Best Desktop Computer for Photo Editing (Mac and Windows)

Choosing the best desktop computer for photo editing can make a massive difference in your everyday life. This is true for amateur photographers. But it’s much more so for the pro or semi-pro. Photo editing requires a lot of processing power. And video editing needs even more.

We’ve chosen a selection of the best desktop computers for your photo editing needs. You might be set on Mac or Windows, so we cover both. Or you might be open to both platforms. In which case you might like our top pick. The Apple Mac Studio is a slick, stylish, and well-equipped desktop computer for editing photos.

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What is the Best Desktop Computer For Photo Editing?

We’ve chosen computers at a range of prices. You’ll find macOS and Windows machines from entry-level to top-of-the-line. Before we look at them individually, here is a summary of our choices.

Choosing the Best Desktop Computer for Photo Editing

Now let’s take an in-depth look at these computers and see which one meets your needs.

The Mac Studio is a beautifully engineered and elegant design.

The processor is Apple’s own M1 chip. This has proved to be a revolutionary development in the improvement of Apple’s products. It is much faster and dramatically less power-hungry than its predecessors.

The latest macOS is specifically designed for the M1 and M2 chips. So if you’re on an “old” intel-based system, Monterey is as high as you can go.

Macs have been popular with creatives for decades now. They are harder (or impossible) to upgrade. And there’s not much to be done under the bonnet. This is attractive to users who are focused on producing content. But if you like to swap out GPUs and PSUs, this Mac is probably not for you.

But for anyone who wants not just blistering speed and performance, but also panache, Mac is the way to go. You can drive up to five displays from the Mac Studio—four Pro XDRs and one 4K TV.  And it’s just too pretty to hide under the desk. The Mac Studio is absolutely fantastic for photo editing.

The Mac Mini has been Apple’s entry-level Mac since 2005. It assumes you have a mouse, monitor, and keyboard. Although it is still the cheapest Mac available, it delivers a lot of performance for a small price. And it’s packed into a small space too.

It’s a pretty versatile model, too. There is an impressive budget-friendly base model. But the top-of-the-range model boasts an M2 Pro chip and up to 8 TB SSD.

The M series chips have proven to be very fast and highly regarded. The latest Mac Mini with the M2 chips will run the latest macOS for years to come.

The Mac Mini is a great choice if you want Mac performance and OS at a decent price. This is especially the case if you have the accessories for it. If you need to add a monitor, check out the best monitors for photo editing .

This iMac is the latest version of the all-in-one computer that arguably saved Apple Computers . The first model, released in 1998, was a very different beast. But its genes are evident in the first M1 chip iMac. A one-box machine available in a range of colors offers simple computing for everyone. But that simplicity doesn’t mean basic.

The flat panel computer comes with up to 8-core CPU and GPU. It is super fast and will handle all your photo editing with ease. The 4.5K 24-inch screen will display them crisply and cleanly. And there’s plenty of storage available with up to 2 TB of SSD as an option.

If you’re already in the Apple ecosystem, you’ll appreciate Handoff. This is the ability to take over the work you’re doing on a different device with your current one. Your iPad can easily be added as an extra screen. And you can answer calls to your iPhone (even normal phone calls) straight from your Mac.

The iMac is a great choice for a desktop photo editing computer. At its simplest, it takes up little space. Yet it gives access to all the best photo editing apps . And it offers excellent speed and easy viewing.

The Acer Aspire TC-1760-UA92 offers an Inter i5 processor and decent levels of storage at an attractive price. It also has an optical read/write drive—something that has been missing from Macs for many years.

Windows 11 comes as standard and will be familiar to its users. If you’re upgrading from an earlier version, there might be some tweaks you want to make. Some users don’t like the new Start menu location. But the default setting can be changed to move it back to the familiar bottom-left corner.

This Acer has the power required to run photo editing apps. In fact, for the price, it impresses with its processing speed. The 512 GB SSD is a little on the small end. Photos take up a lot of space. And we take a lot of them these days. The good news is that the enclosure has room for extra SSDs.

For a budget, as-is Windows machine, the Acer Aspire is an attractive choice. It is limited in upgrade options. But to get you going with photo editing, it’s a sound decision.

The HP Pavilion Gaming Desktop is designed for, well, gaming. But the features that make it good for gaming are also good for photo editing. Retailing for a similar price to the Acer Aspire, it provides an alternative with similar capabilities.

It is less common for a gaming desktop to feature AMD chips for both the CPU and GPU. But this is what you find here. And the setup impresses with its speed at this price point. It will run a 1080p display for video. So you’ll have no problem with working on your photos with a decent display.

The 512 GB SSD will probably need upgrading unless you carefully discard unwanted photos, or use an online storage solution. Unlike the Acer, there’s no optical drive.

The HP Pavilion is another good choice if you want a budget Windows machine. It’s not the cheapest, but it has the power you need for editing.

The Microsoft Surface Studio 2 immediately calls to mind the Apple iMac. But it doesn’t hide in Apple’s shadow. Its unique feature is that its large 28-inch display pivots from a vertical to a drawing-board angle. This makes it ideal for using the included Surface pen.

Microsoft’s pen delivers 4,069 pressure sensitivity levels. It is almost lag-free in use. When combined with the display, you have a super sharp and clear drawing surface. For photo editing, there’s no doubt the Surface has the processing power you need. But then this is far from a budget machine.

One disadvantage of the angled display is reflections. The glossy surface is pointed at the ceiling in drawing mode. So any overhead lights can easily distract. We all know to avoid facing a display at a window. But this makes positioning or lighting a little trickier.

The performance of the most common photo editing tasks is impressive. You won’t find the Surface Studio 2 lacking in oomph. It is a little stingy with connection ports, especially USB-C. But it’s a striking choice and offers a Mac-like style for Windows users.

The Intel NUC 11 Performance can be seen as a direct Windows competitor for the Mac Mini. It has a similar compact form. And it doesn’t come with a display, keyboard, or mouse. And it’s probably a fair comparison.

If you want a compact Windows computer for editing, it has many benefits. One neat feature is that you can attach it to the back of your monitor using the display’s Vesa mount. That gets it out of the way. I have worked on older desktop PCs with a similar concept. And it’s certainly a space saver.

It certainly has enough power to make a decent job of editing your photos and video. There’s a whole range of configuration options. If you like, you can configure RAM, SSDs, and GPUs to your taste.

For anyone who already has a keyboard, mouse, and monitor, the Intel NUC 11 gives you an easy way of upgrading your Windows machine.

The Dell OptiPlex 7000 7400 is an obvious Windows competitor for the iMac. However, it makes no attempt to emulate the Apple one-box offering for the style. This looks like a cookie-cutter flat-screen monitor in dark grey plastic.

Thankfully, its performance is more attractive than its case. So you get good processing power and the display is crisp 4K. There are plenty of connection options too. (But their placement is less than ideal.)

It’s probably more aimed at the business user. But the Dell Optiplex provides enough performance for photo editing to make it attractive to a Windows user. It’s a neat all-in-one solution.

The HP Pavilion All-in-One PC is a stylish Windows alternative to the iMac. The brushed aluminum and accessories are very reminiscent of Apple’s offering. But it’s not trying to copy it entirely.

HP has a neat solution to webcam privacy concerns, for instance. If a hacker takes over your webcam, they won’t see much. That’s because it pops up from the top of the monitor when in use. That’s a neat trick.

You also won’t find a touchscreen on your iMac. But the HP comes with one as standard. The display doesn’t tilt as much as the Microsoft Surface Studio. The HP does have lots of potential and actual performance power in its neat case. So your photo editing won’t be left wanting by the processor.

And if you listen to music while you work, you’ll like the sound system. It’s been developed in conjunction with Bang & Olufsen. If anyone knows about putting quality technology into stylish cases, it’s B&O.

The HP Pavilion makes a lot of sense if you want a neat, stylish Windows machine for your photo editing.

Choosing the Best Desktop Computer for Photo Editing

There are many considerations as you look for a new desktop computer for photo editing. If you want more portability, then you might also want to consider a laptop computer.

Operating System

Although there’s Linux and Chrome, for most people this is a choice between Apple and Windows. You might be firmly in one camp or the other. Or you might have an open mind. Mostly, you can expect the same features and performance from either system.

If you have peripherals or software for one platform, this might be a factor. Apple computers are more prevalent in the creative world than in the general population. But there are still plenty of Windows users. Choose what works best for you.

Processor Speed and Power

Whether it’s Mac or PC, you’ll want to choose the fastest processor you can. All the data in your RAW files or your video are demanding on the processor. So when comparing desktops, look for the speed and capability of the chip.

The same goes for graphic cards or GPUs. Images are central to your needs, so get the fastest your wallet will allow.

Display

Whether you choose an all-in-one solution or a standalone box, the display is an important question. I run two (sometimes three) additional displays off my iMac. It makes life much easier. So make sure you have enough capacity to meet your needs. And if you’re shooting 6K video with your camera, you need a display that’s going to help you work with that.

If you are attaching a separate monitor, you might need to calibrate your monitor to display the colors correctly.

Memory and Storage

RAM helps your processor handle the big files involved in photo editing. The more RAM you have, the quicker the processor can work.

Storage gives you somewhere to put your files. All the computers in this review have Solid State Drives for storage. The more storage you have, the better.

Connectivity

The more ports (and types of ports) you have, the easier life will be. As USB-C becomes more and more common, USB-C ports become vital on a computer. But other connections are useful too. If you have a spare HDTV, then an HDMI output on the computer is ideal. You can use the TV as an additional monitor.

Conclusion: The Best Desktop Computer For Photo Editing

If you want a Windows machine for your photo editing, then the HP Pavilion All-in-One PC offers a great value choice. All other things being equal, we think the Mac Studio gives the best blend of price and performance. Whatever machine you choose, you might want to improve your Lightroom technique as well.