Need help with whether your PC or laptop is strong enough to handle Clip Studio Paint?
Not everyone is lucky enough to own a laptop with the latest processor, a gaming graphics card, fast SSD storage, and enough amount of RAM.
As an artist, I understand the struggle. My first laptop was not strong enough to handle Photoshop and Clip Studio Paint.
If you want to draw optimally without getting annoyed by lags and interruptions, you need to check if your PC and laptop possess the required performance to run CSP smoothly.
In this article, I will explain the recommended specifications for PCs, laptops, and MacBooks to get the most out of Clip Studio Paint (CSP).
Table of Contents
Clip Studio Paint Minimum and Recommended System Requirement
Based on the Clip Studio Paint website, here’s a table showing the minimum and recommended system requirements for Clip Studio Paint Ver 2. Please note that older versions might require less powerful system requirement
| Specification | Minimum Requirement | Recommended Requirement |
| Operating System | Windows 10 64 bit or macOS 11 BigSur | Windows 11 or macOS 12 Monterey |
| Processor | Intel Core i3 or AMD Ryzen 3, 2GHz or faster Macs powered by Intel CPUs | Intel Core i5, i7, or AMD Ryzen 5, 7, 3 GHz or faster Macs powered by Apple M series chips |
| RAM | 4 GB | 8GB |
| Graphics Card | Integrated Graphics Card compatible with OpenGL 2.1 and DirectX 12, with at least 1 GB of VRAM. | Dedicated Graphic Card (AMD, Intel, and NVIDIA) compatible with OpenGL 3.3 and DirectX 12 with 2 GB VRAM or more |
| Storage Drive | At least 3GB of free storage drive on HDD | At least 3 GB of free storage space on an SSD, preferably an NVMe SSD. |
| Display | XGA (1024×768) or higher is required | FHD (1920×1080) or higher |
| Drawing Tablet | Wintab-compatible LCD Tablet or Tablet and stylus with pen pressure sensitivity that supports Windows Ink Platform | A Wacom drawing tablet is recommended. Wintab-compatible LCD Tablet or Tablet and stylus with pen pressure sensitivity that supports Windows Ink Platform |
The system requirements of Clip Studio Paint Pro and EX are almost the same. But because Clip Studio Paint EX has better animation features, you must have a better processor and higher RAM capacity to run it.
Because the official website doesn’t explain it clearly, many artists experience lags when they create an animation on Clip Studio Paint EX.
If you experience lag, you can fix it by following our guide: How to Fix Lags in Clip Studio Paint.
This is why I will explain to you how much RAM is needed for Clip Studio Paint based on my experience of using Clip Studio Paint for more than one year.
How Much RAM is needed for Clip Studio Paint?
If you want to draw in Clip Studio Paint without experiencing any lags, you must get at least 16 GB RAM. Here’s why you need at least 16 GB of RAM:
- Drawing on High-Resolution Canvas in Clip Studio Paint needs more memory. If you have more RAM, it will allow you to export your digital art to high resolution.
- Clip Studio Paint lets you use complex brushes and tools to draw your art in great detail. These tools use lots of memory, and having more RAM makes drawing smoother. No one wants to experience lags when drawing, right?
- Managing multiple layers in Clip Studio Paint requires additional memory, as each layer adds complexity to your art. Having more RAM helps CSP handle these layers better.
- Allow you to multitask. More RAM will help your computer to multitask smoothly. Sometimes, I must open other programs like Google Chrome and Discord when I draw in Clip Studio Paint.
So, 16 GB of RAM is essential for CSP. It makes drawing faster and smoother.
How Much RAM is Needed to Create Animation in Clip Studio Paint EX?
If you want to create animation in Clip Studio Paint EX, it is recommended to have a minimum of 32 GB RAM.
Animations consist of numerous individual frames, and each frame has considerable amounts of layers.
Usually, each second of animation consists of 24 frames. In 1 minute, this means there are 1440 frames.
Consider the strain that these numerous frames can put on your system memory. It will be bad if CSP is forced to close because of memory insufficiency. More RAM will help CSP handle these frames smoothly.
Is 8GB of RAM enough for Clip Studio Paint?
The official recommended specs for CSP are 8 GB of RAM. But according to my experience, 8 GB of RAM is not enough for drawing in CSP. 2 GB of memory will be used by your operating system, which means only 6 GB of memory is left for drawing.
Sure, for most artists, 8 GB of RAM is sufficient. Most artists draw simple digital art with a few layers in Clip Studio Paint.
Check out: How to Manage Layers in Clip Studio Paint
But for professionals who need hundreds of layers and draw with a big canvas in CSP, you need at least 16 GB of RAM.
It’s common to use at least ten layers when I’m drawing in Clip Studio Paint. I know some artists that draw with more than 50 layers.
This is why 8 GB of RAM won’t be enough for most artists unless you’re still a beginner artist.
Finding The Best Processor for Clip Studio Paint
Clip Studio Paint requires a dual-core processor with a minimum clock speed of 2.0 GHz. CSP is not optimized for multiple cores workloads. Intel Core i3 and AMD Ryzen 3 are sufficient for drawing smoothly on CSP.
An Intel Core i5 or AMD Ryzen 5 processor will improve CSP’s performance significantly. You can effortlessly use complex tools that will heavily take your system resources.
High-end processors like Intel Core i7 and i9 are great choices but are optional by most artists. Clip Studio Paint is not optimized for multiple cores workflow.
Intel vs. AMD Processor for Clip Studio Paint
There is a difference between Intel and AMD processors in terms of drawing and painting digital art.
Intel Processor Pros for drawing
- Faster on both PC and laptop
- Better app optimization on Clip Studio Paint, Photoshop, and other major drawing apps
- More cores for background app (thanks to Intel E Cores)
AMD Processor Pros for drawing
- Cheaper
- Longer battery life on a laptop
Both AMD and Intel processors have their advantages for Clip Studio Paint. Ultimately, the choice between AMD and Intel comes from personal preference and budget.
If you have an Apple Macbook, an Apple M Silicon is the best processor for drawing in CSP.
A Macbook with Apple Silicon has better performance than an Intel-powered Macbook. Celsys, the company behind Clip Studio Paint, has optimized the app to perform efficiently on Macbook with Apple Silicon Processor.
If you are a Krita user, check out our article about PC, Laptop, and Macbook Specs Recommendations for Krita.
Does Clip Studio Paint Require a Dedicated Graphics Card?
Clip Studio Paint doesn’t require a dedicated graphics card to work properly without experiencing lags.
Integrated Graphics Card that comes with Intel and AMD Processor is fast enough to process the graphics when drawing in CSP.
Ultimately, your graphics card is less important than the Memory and Processor for CSP.
Does Clip Studio Paint Require SSD?
Clip Studio Paint doesn’t require SSD to work properly. But, installing CSP on an SSD can reduce the time it takes to open the application and save your files.
If you don’t have enough RAM, you can use the SSD as virtual memory to improve Clip Studio Paint’s performance.
There is almost no difference between installing CSP on SATA SSD or NVME SSD. CSP doesn’t benefit too much from the improved read speed on the NVME SSD.
Most laptops come with an SSD these days. No one should use HDD anymore
The only time you use an HDD drive for art is to store all your art on an external HDD drive. But never install any application, including CSP, on your HDD.
