Photography cannot be done effectively without a PC for editing your shots. Even though there are smartphone apps that edit photos, however, nothing can replace editing your shots on a computer. You need a handy guide, which is where this guide comes in, to help you select the best hardware components. So what’s the Best PC Build for Photo Editing? We’ve got answers for you. Keep reading.
Follow the recommendations for the best photography PC build. The components for each build have been vetted and cross-checked for compatibility issues. This page contains affiliate links. Please note that qualifying purchases made through this page may earn us a little commission, at no additional cost to you. This is to support the work we are doing.
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What’s the Best PC Build for Photo Editing? Here are our recommendations
Intel Photo Editing PC Builds
Intel Budget Photo Editing PC Build
Choose this build if you want a budget Photo Editing PC based on the Intel platform. All parts are vetted for compatibility.
This build is within the $500-700 budget range. If you’re a beginner photographer, a student, or a hobbyist, this might be ideal for you.
Last update on 2024-09-11 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
NB: The CPU Cooler is bundled with the processor.
Alternative Budget Hardware – Intel Photo Editing PC Build
On the Intel budget configuration option, we have the Intel Core i5 10500 processor paired with the Gigabyte H410M S2H (LGA1200) platform motherboard. At a decent price, this processor doesn’t disappoint. It is capable of handling Photoshop or Lightroom workflows, though your output will dramatically increase with a higher processor like i7 or i9.
The RAM is 16GB of fast DDR4 RAM from Corsair for multitasking. However, be warned that 8GB of RAM is not enough for the RAM-hungry Adobe Photoshop or Lightroom. It is advisable to go for at least 16GB of RAM for a budget build.
For the graphics card, we recommend the Biostar Radeon RX 550, a budget card that should serve your purposes. However, if you prefer a lower-priced card, you may go for the NVIDIA GEFORCE GT 1030 which is a great budget card, with CUDA capabilities. We decided to go for an AMD card, but you can actually go for the NVIDIA card.
Storage options include a 1TB Seagate Barracuda for storing your photos and other files and a Samsung 860 EVO NVMe 250GB SSD for your boot drive. The idea is to install Windows on the SSD for faster boot and file handling operations.
Other components include the optional LG Blu-ray Optical drive for archiving your photos to a Blu-ray disc, the Logitech MK270 Wireless Keyboard and mouse combo which is also optional, the Thermaltake Smart 430 Watts power supply, and the AeroCool Cylon RGB Mid Tower PC Case, a beautiful and functional ATX case with lots of expansion options. With this selection of components, you’d be totally proud of your budget photo editing PC build.
Finally, you need a capable monitor that will deliver great results when viewing photos on your computer. The monitor is optional though, but if you like it, you can go for the Viewsonic 24-inch professional monitor. This is a great monitor that performs incredibly well with its excellent color reproduction capabilities.