Finding the right photo editing PC is all about knowing how much you’re willing to spend and exactly what your needs are. The good news is that just about any computer can edit photos decently. However, if you’re looking for a nice machine, something that’s a pleasure to work on, what you’ll want is to consider just how much speed and quality you need. All of the computers on this list are great for basic photo tasks like adjusting brightness and contrast, and cropping. However, once you head into the realm of RAW photographs, large projects with 100s of stills, and huge image processing tasks, it would be ill-advised to get a PC that can merely “technically” do it. Excel for mac 2011 analysis toolpak. No one wants to spend hours waiting for photos to export. In general, the most important factor for photo editing is the processor; Adobe Lightroom, for instance, solely uses the processor.
Photoshop, fortunately, is able to take advantage of the graphics card. RAM is the factor hovering over both of these; Adobe recommends 8GB of RAM for both of these programs. And of course, the hard drive plays a role in the overall speed of the computer as well.
Dec 17, 2018 - And those with a Mac mini or Mac Pro will need a display of some kind. More screen real estate for tasks such as video-editing or photography, or for working. You don't need to spend a fortune on 4K or 5K displays either.
It’s a lot to keep in mind, but our list is simple. Here are the top 10 best computers for photo editing from lowest to highest price. Keep an eye out for the Editor’s Choice.
This is the PC that offers the most bang for one’s buck for photography editing tasks. Acer Aspire Desktop. Acer Processor / Passmark Speed i5-7400 // RAM 12GB DDR4 Graphics Card Integrated Hard Drive 2000GB, 7200RPM For those looking for a solid photo editing PC at a great price, this Acer desktop offers a ton of value at a low price. With a zippy i5 processor, 12GB of RAM, and a large hard disk drive (2TB at 7200RPM!), it is more than fast enough for processing RAW photos, large swaths of jpegs and more.
Users love it for its capable outputs (it can easily handle multiple displays), and very low price; sure some want to build a custom machine, but you’re at $100 out of the gate just for Windows. Due to the lack of a video card, however, this PC won’t be able to play modern games, but for older stuff that’s not too intensive it should be fine. Also note that since Photoshop relies on the processor not a graphics card, this has no effect on its performance. This isn’t the most powerful PC in the world, but at about $500, it gets the job done well and extremely affordably.
Price: $479.99 Pros: • Powerful workstation for a low price • Hard drive has solid capacity for RAW photos and large JPEGs • Great value for the price • Good starting point to build a PC; adding a graphics card will make it capable of gaming Cons: • RAM could be better • SSD would make it a lot faster (but it can be upgraded) 2. Aspire E 15, 15.6″. Acer Processor / Passmark Speed i5-8250U // 7658 RAM 8GB Graphics Card MX150 Hard Drive 256GB SSD Weight 5.27lbs Display 15.6″, 1080P Extras Ethernet, DVD For those looking to edit photos on the go, this recently upgraded Aspire E 15 boasts a new, 8th gen Intel processor, solid RAM, and an acceptable graphics card. On top of this, it also has a 256GB SSD, which is decent storage for most photographers; though if you’re shooting 100s of RAW photographs, it’d be best to build a habit of working off an external drive.