Getting the right hardware for your art programs is the most important thing to look for in a PC for graphic design. By knowing the most important parts of technology, you can choose the right internal parts and peripherals to give your computer the power and flexibility it needs to meet your needs.

Creative professionals and students need the right PC for graphic design work, whether they are working on a midterm design project, making newsletters for small businesses, or running corporate marketing campaigns with a lot of visual deliverables.

When choosing a laptop for design or a desktop for graphic design, you have a wide range of possibilities. Think about your intended computer use and the features you’ll require. Choosing the right hardware for the software programs you plan to use is crucial. High-end graphic design software works best on a computer that has enough power and options to make the most of what it can do. However, you might not require a computer with as much processing power, memory, and storage if your graphics work does not include a lot of photo editing or the transfer of large files.

Thanks to big improvements in hardware, graphic designers can now use a wide range of digital tools that let them push the limits and put their ideas into action faster than ever. Additionally, there are more options available to you today for operating systems. Today, many Windows-based PCs have the visual features that professional designers and other artists need. This gives them more options at lower costs.

Graphic Design Laptops

More powerful than ever are laptops for designers. Nowadays, many provide speeds and storage capacities that are almost on par with high-end desktops. You may access resources and share files remotely, carry your work with you wherever you go, and show clients on-screen design mock-ups during meetings. Built-in screens with high resolutions up to 4K Ultra HD offer breathtaking detail and crispness.

The majority of modern laptops have PCIe* solid state drives (SSDs), which enable extremely quick file opening and transfer times.

Even though portability is crucial, a laptop that is too small can cause problems. You must be able to see your full workspace on your screen and have easy access to the tools you require. Today’s laptops frequently have screens that are 15 inches or bigger, giving you the visual space you require without sacrificing design. Another option is a 2-in-1 computer, which offers the high performance you need to operate your essential creative tools while allowing you to flip between laptop and tablet modes to meet your activities. In tablet mode, you can sketch out your design or make quick mock-ups when brainstorming using a sketching stylus. Tablet mode is another excellent option for presenting your work. It’s simple to browse through your ideas side by side with a client, pausing every so often to zoom in and highlight crucial details.

High-performance laptops give you the freedom to work when you’re on the go, visiting clients, or simply need a change of scenery.

Computers used for graphic design

Desktop PCs may fit larger screens and offer more processing capability for graphic design. Desktop computers are better suited to handle the enormous file sizes that come with professional photo or video editing since they often have greater memory and storage space. The ability to connect more than one monitor to a desktop computer allows designers to view numerous layouts at once while working on complex projects.

In comparison to other PC types, desktops offer more capability, functionality, and flexibility. For graphic creation, a PCIe* SSD can boost performance. Desktops with Intel® OptaneTM SSDs are designed for quick application startup, quick application loading, and low power usage. Additionally, desktop computers with Intel® OptaneTM memory have massive storage capacity.

While laptop components are typically more challenging to update or change, desktop computers can simply be upgraded with additional memory and other bespoke configurations. Additionally, compared to laptops, they have additional connectors for auxiliary devices like cameras and microphones.

Furthermore, desktop computers often experience less wear and tear due to the fact that you don’t move them around, shove them into bags, smash them against doorframes, or drop them. They also have a lower likelihood of being stolen.

Additionally, there are many styles for desktops. The classic desktop computer has a tower and a separate display. Alternatively, you might purchase an all-in-one computer that combines a monitor and a computer into one unit. Although it is more compact than a typical desktop, it nevertheless provides the performance needed for visual work.

Intel collaborates with top creative software and hardware producers to comprehend the unique requirements of creative professions. Together, we make sure that the graphic design software you rely on for PCs operates at its peak efficiency.

Here is a list of the main factors you should take into account when choosing a new graphic design machine.

You need processing power (CPU) to switch between Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign to produce stunning projects with many layers without having to pause your workflow. Although some graphics programs are designed to function on a single core and won’t scale across multiple cores, having more CPU cores does not always improve this type of workflow. The majority of graphic artists will benefit from four- or eight-core processors. (Multicore tasks that utilise more than one core at once include 3D rendering and video encoding.)

The clock speed of a CPU for visual design is another factor. It is measured in gigahertz. The processing speed of your CPU is determined by this value. The better for visual design processors is a greater clock speed. This is especially true when working with high-performance software like Photoshop or Lightroom or while downloading huge files from an external hard drive to your desktop.

Graphics processors, also referred to as “graphics cards” or “graphics cards,” are what turn your work into the images you see on the screen. They can be either discrete or integrated. On the same chip as the computer’s CPU, integrated graphics are part of the motherboard of your computer and share memory with the CPU. Although they use less energy, they are not as effective as discrete graphics. A completely independent GPU chip for discrete graphics cards is located on the motherboard. Discrete graphics provide more processing power and a superior visual experience for high-performance applications like HD video editing and games than integrated graphics.

Your strong apps, including Photoshop and Painter, may be operated effectively thanks to memory, or RAM. Your processor can process more data since it temporarily saves your working files. The faster your workflow may be, the more RAM you have. You can run many instructions on different files at once without experiencing system slowness when rendering preview files.

Storage capacity for graphic designers must take into account the fact that you frequently produce very large files and need a lot of space to house them, both for convenient access while working on projects and for archiving once a job has been completed. Storage drives permanently store data, as opposed to RAM, which only does so briefly.

Hard disc drives (HDD) and solid state drives (SSD) are two storage solutions to take into consideration. An HDD is a typical rotating drive found in computers. Any operating system may be supported without issue on a 1 TB hard drive, leaving at least 700 GB for additional software and data. Another form of in-computer storage that is created using chips is an SSD. Your apps can load and execute significantly more quickly because of SSDs’ lack of moving parts.

Insufficient storage can lead to bottlenecks that impede the speed of high-performance processes like processing and editing. As a designer, you may not absolutely need to keep all of your substantial project files on the hard drive of your primary computer. The majority of designers’ work is saved on external hard drives, frequently with distinct drives for each client. This makes their machines slim and mean while also keeping multiclient work clearly separated and organized. As was already mentioned, designers may now work directly off an external hard drive thanks to improved processing rates and graphics cards.

SSDs, which outlast HDDs in terms of durability, are more common in laptops; however, either type can be found in desktop PCs.

For graphic designers, Display factors including screen size, color accuracy, and resolution are crucial. The size of the laptop’s screen is important for design purposes. A 15-inch monitor or more is required for graphic designers to see enough detail to complete their tasks. Additionally, it’s advantageous to have enough screen real estate for your toolbars and control panels. You can think about adding a second screen to your laptop or using a desktop computer with a larger screen if you need to work in several programs at once and see what you are doing in each one. When working on vast layouts or closely inspecting high-resolution data, having a larger display area is helpful.

You must properly match the brand colors of the majority of your clients. Regardless of the color space you’ve chosen, your display should provide the color accuracy needed for digital and print operations.

When sending a document to the printer, you must have confidence that the colour you see onscreen will print as intended.

A 24-inch monitor with a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels offers full high definition and is typically adequate for basic requirements. Professional designers might need a screen with a higher resolution, such as 1440p or 4K, especially if they also edit photos.

However, they also lessen contrast and vibrancy, which are necessary for color accuracy in graphic design, photography, and video editing. Matte or antiglare coatings can assist decrease eyestrain and visual distractions regardless of size or resolution.

Wired connectivity and ports are both crucial for graphic design work. The more inputs and outputs you have, the simpler it will be to connect a tablet with a stylus or an ergonomic keyboard, add another monitor, upload files from external drives and SD cards, and use a variety of other peripherals.

For a variety of peripherals and storage devices, Thunderbolt 3 technology offers quick, flexible connectivity. You may connect to client networks and transfer files quickly while working on-site thanks to Thunderbolt connectivity as well. Compared to USB 3.0, Thunderbolt is actually up to eight times faster, and HDMI 1.4.1 offers higher video bandwidth.

Wireless connectivity enables designers to work remotely from any location. For best-in-class connectivity, PCs with Intel® Wi-Fi 6 (Gig+) technology offer a generational improvement in Wi-Fi performance, traffic management, interference avoidance, and security. 2 Additionally, your download rates will be almost three times faster. Additionally, WPA3 security features, which were created expressly to counter today’s cyberthreats, are included in all Wi-Fi 6-enabled products.

Especially when it comes to big media file transfers and other bandwidth-intensive tasks, Wi-Fi 6 offers better WLAN speed, capacity, management, and security3 to help you improve your overall workflow performance if you frequently work on the go or while visiting clients.

When presenting your work, touchscreen capabilities let you easily zoom in and out, but they need to be cleaned frequently. It’s crucial to keep the screen free of fingerprints and smudges so that you and your clients can properly view your work. When drawing, using a stylus provides a more realistic feeling than touchscreen capabilities.