~ Updated on: 2021-11-12
We are often asked: what is the best computer for photo editing? If you have the cash to burn, you can simply go out and buy the best computer to run Photoshop and Lightroom. In the real world, however, buying a computer for photo editing is a daunting and expensive experience; especially for new photographers who have just started. After buying a camera, lenses, and all the extras, your cash reserves might be depleted. The reality is, that all your expensive camera gear will come to nothing if you don’t have a reliable and fast computer system on which to edit your photos.
In this article, which we update regularly, we shed some light on what we think is the best computer for photo editing and hope to save you a lot of time, money, and heartache…
Desktop, or Laptop?
Another uncertainty is whether you should buy a Desktop Computer or a Laptop?
The first question you should ask yourself is; do you travel around a lot, or do you mostly work from home? Desktop PC’s have great upgrade potential but are a hassle to move around. Laptops, despite their limitations in terms of hardware and upgradeability, are better for people who are constantly on the move.
Another aspect you should take into consideration is screen size. Editing on a big monitor is much more pleasant than struggling with a smaller laptop screen. If you consider buying a laptop only, then also consider buying an additional large screen for photo editing.
What most professional photographers do, is buy a laptop for on-the-road work, and then have a beast of a system at home or office, for editing that demands a lot of disk space and processing power.
We recommend staying away from All-in-One PCs (where the hardware is built into the screen) as they seriously lack upgradeability. It’s also impractical for photographers who need multiple storage drives.
The general exception, however, would be the Microsoft Surface and the iMac, which both have impressive specs and offer excellent displays. These high-end, very expensive machines, will last years before needing an upgrade.
PC, or MAC?
One of the most frequently asked questions and a widely-debated topic is: which is better, Windows or macOS?
My advice is, get the system that you are most comfortable with. I grew up with a PC and am often a bit confused when using Mac. However, the opposite will be true for someone that knows their way around Mac. One definite advantage of Mac is the more “limited” product range compared to the vast variety of Windows-based PCs. In other words, if you buy a new Mac, which only comes with medium – high-end specs, you can be pretty sure that it will be able to run your editing programs seamlessly; whereas an uninformed user, might buy a low-spec PC, which can’t do the job. On the other hand, if you do your research and buy a proper PC, you will get more “bang for your buck” as well as future upgradeability.
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Availability of Peripherals |
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OS |
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Stability |
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Hardware Requirements
The five most important hardware components for editing in Lightroom and Photoshop are:
- Storage Drives (SSDs and HDDs)
- Memory (RAM)
- The Processor (CPU)
- The Graphics card (GPU)
- Monitor
1. Storage Drives
The Hard Disk Drive (HDD) has been around for so long that all drives are generally referred to as Hard Drives. In recent years, however, the Solid State Drive (SSD) has become ever more popular. In a nutshell, the difference between a Hard Disk Drive and a Solid State Drive is that one has rotating disks inside it and the other is solid, with no moving parts. This, in effect, causes the SSD to be able to access data extremely fast, whereas the HDD has to wait for the rotating disks to warm up before you can access the files.
I’m listing the storage drive first as I believe it to be the most important part that will save you time. It determines the speed at which the computer can access the data stored on the drive. This is where Solid State Drives come in handy as it can reduce your computer start-up (boot) time to under 10 seconds! If that got your attention, then the next question is, probably; how much storage capacity should my SSD have? SSD’s generally have smaller capacities than their older HDD counterparts and the larger ones are quite pricey!
That is why we recommend using an SSD to run your Operating System, software, Lightroom catalogue and cache drives while using a large capacity hard drive for storage. Typically, a 500GB SSD will be adequate for your OS, Photoshop, Lightroom, and any other software you might be using. We then recommend getting a second or even third Hard Drive of 2 – 4 TB which you will then use as storage for all your photos, data, and documents. You will need an additional external hard drive(s) to backup your Photos and Lightroom Catalog(s).
Minimum Specs |
Recommended Specs |
2 Hard Drives:
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3 Hard Drives:
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2. Memory (RAM)
RAM is the second most important hardware, as it increases the number of tasks the CPU can handle at the same time. Simply opening Lightroom or Photoshop uses around 1 GB RAM each. Once you open a file (PS) or start scrolling through your pictures (LR) they each start using up to 4 GB RAM. Combined with the Operating system using about 2GB RAM for itself to run the latest Lightroom Classic together with Photoshop, we recommend a minimum of 16GB RAM. Anything less will cause your PC to slow down or even stop responding; especially when carrying out strenuous tasks like creating an HDR or Panorama.
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3. Processor (CPU)
The CPU (Central Processing Unit) is the part of the computer that is commonly referred to as the “brains” of the computer. It is responsible for carrying out all the tasks you (or any software) give. How effective Lightroom will work when applying filters or adjusting sliders, depends on how good the CPU is. Adobe’s software is generally better calibrated for use with Intel products, but AMD has started to level the playing field with the impressive performance of their Ryzen series CPU’s. Therefore we recommend either the AMD “Ryzen” or Intel “Core” CPU Range. Don’t buy anything that has “Pentium” or “Celeron” in the name, unless you like wasting money or hate yourself!
From benchmarks available on the net, and from testing it ourselves, it seems Lightroom prefers CPU’s with faster internal clock speeds. This is great news, as it means that you will get better performance from an affordable Quad-Core CPU running at a clock speed of 3.8GHz, or an Octa-Core CPU running at a clock speed of 4.2GHz than what you would get from a top-tier expensive Hexadeca Core CPU with 16 cores or more running at a clock speed of 3.2GHz.
Interestingly, this seems to be true for Photoshop as well. Therefore, if you use mainly Photoshop and Lightroom, and are not running any other high-end applications that require many cores, you can stick to the more affordable Core-i5/Ryzen 3 or Core-i7/Ryzen 7 CPUs!
When you look to buy a new computer or laptop, you may wonder what the difference is between an Intel Core-i5 8600, Intel Core-i7 10600, AMD Ryzen 3 3600 or AMD Ryzen 5 3600 and also what all this tech jargon even means.
Here’s a rundown on how the naming structures work:
Intel® Core™ i7-10700: The first part of the name points to the Brand Name, namely “Intel Core”. Next is the Brand Modifier ie. i3, i5, i7 and i9. This determines the performance of the CPU as higher numbers offer a higher level of performance. After the Brand Modifier comes the Generation Indicator. The first digit indicates the Generation while the final three digits indicate the stock-keeping unit (SKU). 10th Gen and higher processors differ slightly; the first two digits will indicate the generation (such as 10 or 11) with the remaining three digits indicating the SKU. To learn more about Intel Core processor numbers, refer to the following link: Intel Processor Names, Numbers and Generation List
AMD Ryzen™ 7 5900X: AMD’s naming scheme is near identical for their products with the first part also being the Brand Name, “AMD Ryzen”. Then the Brand Modifier, such as 3, 5, 7 and 9, is followed by four digits where the first number indicates the Generation and the last three digits indicate the SKU.
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4. Graphics Card (GPU)
Both Photoshop and Lightroom Classic will benefit from having a fast, dedicated graphics card. Although Photoshop has been supporting graphics hardware acceleration for some time now, previous versions of Lightroom were under-performing with the graphics processor turned on. However, the latest versions of Lightroom Classic is now taking advantage of the graphics processor. Note that if Lightroom decides your graphics card is not strong enough for hardware acceleration, it will automatically disable this feature completely, to avoid negative performance issues.
As of Lightroom Classic version 11, Adobe revamped the masking feature and introduced Artificial Intelligence (AI) that can automatically fine-tune your mask by detecting the sky or a subject of your choice. These new features will benefit from having a high-end graphics card and may underperform on systems with less graphical processing power.
Therefore, we recommend a dedicated graphics card with at least 2 GB VRAM. If you’re using large, high-resolution 2K (QHD) or 4K (UHD) monitors, it is recommended that you get one of NVIDIA’s new RTX series graphics cards or the equivalent AMD Radeon graphics cards to keep up with the high demand a monitor like that requires.
NVIDIA’s GPU’s feature special graphics drivers called “Studio Drivers”. These drivers are available to all NVIDIA 10 series and higher graphics cards and are specifically tuned to improve the performance of professional photo and video editing software. If you plan on buying or already bought an NVIDIA 10, 20 or 30 series GPU, be sure to enable the Studio Drivers from within the GeForce Experience software.
As for AMD, their Radeon RX 6000 series GPUs and Ryzen 5000 series CPUs sport a special feature called “Smart Access Memory”. Normally, a processor can only use a fraction of a graphics cards virtual memory (VRAM) which limits its performance. Smart Access Memory, however, allows their Ryzen 5000 series CPUs to harness the full potential of the RX 6000 series’ VRAM which eliminates bottlenecks and increases performance. Therefore, if you are buying one of AMD’s latest GPU’s or CPU’s, consider sticking with AMD for both your CPU and your GPU to make sure you take advantage of this feature.
Recommending a specific graphics card is tricky, especially since new cards are released frequently. However, we recommend buying a mid-range to high-end NVIDIA GeForce, or AMD Radeon card, that supports DirectX 12 or OpenGL 3.3 or later:
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5. Monitors
Buying a proper high-resolution display with accurate colour is essential for photo editing. With Quad-HD (QHD) and Ultra-HD (UHD) monitors on the rise, we can now view our photos with crisp, sharp details. QHD and UHD resolution typically range from 2560 x 1440 to 3840 x 2160. Unfortunately, in the South African context, these monitors are expensive, but getting one now will be more “future proof”. If you’re on a tight budget go for at least a Full HD screen (1920 x 1080). In the case of Windows-based laptops, make sure that you don’t fall into the trap of buying one that supports a lesser resolution than Full HD.
This brings me to another important aspect. Does size really matter? For photo editing, it does! We recommend getting a minimum size of 27 inches or consider getting two 24-inch screens, which is perfect for multitasking and editing. If you have the cash to splash, then consider spoiling yourself with at least a 32-inch ultra-wide, curved monitor and make sure it supports UHD resolution. It will be expensive, but being surrounded by so much real estate will be utopian!
Another aspect you should consider is the screen technology, which determines the image quality, colour accuracy and viewing angles. Go for a backlit LED screen with IPS technology, or similar technologies like PLS (Samsung) or AHVA. Stay away from TN which don’t cut it for editing.
Finding a screen that offers colour accuracy and a wide range of colours (gamut) is equally critical. The two most important colour spaces offered in screens are sRGB and Adobe RGB. sRGB is the general standard for the Internet and most software applications but covers a limited colour range compared to Adobe RGB. Adobe RGB was developed to represent the full range of colours achievable on CMYK printers. Even though Adobe RGB covers a wider range of colours, it might be counterproductive in that Windows and other software applications will show the colours incorrectly. Photoshop, however, will display Adobe RGB colour space perfectly, whereas Lightroom uses an even larger colour space, ProPhoto RGB, which is not yet supported by monitors. If you use Lightroom mostly, then the difference between an sRGB or Adobe RGB monitor will be negligible.
Some professional, top of the range monitors offer Adobe RGB and even built-in hardware calibration, to assure absolute colour accuracy. These high-end monitors can cost tens of thousands of Rands and are overkill for the average photographer. If you wouldn’t spend that much money on a professional screen, consider buying or borrowing an optional calibration tool, such as the Spyder Pro, or X-Rite ColorMunki and buy a monitor that covers 99% – 100% of the sRGB colour space.
Key specs to look for in a monitor:
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Resolution |
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Size |
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Colour Space |
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A note about Colour Management and Workflow:
If you are considering professional commercial photography, where colour accuracy – from shooting to print – will be of the utmost importance, I recommend reading John Fox’s article on Colour Management. This is perhaps one of the most comprehensive articles you will ever find on the topic.
6. Input Devices
Mouse:
- A critical piece of hardware that is commonly overlooked. Having a good mouse goes a long way in speeding up and easing retouching. We recommend getting yourself a Gaming Mouse, which will offer ergonomics and improved control. Some gaming mouse devices, even come with additional weights, which can improve accuracy when performing precision tasks! Finally, remember to get yourself a proper mousepad, which will enable you to use the mouse with increased accuracy on any surface.
Card Reader:
- A compatible USB 3.1 card reader that can read the type of card (s) your camera uses, will save you the hassle of connecting your camera to the PC every time you download photos.
Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS):
- To add an extra layer of protection, you can safeguard your setup by adding a UPS, which allows you to save your work, and safely turn off your computer in the event of a power failure.
Recommended Specs
Buying a machine according to the specs below will assure fluid and relatively “painless” editing:
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Desktop |
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Storage |
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Memory (RAM) |
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Processor (CPU) |
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Graphics Card (GPU) |
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Monitor |
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Peripherals |
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How can we help you?
I hope that this article has shed some light on the hardware side of photo editing. Feel free to leave a comment with any questions, or connect with us on our Facebook Group
We also strongly recommend that you read our article on “Getting more speed in Lightroom Classic“
Below are a few other links, related to this post you should read: