GB or more of RAM (8 GB recommended)
Hard disk space 3.1 GB or more of available hard-disk space for 64-bit installation; additional free space required during installation (cannot install on a volume that uses a case-sensitive file system)
Monitor resolution 1024 x 768 display (1280x800 recommended) with 16-bit color and 512 MB or more of dedicated VRAM; 2 GB is recommended***
Graphics processor acceleration requirements OpenGL 2.0-capable system
Internet Internet connection and registration are necessary for required software activation, validation of subscriptions, and access to online services †
** The 32-bit version of Windows is no longer supported. For support with 32-bit drivers and plug-ins, use earlier versions of Photoshop: Links to prior version installers and updates.

** Not supported on Windows 10 versions 1511 and 1607.

*** 3D features are disabled on computers having less than 512MB of VRAM.

AutoCad is a RAM and processor intensive program. I wouldn't mess with anything less than the minimum hardware requirements, but if the upgrades get you there, why not

Everything seemed to be sufficient except the following (specs from my computer):
Processor: Intel Core i3-2367M CPU @ 1.4 GHz (4 CPUs) ~1.4GHz
RAM: 4 GB (3.73GB usable)

Trying to figure out if Intel HD Graphics Family is compatible with OpenGL 2.0

Don't spend $200 to upgrade that when you can get something like this for $379

https://www.dell.com/en-us/shop/dell-laptops/inspiron-15-3000/spd/inspiron-15-3567-laptop/fncwck141h

I bet there's stuff even cheaper that would work, but I just put in what came native with 8GB of RAM

That's not a bad deal. Although I'm trying to use what I already have as I am between jobs and trying to spend as little money as I can; new job starts the 25th.

My current computer does meet all the requirements necessary, so that'll probably be the best/cheapest option. Wanted to keep these programs separate from my non-work computer but doing it with little-no money input seems like a pipe dream.

What about installing the necessary devices to my Lenovo myself? The computer guy said the main part I need is $99, the rest was an hours labor.

What's the OS and how much space do you have on that old laptop? I don't really think you *need* a new hard drive, maybe you need more RAM but that's cheaper than $99 I think if you DIY it.

Operating System: Windows 7 Professional 64bit
Memory: 4096 RAM

What would the downfalls be if I didn't upgrade the hard drive? Slower/laggier?

Not sure about Autocad but for anything graphics intensive you will need more than 4GB RAM and more importantly a good video card. I don't think Photoshop eats as much memory as Autocad.

A solid state drive would definitely speed things up, I don't know what's in the Surface....

I'd say give a go with a trial version on your lappy and see how it performs.

Just be carefull with Adobe's subscription service and make sure you cancel it on time, they suck worse than 24 hour fitness if you try to leave their contract.

If you see smoke coming out, you will need an upgrade.

Fecal is spot on

Yeah I'll give it a shot with my current laptop, thought the Lenovo would be as simple as clear everything off it. I get student discounts on all this shit, which is a massive plus.

Computer related- my Microsoft has given me problems since day one. If it's not plugged in it lags and the screen freezes; seems like everything still works behind the frozen screen. If I close the screen and reopen its fine. I've explained the issue to Microsoft and even left it with them, but nothing fixed it. Anyone know any fixes for that?

I would suggest dropping those classes and enrolling in Basic Economics 101.

LMAO what are you so butt hurt about?