This article is for those looking to buy a computer or laptop primarily to use Photoshop or Lightroom, either for digital painting, graphic design or photo editing. I've used Photoshop for more than 10 years in my job as an artist creating art for newspaper publication.
This article is divided into two parts, the specifications and my recommended systems. To understand what you're buying, read the specifications section.To save time, just scroll to my recommended systems.
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Oh, yeah. All the systems are pre-built. If you're the DIY kind, then this article probably might not be as useful.
Official specifications vs my recommended specifications
Below are the specifications as recommended by Adobe for running Photoshop:
2 GHz or faster processor
2 GB of RAM (8 GB recommended)
2 GB of storage for installation
Those above at the minimum specifications recommended by Adobe. I'm happy to say that most computers nowadays are much more powerful than the listed specifications.
Here are my recommended optimal specifications for running Photoshop
At least a dual-core 2Ghz or faster processor
8 GB RAM minimum
SSD for storage
Below are reasons for my recommendations.
Processor
Unfortunately after all these years since the introduction of multi-core processors, Photoshop is still unable to take advantage of all the cores available.
In short, a 4-core processor will not be significantly faster than a 2-core processor. Getting 4-core is recommended if other applications you have can make use of the cores though. However, for Photoshop, getting a 2-core processor is sufficient.
The important thing is to get as high a processor clock speed as you can (afford). A dual-core 3Ghz will perform faster a quad-core 2Ghz. Because Photoshop don't use all cores, clock speed of each core will matters more.
You will definitely want a dual-core because the OS also needs processing power. So having a dual-core will balance the load out between Photoshop and the OS, either Windows or Mac.
Storage
There are two types of storage options, the traditional hard drives HDD vs modern solid state drives (SSD). Here the takeaways you should know
HDD are cheap and have larger storage capacity. They are great for storing huge files, or files you don't use that often, and good for backup purposes. They transfer up to 50 - 120MB/s of storage.
SSD are more expensive, have lesser storage capacity compared to HDD. They transfer up 200 - 500 MB/s. If you install your OS or Photoshop on the SSD, they will start in a fraction of time compared to HDD. When opening and saving huge files on SSD, you save a few seconds with each save. Time savings with SSD is significant.
Storage is often the bottleneck to performance on any system. If you have limited budget to upgrade your system, I recommend upgrading the HDD to SSD first. You can get external storage later on.
If your computer has two storage slots, you can get a smaller SSD (save money) to install OS and applications and a HDD to store more and or larger files.
RAM
RAM, aka Random-access memory or just memory, is the temporary storage for your opened files.
RAM usage depends on the number of files you open, the file sizes, the number of layers in your Photoshop files, and also other applications that are opened and also how the OS is managing memory.
Running the OS, launching Photoshop, working on multiple files at the same time, looking at a photo reference on a web browser, listening to music --- all those require memory.
8GB of RAM is the minimum I would recommend. Having 16GB RAM will be great.
Photoshop has a feature called scratch disk. A scratch disk is a place for temporary storage for memory as well, such as caches for your opened files. You can choose to use storage (either HDD or SSD) as a scratch disk. Storage drives are slower than the RAM. So if you have more RAM, having a scratch disk becomes less important.
Graphics card
A powerful graphics card is not necessary for Photoshop. Even an integrated graphics card with the CPU will suffice. If you intend to play 3D games on your computer, then go ahead and get a better graphics card.
Screen
Photoshop runs at a minimum of 1024 x 768 resolution. Nowadays, it would be difficult to buy a monitor or laptop that runs at that low a resolution.
If you want to get a desktop, I recommend you check out the budget non-glossy monitors I've featured on this article at https://www.parkablogs.com/content/budget-monitors-artists-and-designers...
Nowadays most laptop screens are glossy. Glossy screens present colours more vividly compared to matte screens. Personally, I don't like the distractions of reflections, or looking at my own face on the screen when working.
My system recommendation
I'm splitting this section into desktops and laptops.
Mac vs Windows? Photoshop, including most of Adobe's Creative Suite software, runs on both platforms. Main difference comes down to interface and also slight differences in usability. It's a personal preference. Subjective stuff. Which OS you choose depends on what other applications you want to run. If you want to run games as well, then it's better to get Windows for the wider selection. If your system is purely for work, either OS is fine.
All the systems below fulfill my recommended minimum specifications:
At least a dual-core 2Ghz or faster processor
8 GB RAM minimum
128GB SSD for storage
13 to 15-inch screen for laptops
I've included only systems that use SSDs. For extra storage capacity, get an external hard drive. I recommend Western Digital My Passport (I have several for backups of backups).
Not all systems below are budget systems, so click their names to see the continuously changing prices and more reviews.
DESKTOPS
High end (above USD $1000)
Apple iMac (glossy screen): 27-inch Quad 3.2Ghz | 27-inch Quad 3.3Ghz | Other iMac configurations
Intel NUC NUC5i7RYH: Dual 2.6Ghz not inclusive of RAM, Storage and OS
Gigabyte Mini - Quad 2.5Ghz with NVIDIA GeForce GTX 760 not inclusive of RAM, storage and OS
The Mac Mini, Intel NUC, Gigabyte Mini and other miniPCs do not come with keyboard and mouse so you have to factor in the extra cost. I recommend the Logitech Marathon wireless mouse and Logitech K360 wireless keyboard.
And all desktops above do not come with screens except the iMac. For budget high quality monitors, check out this list: https://www.parkablogs.com/content/budget-monitors-artists-and-designers...
Laptops
The main compromise for laptops is screen size vs weight. While I want to help you save money, a good laptop is just not cheap.
Apple Macbook Pro (glossy screen): Various configurations
There aren't a lot of matte screens nowadays and ASUS's one manufacturer that still makes some. If you don't mind glossy screens, there are lots of options.
While I want to include the Microsoft Surface Book (above), they are more expensive compared to the laptops listed above. Probably because of the Surface Book's gimmicky detachable screen. If you don't need to use the computer in tablet mode, you can save a few hundred dollars by getting other laptops.
The Microsoft Surface Pro 4 is a good choice too but the screen is only 12.3-inches. And it does not come with a keyboard. 13-inch screens to me still feels small but I've to say they are much more portable. But if you have an external monitor, the getting the 13-inch screen makes more sense when you have the option to work from a larger screen.
Note that the Surface Pro 4 does not come with the keyboard cover (expensive).
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It turns out that even if you get some of the most expensive laptops currently available on the market, you could still come across some performance limitations and other minor incompatibility issues, depending on the software that you tend to use. So, instead of getting just the most expensive machine with the highest specs, it would be wiser to decide in advance which platform you’ll be predominantly using for video editing on a day-to-day basis.
If you’ve already opted for either Adobe Premiere Pro CC or Final Cut X as your primary NLE, here are three of the best laptops with 14″/15″-inch displays and quad-core processors that will allow you to take the most out of these two video editing platforms in terms of overall performance and best render times.
The 15.6″ XPS 15 9550 Multi-Touch Notebook from Dell is powered by a 2.6 GHz Intel Core i7-6700HQ Quad-Core processor and 32GB of 2133 MHz DDR4 RAM as well as it’s only one of the three on the list that boasts 15.6″ display with a 3840 x 2160 resolution driven by the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960 with 2GB of GDDR5 RAM.
As a result, content creators get an exceptional performance and pretty accurate colors for seamless viewing experience. The battery life of the Dell XPS 15 is also impressive. It can easily last around seven or even eight hours on a single battery charge.
The things that Dave Lee, the creators of this video, doesn’t like about the laptop seem to be the poor quality of the audio speakers, the availability of only three USB ports as well as the fact that only one of them provides Thunderbolt 3 support. Here are some of the other specifications of the Dell XPS 15 9550 Multi-Touch Notebook.
Dell 15.6″ XPS 15 9550 Highlights
2.6 GHz Intel Core i7-6700HQ Quad-Core
32GB DDR4 RAM | 1TB PCIe SSD
15.6″ 3840 x 2160 Infinity Edge Display
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M (2GB GDDR5)
SD Media Card Reader
802.11ac Dual-Band Wi-Fi | Bluetooth 4.1
USB 3.0 | HDMI | Thunderbolt 3
Windows 10 Home (64-Bit)
Best optimized for Adobe Premiere Pro CC
The other rival on the list, theRazer Blade 14” Gaming Laptop comes equipped with the 7th Gen Intel Core i7, 16GB RAM and the GeForce GTX 1060 graphics card with 6GB GDDR5 VRAM. It’s a unique machine not only for the availability of the powerful GTX 1060 GPU on board but also because it allows you to customize its back-illuminated keyboard by changing the color of each key individually when assigning shortcuts.
Obviously, this can help you tremendously to create a quick and easy access to your favorite shortcuts without using any additional keyboard covers or a dedicated video editing keyboard at all. It’s a shame, though, that the model is limited to only 16GB of RAM, plus it can get a bit louder than expected when gets extensively overloaded.
256GB/512GB PCIe SSD storage (Up to 1TB supported)
16GB DDR4 2400MHz Memory
Thunderbolt 3 interface
Wireless-AC 1535 support
Best optimized for Adobe Premiere Pro CC
Last but not least, comes the 2016 Macbook Pro with Touch Bar boasting 2.7 GHz Intel Core i7 Quad-Core processor, 15.4″ 2880 x 1800 Retina Display, 16GB of 2133 MHz RAM alongside the AMD Radeon Pro 455 GPU with 2GB GDDR5. According to Dave Lee, it’s a fantastic all-around performer, especially if you use Final Cut X as your main NLE.
2016 Macbook Pro with Touch Bar Highlights
2.7 GHz Intel Core i7 Quad-Core
16GB of 2133 MHz RAM | 512GB PCIe SSD
15.4″ 2880 x 1800 Retina Display
AMD Radeon Pro 455 GPU (2GB GDDR5)
802.11ac Wi-Fi | Bluetooth 4.2
Touch Bar | Touch ID Sensor
4 x Thunderbolt 3 (USB Type-C) Ports
3.5mm Headphone Jack | Stereo Speakers
Larger Force Touch Trackpad
macOS Sierra
Best optimized for Final Cut X
Unfortunately, when it comes to Premiere Pro CC and render times, in particular, the 2016 Macbook Pro yields slower results, as it can be clearly seen in the chart below.
While being positioned in the $1,500-$2,500 price segment, these laptops aren’t cheap by any means, but considering the fantastic features and horsepower they all bring to the table, it’s safe to say that each of them could be a viable option when it comes to serious 4K video editing work and performing multiple system-intensive tasks while working on the go.
Choosing the right piece of software, however, could help you to optimize the performance of each system and take it a step further thus getting even better results for your video editing workflow, especially when working with high-resolution media and tied deadlines when every second counts.