Being a hobbyist photographer and geek myself, I’ve had my share of image editors and photo processing in the past. Some of the time I have used a desktop, some of the time laptop has been my trade of the tool. When I have been on the go, notebook has obviously proven to be more useful, but its limitations have mainly been in screen size and performance. Indeed, a desktop will bring much better performance for the money and only sky is the limit with display size. If you don’t need laptop for portability, a desktop should thus be a good choice for image editing. In this article, I will introduce you to some solid photographer’s desktops of 2017.

Before we start, I tell you a few words about what I consider a photographer to do with his desktop. The workflow goes like this: snap photos with an expensive digital camera, transfer the photos to desktop via memory card reader or USB cable, process the photos in image editor. We are mostly interested about the last point, which is the image editor. Two most popular ones are Photoshop and Lightroom. Both require a good amount of RAM and decent multi-core processor to run, so with that in mind, let’s proceed…

1. Dell Inspiron i5459-7020SLV

Dell Inspiron i5459-7020SLV is a desktop that has been rather popular recently. It’s a so-called All-in-One unit, meaning there is not only the system unit but also display, keyboard and mouse included. On top of that, pretty good performance is provided with 6th generation Core i7 processor and 12GB RAM. At this price point, the Full HD display should have very decent image quality to work with.

Why is it good for photographers?

• If you want All-in-One solution – no need to buy extra peripherals – this Dell is an easy choice.
• It has a memory card reader for image transfers from your camera.
• Processor performance is good. If you want SSD this computer supports the upgrade as far as I know.

Click to buy Dell Inspiron i5459-7020SLV on Amazon!

2. Dell XPS x8900-8756BLK

You can’t get much better desktop for photography than Dell XPS8910-23420BLK. It has got everything down: a splendid processor, huge amount of RAM, a solid-state drive and a dedicated graphics card. It’s very easy to recommend this kind of rig, but the obvious downside is the price. Plus, it does not come with a monitor. But if you really work with huge images and dozens of layers, you might benefit from this kind of a powerhouse.

Why is it good for photographers?

• Processor performance with i7 is second to none, surely enough for even the most demanding of photo editors.
• The solid-state drive can host Photoshop and some of your image files, further speeding up the workflow.
• 32GB memory allows for effortless multitasking and dealing with large photo files.

Click to buy Dell XPS x8900-8756BLK on Amazon!

3. Acer Aspire AZ3-715-UR61

Acer Aspire AZ3-715-UR61 is a mid-range desktop with quad-core i5 processor, 8GB fast DDR4 memory and a dedicated GeForce 940M graphics card. One disadvantage is the lacking  solid-state drive. It could be possible to install one later, although on these AiO models it might be tough to open the case. Anyway, for this price you can only complain so much.

Why is it good for photographers?

• If you are on budget but still want All-in-One functionality, this Acer should fit the bill.
• The quad-core processor and DDR4 (new type) RAM help in smooth operations of Photoshop, Lightroom etc.
• People seem to like the screen; assume it’s easy to look at for extended periods of time.

Click to buy Acer Aspire AZ3-715-UR61 on Amazon!

4. Apple iMac MK462LL/A (27-inch, 2015 model)

Apple iMac is the essential designer’s tool. They’re used in advertising agencies, editing offices and even software development around the world. The reason is the brand and quality – Apple sends a certain image of your company to customers. Their products also seem to last forever. The downside is the price – if you are a rich photographer, that shouldn’t be a hindrance, though.

Why is it good for photographers?

• Snappy performance for Photoshop and Lightroom thanks to quad-core i5 and 8GB memory (which can be easily upgraded).
• The 1TB hard drive won’t fill up easily, even if you are storing large JPEG files on it on a daily basis.
• The 27″ display at 5K resolution is very sweet for photographers. You can fit several images on the screen simultaneously no problem.

Click to buy Apple iMac MK462LL/A on Amazon!

5. ASUS GR8 II-T043Z

ASUS GR8 II-T043Z is actually marketed for gamers, but from what I can see, it can also work wonders for Photographers. See, there is a Kaby Lake based Core i7 processor, 16GB quick DDR4 memory and 1.5TB storage space welcoming myriads of files. Also GTX 1060 graphics card is present, although GPU is not as important as other specs when it comes to photo processing.

Why is it good for photographers?

• The 7th generation Core i7-7700 is one of the fastest processors – large photos will bend to its will easily.
• Plenty of RAM means multitasking is a piece of cake.
• There is a 512GB solid-state drive installed. With that, Photoshop and Lightroom should feel a breeze to use.

Click to buy ASUS GR8 II-T043Z on Amazon!

6. HP ENVY 27-b110

HP ENVY 27-b110 is one of those heavy-duty desktops. It’s suitable for photographers that work with plenty of large image files, maybe even at the same time. It has a quad-core 7th generation Core i7 under its hood with 16GB RAM – something that should make a demanding user smile. There is also a low-level dedicated graphics, the GTX 950M, which should help you a little. The 27-inches Quad HD screen is what really set this apart though – many images can be shown on that screen simultaneously.

Why is it good for photographers?

• The performance won’t let a photographer down, even if he has dozens of layers on JPEG files on Photoshop.
• The solid-state drive, in addition to 1TB HDD, will be beneficial for software opening and response times.
• All the screen estate in the world will be provided by the 27-inches, 2560×1440 resolution display.

Click to buy HP ENVY 27-b110 on Amazon!

7. Acer Aspire AZ3-715-UR61

Last but not least, a basic yet working All-in-One for photographers: the Acer Aspire AZ3-715-UR61. It’s not really a powerhouse, but still offers a good baseline performance thanks to Core i5 processor and 8GB DDR4 (yes, the newer type!) RAM. Running Photoshop with this should be quite a smooth sail. And yes, it includes a display so you don’t have to invest in that separately.

Why is it good for photographers?

• While not the fastest processor of this bunch, the quad-core i5-6400T processor will still take a photographer far.
• The 24 inches display is large enough for comfortable Photoshop, Lightroom and GIMP editor operations.
• The price won’t break your bank.

Click to buy Acer Aspire AZ3-715-UR61 on Amazon!

In this article, I have brought a few solid desktops for photographers to your attention. All of them will run modern photo processing software such as Photoshop without issues. So you definitely got the desktop part down if you pick some of the above computers. If you’re still clueless as which to pick, I would recommend looking at the option number seven – the last one.

Now, it’s your turn to say something – perhaps you are a photographer and would like to share your comments about what works and what does not in a desktop?