Graphic design is an art; the art of blending images and copy to convey a message through print or display media. If you are a graphic designer, you should equip yourself with the best PC. So what’s the best PC build for graphic design? This guide is for you if you’re looking for answers.
This build is the extreme configuration graphic design PC for serious graphic designers. This guide is what you need if you want the best-performance hardware. In this article, I will practically guide you through choosing the best components to purchase and why you should.
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Who is this Graphic Design PC Build for?
Are you a Graphic Designer or an Adobe Photoshop expert? Do you handle heavy design work involving large files? This configuration is ideal for the heavy lifting graphic design work in apps such as Adobe Photoshop™, CorelDraw™, Adobe Indesign™, and Adobe Illustrator™.
We are going to be recommending both AMD and Intel-based ultimate graphic design computer build. Our technical department vets and carefully selects these components to work without compatibility issues arising from mismatched hardware.
These configurations are equipped with the latest m.2 NVMe drives for the best file performance. NVMe drives drastically improve the overall performance of PC’s over 80% in various operations. The Processor is a 12th-generation Intel Core™ i7 processor for the best performance, with other options to choose from. With the ultimate graphic design PC, you don’t need to wait around for your computer to process stuff; design at blazing speed, and beat your deadlines clean!
What’s the best PC build for Graphic Design? Our pick
AMD Graphic Design PC Build
Choose this if you want to build a Graphic Design PC based on the AMD platform. All parts are vetted for compatibility.
- CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 5700X3D
- Motherboard: Gigabyte B550M Aorus Elite
- RAM: Corsair Vengeance LPX DDR4 32GB
- CPU Cooler: be quiet! Pure Rock 3
- Storage (OS/Apps): Kingston NV3 1TB M.2 2280 NVMe SSD
- Storage (User Files): WD_BLACK 4TB SN850P NVMe
- GPU: MSI RTX 3050 Gaming X
- PSU: Raidmax XT Series 400W/550W
- Case: Aerocool D501A Mid Tower Case
- Display: Sceptre 24-inch Professional Thin Monitor
Best Configuration for Graphic Design [Updated]
This guide is all you need to build a PC for Graphic Design. Recommended configuration plus guide.
Intel Graphic Design PC Build
Choose this if you want to build a Graphic Design PC based on the Intel platform. All parts are vetted for compatibility.
- CPU: Intel Core i5 14600K
- Motherboard: ASRock Motherboard H670 Steel Legend
- RAM: Corsair Vengeance LPX DDR4 32GB
- CPU Cooler: be quiet! Pure Rock 3
- Storage (OS/Apps): Kingston NV3 1TB M.2 2280 NVMe SSD
- Storage (User Files): WD_BLACK 4TB SN850P NVMe
- GPU: MSI RTX 3050 Gaming X
- PSU: Raidmax XT Series 400W/550W
- Case: Aerocool D501A Mid Tower Case
- Display: Sceptre 24-inch Professional Thin Monitor
Considerations for the best Graphic Design Computer Build
PROCESSOR
The Processor is one of the major pieces of hardware and you should get the best you can afford for extreme and demanding workloads in graphic design. It is advisable to go for a six-core or eight-core processor with hyperthreading, giving you twice the cores logically, for boosted processing capabilities.
We have selected the best AMD and Intel processors for your ultimate graphic design computer build above, with matching motherboards and other hardware. There is also a guide on how to build your PC step by step.
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MOTHERBOARD
The motherboard is going to house all your components, therefore it should be able to accommodate your configuration, and also make future updates possible. Gigabyte, Asus, MSI, and ASRock make good motherboards.
When picking a motherboard, ensure it will match your processor. For instance, only go for an Intel-based motherboard if you want to buy an Intel processor. Intel-based boards range from LGA 1155, and LGA 2011 to the current LGA 1700.
Almost all the major high-end boards now support overclocking. However, it is good practice to get the best motherboard because it is likely to support this feature. This is only necessary if you are going to be overclocking your processor. Remember, overclocking the processor sometimes voids the warranty, so be sure before you do it.
CPU COOLER
The CPU Cooler uses effective airflow and static pressure to dissipate the heat away from the processor. Most of the current processors have their cooling fans included with the purchase. However, if you are going for the high-end Intel processors, you should get yourself a water cooler.
The builds above are designed for extreme multitasking, and probably some overclocking. This may be necessary if you plan to game alongside graphic design. So we threw in a capable liquid cooler that will do the job.
POWER SUPPLY
You need at least a 750-watt power supply for the ultimate graphic design Computer build. Modular Power supply kits give you more freedom and convenience when installing your components. Always go for modular. Also, make sure the power supply is rated 80+ for reliability.
If you plan to upgrade to higher-end components in the future, then you should get a 1000-watt power supply. Other than that, having a 1000-watt power supply when your total system power draw is around 300 to 400 watts is probably overkill. A power supply of 650 to 750 watts would suffice.
HARD DISK DRIVE
The hard disk is a storage drive for all your media and graphics files. Graphic design files are quite heavy, therefore you need terabytes of storage because the drive can fill up quickly, especially if you are handling Adobe Photoshop files, which can be quite large.
Another option is to back up your files to an external hard drive, apart from backing it up on the storage drive. This is good practice, especially since hard drives are liable to fail. Eventually, if your storage drive fails, then you can easily fall back to the external hard drive.
A 6 or 8 terabyte storage drive will last you a long time. However, to be on the safe side, it is advisable to go for a RAID device. RAID is more reliable than a single hard drive for file storage. The Synology 2 bay NAS DiskStation is a good option.
SOLID STATE DRIVE
SSDs drastically reduce your boot times and file access times, and it gets even faster with an NVMe SSD. A SATA SSD can push data in the region of 400-550MB/s, while an NVMe SSD can achieve speeds of 2500MB/s or even more.
It is better to go for the NVMe SSD because it gives you a speed advantage over a normal SSD. It is good practice to install your operating system to the SSD, then use the regular hard disk drive as a storage drive. Do not store your user-generated graphics files and documents on the Desktop, Documents folder, or any of those folders you may see inside your SSD drive directory.
This practice will help prevent unnecessary headaches which might happen if your system suffers from a virus attack, or in some cases, failure of the boot sector. This means you must re-format your SSD partition and reinstall your operating system. If you maintain this practice, you will not need to worry about losing your files, since they are safe on the storage drive.
RAM
For the ultimate graphic design computer build, you should consider at least a RAM size of 16GB. However, for the best performance, you should go for 32GB of fast memory. Anything above this is overkill.
If you intend to upgrade your RAM in the future, then you should get a motherboard that should support the amount of memory you will need to get in the future.
The XPG modules offer fantastic performance for the price. You can up the RAM to 64GB of RAM if you want. But at 32GB of RAM, what the heck do you need again?
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GRAPHICS CARD
Normally, graphic design operations don’t actually rely on the graphics card to carry out operations, unlike gaming. You could just plunk a low-end graphics card and still be fine. But then, Adobe Photoshop utilizes the graphics card for optimal functionality. Without a decent graphics card, Photoshop would not be able to provide certain GPU-assisted functions, which will seriously limit your speed and output.
So, apart from drawing pixels on your monitor, the graphics card helps in speeding up your graphic design workflow. You can just get by with a budget graphics card, but for the best results, you need a mid-range to a high-end card.
Our builds feature the GTX 3050 which provides enough horsepower for Photoshop image processing using CUDA. Also, if you plan to do some occasional gaming by the side, this card allows you to play recent titles at good enough resolutions.
PC CASE
You can choose from a variety of cases, depending on your taste and budget. You should go for a mid-tower or full-tower ATX case for upgradability reasons.
You should also consider cooling options, whether the case has fans installed, and whether it has front connectivity options for USB and audio. This can be quite handy during your design process, as you don’t need to reach for the back of the cases to plug in something unless it is absolutely necessary.
If you lean more on the aesthetics side, you should go for a case that has RGB lighting. There are many models with this feature. The NZXT H510 offers a roomy interior with cable management and is ready for water cooling.
KEYBOARD AND MOUSE
The keyboard and mouse play a critical role in the design process – you need them to make input to the PC. A good and responsive keyboard will make your workflow quite easy. It’s always better to go for a keyboard and mouse combo because they offer better prices and value for money.
When getting a keyboard, you may decide to go for a wireless keyboard for reasons of mobility and convenience. However, it is simply a matter of choice. If you are not going to be moving around much, then a wired keyboard is just okay.
You should also be mindful of ergonomics. Many keyboards have palm rest which helps to reduce strain on your wrists and fatigue. This make it possible to work for longer periods of time.
You should go for gaming keyboards if you plan to do some gaming occasionally with your graphic design PC. Otherwise, a normal keyboard/mouse combo will do just fine. The Havit gaming keyboard and mouse combo in this build is an inexpensive functional gaming keyboard and mouse.
MONITOR
As a graphic designer, you want to accurately reproduce colors in print or on the web. That’s why you need a professional monitor that does just that. What we mean by Professional monitor is one that is designed to reproduce colors accurately, and have better image quality than regular monitors.
Professional monitors have features like hardware color calibration, professional color processing with advanced LUT capabilities which is able to generate trillions of colors, higher bit depth up to 10bit (regular monitors have like 6bit color depth), and more.
If you plan to go for a professional monitor, then pay attention to these features. You need consistency in color reproduction, from screen to print.
You should also make sure that the monitor panel is IPS. IPS panels allow you to view the screen from an extreme angle, sometimes up to 180o. This is especially invaluable if you are showing a design to a group of people on the design team. Furthermore, ensure the monitor is VESA compatible. This enables you to hang it on a wall, just in case you really don’t want it in your face on a table all the time.
The Viewsonic 27-inch monitor for graphic design offers fantastic performance for the serious graphic designer. You can’t go wrong with this display because it is designed for accurate color reproduction.
Final thoughts on the best Graphic Design PC Build
Graphic Designers need the optimal hardware configurations for efficient workflow, and graphic design computer builds need a careful selection of components for the best performance. You might also want to check out other articles including the best budget gaming PC build for gamers, the best 3D Animation PC build and the best Video Editing PC build for all budgets.
Apart from hardware reviews, we also have more build guides for custom PCs to see. Engineering professionals will be spoilt for choices with the best Laptop for Solidworks for selecting a laptop for CAD. Do you need to purchase monitors for specific purposes? Check out our best 24-inch monitor review. Go to this page to follow our guide on how to build your PC step by step.
If you think this article was worth your time, share your thoughts below and let us know what you think. Happy PC building!