Photography cannot be done effectively without a PC for editing your shots. Even though there are smartphone apps that edit photos, but nothing can replace editing your shots on a computer. You need the best photo editing PC build guide, which is where this guide comes in, to help you select the best hardware components you need to build the best PC for photography and photo editing in 2021.
RELATED ARTICLE
Best Wi-Fi Routers for Gaming and Streaming
We roundup the best of the best routers for gaming and streaming. Full Review and buying guide
Considerations for Best PC for Photography and Photo Editing
Choosing components for your photography PC build boils down to a basic question, which is:
What platform are you going to base your PC build, Intel or AMD? Well, in short, this question is like both sides of a coin. It just depends on where you want to pitch your tent. Intel has been a strong performer in the processor industry with a broad range of processors to choose from. In terms of performance, Intel used to dominate the space, until when AMD released their Ryzen 2 and 3 line of processors. Presently, the AMD Zen 3 architecture featuring Ryzen 5000 CPUs offers even more performance, compared to Ryzen 3000 CPUs, for desktop builds.
Photoshop performs exceptionally well with a quad-core processor. Ideally, you should go for an Intel i5 or i7 quad-core processor. Our recommended processors for a photography/photo editing PC do not include a Pentium processor for performance reasons. This is the best time to build an AMD PC because of the value the Ryzen 2 and 3 processors offer. We have seen the Ryzen 7 processor beating the Intel Core i9 processor in gaming performance benchmarks tests.
However, when it comes to content creation workflows such as photo editing, both brands perform credibly well. Whichever camp you want to go with, here are some important considerations you must have in mind when choosing components.
Why build a PC for Photography instead of buying a pre-built one?
There are several advantages when it comes to building your own PC for photography and photo editing. It might sound over-hyped, but it’s actually cost-effective building a PC from scratch than buying a pre-built PC. We’ve compiled a list of reasons why you should build your own PC, compared to buying one off the shelf.
Most important Components for Best Photo Editing PC Build
- PROCESSOR
You need a multi-core processor, preferably a quad-core processor, with high clock speeds. An i5 or i7 processor should do just fine. It doesn’t mean an i3 processor won’t do the job, but the system performance will drop noticeably. Adobe Photoshop performs best with a quad-core processor like an i5 or i7 with high clock speeds. - RAM
Photoshop or Lightroom requires lots of RAM. In fact, Photoshop can be configured to utilize up to 100% of installed RAM. Ideally, go for the most RAM your motherboard can accommodate. - MONITOR
You need a color-accurate monitor to display your photos exactly the way they should be displayed. Not all monitors perform great in this regard, which is why we recommend the 24-Inch Viewsonic Professional Monitor for serious professionals like you. It is a great monitor for accurate color reproduction and fidelity. Alternatively, you can check out other recommended monitors in our detailed review for the best 24-inch monitors. - GRAPHICS CARD
You may not need a dedicated graphics card, but it is recommended to install one. Adobe Photoshop requires specifically a CUDA-enabled graphics card for some of its features. Also, if you plan to game on your PC, then get one. See the tables below for recommendations.
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, with no additional cost to you. This is to support the work we are doing.
RELATED ARTICLE
Best Video Editing Build – All Budgets
Looking to build a machine for high-end video editing? Read this
Best PC for Photography & Photo Editing Build Recommendations
Intel Photo Editing PC Builds
Take your pick from 3 options – Budget, Mid-range, and High-end builds. EACH CONFIGURATION HAS BEEN VETTED FOR COMPATIBILITY ISSUES.
Intel Budget Build – Best PC for Photography and Photo Editing in 2021
This build is within the $500-700 budget range. If you’re a beginner photographer, a student, or hobbyist, this might be ideal for you.
Last update on 2021-03-20 / 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 DeepCool MATREXX 55 PC Case, a beautiful and functional E-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.
Intel Mid-Range Build – Best PC for Photography and Photo Editing in 2021
This is in the budget range of $700 – 1500, depending on your choice of components. Here you’ll find Intel Core i5 or i7 CPUs (see table below)
Last update on 2021-03-21 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
NB: The CPU Cooler and GPU is bundled with the processor.
Alternative Mid-Range Hardware – Intel Photo Editing PC Build
Our mid-range Intel build recommendation is based on the 10th Gen. Intel Core i7 10700K, an 8-core processor for gamers and content creators at a reasonable price. This processor is fully overclockable, and it lives up to its reputation in multi-tasking and complex photo/video editing routines.
In addition to this, the processor is bundled with the Intel Iris 630 graphics chip to drive your graphics performance. However, if you want faster performance in Photoshop with CUDA, or you want to game, you can go for the GTX 1660 Super GPU. It’s the elder sibling to the 1660, and is a fairly priced graphics card offering better performance in gaming and CUDA computing. At the time of this update, the RTX 3000 series GPUs are quite scarce.
- Chipset: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Super
- Boost clock: 1815 MHz
- Memory Interface: 192-Bit
- Video Memory: 6GB GDDR6
- Output: DisplayPort x 3 (V1. 4)/ HDMI 2. 0B x 1
Last update on 2021-03-21 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
We paired this processor with the MSI MPG Z490 Plus Gaming Motherboard for the best performance. This is a gaming motherboard, but who cares? It provides numerous features, and also supports overclocking of the processor.
The RAM is Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB DDR4 RAM for speedy performance. Storage options include a Samsung 512GB NVMe SSD which improves your workflow drastically, compared to a traditional hard drive. For best performance, you should use your SSD storage as a cache drive in Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom.
You’ve also got a 3TB Seagate Barracuda for permanent storage. This is more than enough to store your catalog of customer photos unless you want to go for a higher capacity drive such as a 6TB or 8TB hard drive
Last update on 2021-03-21 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
The included cooler is sufficient for cooling the processor, so we don’t need an aftermarket cooler. In addition, the processor doesn’t run at high temps, since it is not overclockable. So we are good with the stock cooler.
The Power Supply Unit is rated at 600 Watts, the Thermaltake Smart 600 Watt Power Supply. We’ve also got the optional Logitech MK550 keyboard and mouse combo.
The case is the Thermaltake Versa H15 Micro ATX Mini Tower Computer Case with its distinctive brushed aluminum finish. In addition, this case features a tool-free drive bays for easy drive installation. There is also plenty of space to install even the largest graphics cards. Don’t forget that this case also supports liquid cooling, in case you might want to use this for a high-end build.
For the monitor (optional), we’ve got the Viewsonic 27-inch Professional Photography monitor, an excellent choice for a mid-range monitor for accurate color reproduction. This monitor produces outstanding results for photography and photo editing workflows.
Intel High-End Build – Best PC for Photography and Photo Editing in 2021
For this budget range, errrh, money is not a problem (some components are optional).
Last update on 2021-03-21 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
Alternative High-End Hardware – Intel Photo Editing PC Build
The high-end Intel build is powered by the indomitable Intel i9 10900K 10-Core 20-Thread processor. For those us that are Intel fans, this is the processor to have in Intel’s 10th Generation offering. This processor is a solid performer any day, thanks to its superior engineering and specifications.
Clocked at 3.6GHz, the intelligent Intel Performance Maximizer overclocking tool allows the chip to max out at 5.3GHz under load. With this kind of raw processing power, Adobe Photoshop/content creation tasks will work fluidly, no matter the size of the document loaded or raw files being processed.
The i9 10900K supports Intel Optane memory which considerably speeds up your applications by storing them in a special memory cache for faster access. In addition, this processor comes with integrated graphics – the Intel UHD 630 graphics. This is sufficient for those who don’t need intense graphics processing.
However, you need a discrete graphics card to be able to take advantage of CUDA or OpenCL processing in Photoshop, and also if you plan to do some video transcoding/rendering or gaming by the side (See the table above for recommendations).
The motherboard is the Asus Prime Z490-A motherboard, built on the LGA 1200 platform. With support for Intel’s 10th gen CPUs, it’s the perfect choice for media/creative professionals. This board has an array of useful features you would love. These include
- M.2 Connectivity
- 5-Way Optimization for overclocking
- 8-channel HD Gaming Audio
- Advanced Fan Control for Dynamic Cooling
- Lots of connectivity options
- Aesthetically pleasing with the RGB lighting
Storage options include an 8TB Seagate Barracuda hard drive for file storage. With this much storage, you’ll hardly run out of space to store your photos and RAW files. The boot drive is handled by a Samsung EVO 1TB NVMe drive. Experience unprecedented transfer speeds with this drive. You can even partition it however you want and use one partition to install Windows, while the other half can be used to as your Photoshop cache drive or for storing your Lightroom catalogs.
The RAM is a 32GB Corsair Vengeance LPX memory kit. Anything above this size is overkill for photo editing. The rest of the hardware includes a 750 Watt power supply from Gamemax, an NZXT Kraken X53 liquid cooler for the processor, and optional Logitech keyboard and mouse combo, the also optional LG Blu-ray burner for file archiving, the MSI Premium Mid-Tower PC Gaming Case, and the (optional) Viewsonic 34-inch Curved post-production monitor.
For the record, the Viewsonic monitor is a high performer when it comes to color accuracy and output. Added to this, it has a display resolution of 3440×1400 pixels. With this much resolution, you have all the screen estate you’ll ever need for editing your photos.
RELATED ARTICLE
Best Graphic Cards under 100 USD
We review a selection of the best GPUs you can grab for under a hundred. Full review.
AMD Photo Editing PC Builds
TAKE YOUR PICK FROM 3 OPTIONS – BUDGET, MID-RANGE, AND HIGH-END BUILDS. EACH CONFIGURATION HAS BEEN VETTED FOR COMPATIBILITY ISSUES.
AMD Budget Build – Best PC for Photography and Photo Editing in 2021
This AMD build is within the $500-700 budget range, depending on your choice of components. If you’re a beginner photographer, a student, or a hobbyist, this might be ideal for you.
Last update on 2021-03-20 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
NB: The CPU Cooler is bundled with the processor.
Alternative Budget Hardware – AMD Photo Editing PC Build
Our processor of choice is the AMD Ryzen 5 1600 Processor, one of AMD’s low-budget CPUs. Clocked at 3.2/3.6GHz, this processor is a good entry-level chip because you are getting a processor and a cooler in one package.
This is a value processor with six cores, all unlocked. You can tune the performance further with the bundled AMD Ryzen Master Utility for overclocking the processor cores.
For the motherboard, you’ve got the future-proof GIGABYTE GA-A320M AM4 motherboard platform which should still fit if you’re going to be upgrading to a higher processor on the AMD platform. This is a decent entry-level motherboard that offers good performance.
There is a need for a dedicated Graphics card because the AMD Ryzen 5 1600 doesn’t have its own integrated graphics processor. To be able to carry out some tasks in Photoshop, a discreet CUDA enable GPU such as the GeForce GT 1030 is necessary.
Every other component remains the same as the Intel Budget Photo Editing PC Build above.
AMD Mid-Range Build – Best PC for Photography and Photo Editing in 2021
A typical budget for this build ranges from $500 to $1500 (see table below).
Last update on 2021-03-21 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
NB: The CPU Cooler is bundled with the processor.
Alternative Mid-Range Hardware – AMD Photo Editing PC Build
Our mid-range configuration for Photography and Photo Editing features the 8-core Ryzen 7 3700X processor. This is a great value processor, and like we stated earlier, AMD builds are the way to go with the recent Ryzen 3 release. With 8-cores of processing power, your photo editing inside Photoshop and Lightroom should be smooth and lag-free.
Our motherboard of choice, the MSI Arsenal Gaming B450 Tomahawk Motherboard offers great value and options at the price point. You’ve got plenty of connectivity options and a RAM capacity of 64GB (just in case you don’t want to stick with the recommended 16GB).
Note that this board is a gaming certified board, which might give you the motivation to turn your rig into a gaming PC. However, it still performs extremely well for other applications such as photo editing and content creation.
Other components include a 3T Barracuda drive for storage, a Samsung 970 EVO Plus NVMe 500GB SSD for the boot drive, and the graphics card – the GeForce GTX 1660 GPU with 6GB of graphics RAM. The Ryzen 7 3700X doesn’t come with integrated graphics, hence the need for a discrete graphics card. This card is necessary for certain features in Photoshop which require CUDA for faster processing. Also, you should definitely get this card if you are going to be gaming on this PC.
All the other components remain the same as the Intel build.
RELATED ARTICLE
Best 24″ Monitor for 2021 – Full Review
Take your pick of the the best 24 inch Monitors for gaming, productivity, and every other thing you can think of…
AMD High-End Build – Best PC for Photography and Photo Editing in 2021
In this category, the budget is in the range of $1500 and above, depending on the choice of components. For our recommended build list below, the water cooler is optional. You may only get it if you plan to overclock the CPU and run intensive renders with the PC. Otherwise, go for an air cooler.
Last update on 2021-03-21 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
Alternative High-End Hardware – Intel Photo Editing PC Build
Here are highlights of the various recommended components. Our recommended AMD build features every other component except the processor and motherboard.
For the processor, we have the AMD Ryzen 9 3900X 12-core 24-thread processor, a top performer in the AMD lineup. This is a value-packed processor for the price, as it beats its Intel competitors such as the Intel Core i9 9900K hands down on benchmark tests. This processor rocks in terms of performance, which is made possible by its impressive specifications. These include:
- Fully unlocked multiplier for overclocking
- Low power footprint of 105 Watts
- Large 70MB of cache for faster performance
- Max frequency of 4.6GHz across all cores
- Bundled Prism RGB Cooler
Without a doubt, this AMD build is the way to go for a high-performance PC for photo editing and content creation.
We pair this processor with the Gigabyte Aorus Elite Motherboard, a premium motherboard at a decent price. This board is loaded with useful features and functionality to fast-track your media and productivity tasks.
You can never go wrong with this AMD build, as this is the best time to build one. Whether you are going for an AMD or Intel build, you can trust these recommended components which we have painstakingly researched just for you. Alternatively, if you need recommendations for a video editing build, we recommend checking out our detailed guide on the best 4K Video Editing PC Build for 2021.
If you are planning on building a gaming PC, don’t forget to also check out our best gaming PC build guide for all budget categories. It’s worth checking out. Click here to move to the step-by-step guide on how to build your own PC.
Paid Photo Editing Software
Here’s a rundown of the best paid and free Photo Editing Apps for your Photo Editing PC.
Adobe Photoshop
Adobe’s flagship image Editing and manipulation app which is the industry standard, is now even more affordable… Seriously, you can’t build the best PC for Photography without Photoshop.
Adobe Photoshop Elements
Adobe’s next best Photo Retouching and Editing App.
Adobe Lightroom
Adobe’s Photoshop Lightroom remains the gold standard in pro photo workflow software for serious photographers…
Corel PaintShop Pro
A worthy Adobe Photoshop alternative from Corel.
Luminar
Luminar is another Photoshop alternative, offering effective automatic photo enhancement, a modern interface, and some unique filters and adjustment tools.
Phase One Capture One Pro
Phase One Capture One offers pro and prosumer digital photographers excellent detail from raw camera files, as well as local adjustment, advanced color, and layer tools, but it still trails in photo-organizing features.
RELATED ARTICLE
Best Laptop for Solidworks 2021 – Full Review
We review the best Laptops for Solidworks 2021
Free Photo Editing Software
GIMP
The lowly GIMP continues to give Photoshop a run for its money, but its limitations still remain.
CANVA
A great alternative that has managed to gather a multitude of users. Offers a free and paid version
PAINT.NET
This nifty by powerful photo editor holds a lot of promise. It boasts some of the amazing features you’d find in high-end software, and most of all it’s free!
POLARR
Another great alternative with some decent features that is worth checking out…
PIXLR
This Autodesk app will surprise you with its useful photo editing features…
RELATED ARTICLE
Best Budget Gaming PC Build- Full Guide
Thinking of building a gaming PC on a budget, follow this guide as we show you how
Conclusion
I hope this article helped you to make the right choice towards building the best computer for photographers in 2021. I want to hear from you. Drop your comments below in the comments section, share your experiences on your build.
Meanwhile, you can see recommendations for the Ultimate Graphic Design PC Build or the best 4K Video Editing PC Build for 2021. We’ve also got an article on the best 3D Animation and Render PC Build featuring the AMD Threadripper. If you are into Music Production, our guide will help build and set up the best Music editing PC for all budgets. Cheers
More to see
All Articles
- Just so you know!
My passion for PC hardware is my greatest motivation. I love technology and how it can make life easier and less complicated! When I’m not tinkering with hardware, I’m reading. I love to travel and I usually can’t wait to sit down on my PC to work.
I’m also a copywriter, designer, video editor, and writer. I also do some 3D with 3DS Max. Do you want to reach me? Use the Social Media buttons, or shoot me an email. I’ll be glad to hear from you!