What is the Best computer for graphic design.?

I just built one. 16gb ram 8 core 3.8ghz for less than 500. (Already had hdd and video card) adobe applications seem to handle multi cores very nicely. I might need to upgrade my 8800gts video card though. Sometimes editing raw 1080p can get sluggish

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I don't think it matters that much whether you are using a PC or a Mac.
In fact, you don't even need a very powerful computer for graphic design
unless you are rendering in very high resolutions.

For the most part, a low end computer with a copy of Photoshop and a
copy of Adobe Illustrator is all you need for most projects. The rest is
up to your creativity.

Cheers! - "Wiz"

It really depends on the software you are planing to run on it - but try and get at least i5, 6GB Memory & HD graphic system..

I use a lot of CS6 programs and my system's sony VGN-FW11M - needs upgrading soon, 4GBmemory is not enough..

Just a simple laptop or desktop with a nice IPS 27inch screen.
well that's for me

Graphic design is quite a wide field. Be more specific about the software. If I were to go for a basic fast multitasking design I'd get:

AMD Phenom 2 (955 x4 processor)
4 GB ram DDR3 @ 1600 mhz in dual channel (frequency and dual channel are important)
~ 100-130$ nVidia graphics with CUDA (I'd say the GT 630 for desktop with 1GB GDDR5 on 128 bit, again, GDDR5 and 128 bit specs are very important) you're gonna need graphic acceleration for basic designing tasks.
get a basic power sorce 450W and two extra coolers, keep the case closed. Have one of the coolers to bring air inside beneath the power source and the other one taking air out. Effective airflow can lower temperature quite a lot (15-30 C, that's huge). and an intel 330 series SSD(get the 90 GB one, should be fine)

But if you're in for the more though things, you're gonna have to go for an intel ivy core i7 quad core processor with hyperthreading, at least a 460 GTX graphic card with 1 GB GDDR5 and 256 bit memory interface. 8 GB RAM @ 2066 mhz (no need for more than 8 GB, seriously) and get at least a 520 series SSD, minimum 120 GB one but I'd recommend a 256 GB one, better case, liquid cooling (not water, liquid)

I currently need portability, so I got a laptop for desining. I use photoshop, adobe premier, heavy rendering, 3DS max, Vray, etc. I need real power in this, so I have:

i7 3610QM 2.3 gHZ turbo boosted at 2.8 Ghz (quad core, hyperthreading to 8 processing threads)
8 GB at 1600 mhz in dual channel memory
GT 650M graphics CUDA card.
120 GB Intel 520 Series Solid state drive.
1920x1080 anti-glare display 17.3 inch.

But honestly, if it weren't for the portability need, I'd totally get a desktop. For example, the phenom 2 takes in 125W power, while my laptop processor is designed to take 45w. everything is laptop designed and optomized, I can't put too much power in it because it's a laptop and it cannot even properly cool down.

For the money I paid for this laptop, I could've gotten 4x times the power in a desktop.

Never buy macs on a budget, I love them too, but If I can't get my investment back in 2-3 months, then it's simply not worth it. In terms of laptops? It's worth it. In terms of desktop, you can get the tower, that's real power but NEVER buy iMacs. They're desktop-ish laptops, basically. Not using much power, not very bright for though tasks.

For example, the latest series as 650M, a LAPTOP graphics card, the processor isn't that bright either, neither is the cooling. iMacs are home-use "Desktops". Never buy them for work.

These are my two cents, hope I helped

WizGizmo said:

I don't think it matters that much whether you are using a PC or a Mac.
In fact, you don't even need a very powerful computer for graphic design
unless you are rendering in very high resolutions.

For the most part, a low end computer with a copy of Photoshop and a
copy of Adobe Illustrator is all you need for most projects. The rest is
up to your creativity.

Cheers! - "Wiz"

Click to expand...

agree with you Wiz..

Doesnt matter unless you're doing 3d or tv/movie product quality stuff. Then it would be mac or windows with nvidia. Both 3d and video have some products (the best really) that are limited.

Main thing for Graphics is your monitor!!! Especially for print. I have a beautiful and capable laptop, for images and videos, but some colors are just not there on the screen. As for computer hardware itself any average specs will do the job.

As people said this is a very subjective questions that depends on what your meaning by graphic design. If your just looking to do some simple photoshop stuff, then it wont really matter what you get. Just get any low end system with at least a few gigs of ram. If your going to be using photoshop heavily, meaning your going to be using more cpu intensive features such as multiple adjustment layers, masking layers, smart layers, smart filters, then you will definitely want something with more power to it (I once got a photoshop file over 1 gig!) or if your dealing with video or 3d you'll definitely want a higher end system for that as well.

Rendering requires both graphic processor and CPU power. It really depends on what you considered to be graphic and if that includes any modeling.

What you need is a mac with at least 6gb RAM, trust me... you'll love it.

What really matters is knowing how to use the graphic design programs, then it doesn't matter which computer platform u use.

Yes,indeed graphic design is a vast topic. let me ask the question to the point. I need to run PS5 and AI5 smoothly on the computer. So guys suggest me a computer with average configuration..

Don't forget to share your computer now you are using..

Even tought some one mentioned that MAC / PC doesnt matter and I do think so too, I've been told by "ALL" designers I know of with no exceptions so far, all designers I know of that have switched to MAC or use MAC do not do design on other OS.

chamara said:

Yes,indeed graphic designis a vast topic. let me ask the question to the point. I need to run PS5 and AI5 smoothly on the computer. So guys suggest me a computer with average configuration..

Don't forget to share your computer now you are using..

Click to expand...

I5 2500k
8 or 16 gigs ram
Some Nvidia gfx card

That will allow you to do alot without any slowdowns. The 2500k will run you $300. 16 gigs ram maybe $140, probably less. Nvidia card is probably around $200-$300. Nvidia is better in this case as they're working on or have implemented parts of GPGPU into photoshop to speed up processing. The downside is they've only used CUDA (nvidia only) and didn't also do CAL (ati)


My current:
I7 920 G0 @ 4.5
12 gigs of ram
ATI Radeon 4850

MacBook Pro with around 16gb Ram + any graphics card upgrade offered. Been using Mac laptops over 8 years now. Much more stable than a PC, less crashes. + laptop for mobility.

Mac is more efficent in graphics, but I would preffer a good big monitor to see the graphics in better quality. If you don't have the need to manage 3D graphics your creativity is more important than the computer or program you use.

I am a professional graphics designer ,
my laptop configuration is :
dell vostro 1450,
1gb dedicated graphic,
8gb ram,
cooler internal external.
I can easily handle Photoshop cs6 and other graphics software like corel draw,gimp etc.

I keep seeing people saying "Mac" this and "Mac" that, don't listen to them. Honestly, with any type of Apple computer you are wasting an extra 2 grand for the name, for sub-par hardware. You want to build your own computer.

Depending on how resource intensive the rendering solution will be, for a decent price I would suggest the AMD A10 5600k. Priced at a low end I3 though performs like a high-end I5, this is a fine processor for its price. It comes with built in AMD HD 7600D graphics, and you can crossfire any external GFX card AMD based in to it for added power. I recommend at least 8gb DDR3 RAM (corsair vengeance is my preferred type). You'll need a decent PSU so go for 600w (mainly if you will be cross firing an external gfx card). Stick to MSI or ASUS mobo's, they honestly are the top boards IMO.