Best computer for graphic design

For graphic design work, Apple’s machines still rule the roost, and you can certainly see why.

The iMac has come a long way since the translucent turquoise CRT box of the 90, but at its heart, it has maintained the idea of an all in one machine – computer and monitor inextricably linked into one damn fine looking package.

If you are looking for a screen that seems impossibly thin, here it is. Then if you consider that somewhere behind there the actual computer is living too, it all seems a bit like witchcraft, but it is the MacOS ecosystem that is so beguiling to so many in the video industry.

Sleek, seamless operation, easy to learn with few distractions, macOS is the creator’s choice of operating system for good reason. The machines are so well melded together that it doesn’t seem to matter that then may, whisper it quietly, be a little under-specced for their cost. You are buying into something more than the nuts and bolts of components here.

The iMac Pro comes complete with 10GB ethernet on board, four Thunderbolt ports for lightning-quick drive transfer of large files, 32GB of memory, and 1TB of SSD storage. 

The iMac Pro is a great machine, both in looks and performance. You can easily buy a ‘normal’ PC that will outperform it in theory, but for seamless, almost joyous cohesion in everything it does, this takes some beating.

If you really want the most stylish PC you can find to deck out your graphic studio – but aren’t enamored by the offerings from Cupertino, then the Microsoft Surface Studio 2 is for you.

This, quite frankly, gorgeous addition to the Surface line-up, is the PC of dreams for graphic artists, photographers, and any kind of creative alike.

A Core i7 CPU is ably backed up by a GeForce GTX 1060/70, depending on the build. Ram and storage can also be tweaked, but it is the fantastic 28” display that is the show stopper here. Adobe InDesign looks as good as it can do on the crisp display, tiny details can easily be spotted, and it gives a true representation of the finished product.

With Windows 10 as the OS, you aren’t necessarily stuck with Adobe’s Creative Suite even though it will be the go-to application of choice for the majority.

The cost of entry is high, but we are looking a professional PCs here. You are paying not only for the high-end components inside but fantastic styling and build-quality. This oozes top-of-the-range, and for many people, that is as important as performance.

We highly recommend the Surface Studio 2. Its price puts it firmly in the professional arena, but in terms of style and performance, we love it.

The HP Envy is a machine we haven’t seen elsewhere in our creative roundups, but it pops up here, not only because it has a set of decent specs for graphic design, but man, oh man, that 34” curved screen lures us in here.

Before we get to that, we should mention the Core i7-8700T, 32 gigs of ram, and the GTX 1050 inside. That aspect might struggle with some games you throw at it, but as a pure workhorse, it is a joy to use. There’s 2TB of SSD storage for all your assets, but well, now it’s time for the screen.

The real estate lets you design the most demanding projects from iconography to full-blown magazines. It is backlit and anti-glare and sat on your desktop; it won’t fail to get admiring comments.

There are memory card readers, Bang & Olufsen speakers, webcam, and microphone built-in. It’s just an already great workstation PC, and for graphic design, it is a machine you will be more than happy to use.