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There’s never been a better time to work in the increasingly lucrative and interconnected worlds of graphic design and multimedia production. Whether you’re a freelancer who works from home or a salaried employee at Google who brings in six-figure salaries, media manipulators are in high demand across virtually every industry, and their career prospects will only continue to grow in the upcoming years. What many might’ve not realized is that even the most talented and trained media pros and video editors are only as good as the tools at their disposal. If you lack the proper hardware to get the job done, your work will inevitably suffer. In the not-so-distant past, you needed to invest several thousands of dollars in top-notch equipment such as individual CPUs, graphics cards, and monitors in order to get the tools you needed to be successful in the field. Thankfully, those days are over, and it’s now entirely possible to get a pro-level video-editing computer for a modest price if you know where to look. Many of these computers promise a snappy performance, breathtaking visuals, and a satisfying user-friendly experience. Let’s look at the best desktops for video editing in 2022.
Apple has been a frontrunner in creating powerful devices for creative professionals over the years. They released their 24-inch iMac in 2021, and it’s a perfect modern computer for video editors. You can find the ideal model for you because it comes in Blue, Silver, Pink, Green, Purple, Orange, and Yellow. It promises a smooth and responsive performance because it’s equipped with Apple’s powerful M1 chip. The base model comes with an 8-core CPU and 7-core GPU, but you can easily upgrade to a variant with an 8-core GPU. You also get 8GB RAM and 256GB SSD storage with the base model, but you can get one with 16GB RAM and 512GB/1TB storage. Video editors will love editing their content on the iMac’s 24-inch 4.5K Retina display. It features a 4480 x 2520 resolution, 500-nit peak brightness, and True Tone technology. For those who work from home, you won’t have problems taking Zoom calls with this computer because of its 1080p FaceTime HD camera and studio-quality three-mic array. You might not even need a Bluetooth speaker to use alongside the computer because it has a built-in high-fidelity six-speaker system with force-canceling woofers. The computer supports wide stereo sound, spatial audio, and Dolby Atmos. Users can connect one external monitor to the iMac, and it supports 6K resolution at 60Hz. The computer comes with only two Thunderbolt/USB 4 ports, so you might need a USB hub or adaptors if you need HDMI or VGA ports. The iMac is already an all-in-one bundle because it comes with the Magic Keyboard and Magic Mouse. You can expect the best network connection with the computer because of its Wi-Fi 6 support, and its Bluetooth 5.0 technology ensures a convenient connection to third-party devices.
Premium and stylish designPowerful M1 chipHigh-quality display with superb graphics and accurate colors1080p FaceTime HD camera and studio-quality three-mic arrayHigh-fidelity six-speaker system with force-canceling woofers
Needs more portsCan't go higher than 16GB RAMYou can only connect one external monitor
If a 24-inch iMac is too small for you and you were disappointed that they didn’t release a larger version, you can always go for the 27-inch iMac that hit stores in 2020. It features a 5K Retina display with 500-nit brightness, True Tone technology, and a 5120 x 2880 resolution that supports one billion colors. The processor of the base model is a 3.1 GHz 6-core 10th-generation Intel Core i5, but you can get upgraded models with 3.3 GHz Intel Core i5 or 3.8 GHz Intel Core i7. The iMac 27-inch comes with 8GB memory, and you can pick between 256GB or 512GB SSD storage. You can expect its display to deliver outstanding visuals because of its AMD Radeon Pro 5300 graphics. Like the newer iMacs, it also features a 1080p FaceTime HD camera and studio-quality three-mic array. The computer has impressive connectivity because it has two Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) ports, four USB-A ports, an SDXC card slot, a 3.5mm headphone jack, an ethernet port, and a Kensington lock slot. The iMac 27-inch comes with Apple’s Magic Keyboard, Magic Mouse 2, lightning to USB cable, and a power cord. You don’t have many choices when it comes to color options for the computer, but it’s only a matter of time before Apple releases a new 27-inch iMac.
Impressive CPU and GPUEasily upgradeable to become even more powerfulLarge 5K Retina display1080p FaceTime HD camera and studio-quality three-mic arrayWide range of ports
Could use more Thunderbolt portsOutdated designLacks color choicesExpensive
Apple released a more high-end desktop computer in 2022 called the Mac Studio. It’s powered by their new Apple M1 Max chip featuring a 10-core CPU and 24-core GPU. It comes with 32GB RAM, which you can easily configure to 64GB. The storage of the base model is a 512GB SSD, but you can upgrade it to 1TB, 2TB, 4TB, or 8TB. The Mac Studio doesn’t come with a display yet, but you can opt to buy Apple’s 27-in 5K Retina Studio Display for $1,599 or their 32-inch 6K Retina Pro Display XDR for $4,999. Those who find these displays too pricey can connect any other monitor that supports an HDMI connection. Aside from an HDMI port, the Mac Studio also has four Thunderbolt 4 (USB-C) ports, one 10Gb Ethernet port, two USB-A ports, and a 3.5mm headphone jack. All the said ports are at the back of the computer, but you also get two USB-C ports and an SDXC card slot on the computer’s front side. The Mac Studio comes with a built-in speaker, so you won’t need to spend extra cash to elevate your audio experience. The computer gets delivered to you with the power cord and the latest macOS operating system. You also get a one-year limited warranty and 90-day complimentary technical support. Customers can also ask Apple to pre-install Final Cut Pro or Logic Pro before checkout.
Apple M1 Max chip powerful enough for editing 8K content32GB RAM and 512GB SSDWide range of ports
PriceyNo monitor, mouse, and keyboard
The HP Omen 30L is an excellent desktop computer for video editors who prefer a Windows system. The computer runs on Windows 11, which features a user-friendly interface. All your editing programs will run smoothly on the computer because of its powerful Intel Core i7-11700K processor. It has a base frequency of 3.6 GHz, but Intel Turbo Boost Technology could increase it to 5.0 GH. The computer’s NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti graphics card makes it perfect for gaming, and that means that it can give you amazing visuals for editing. It features HyperX 32 GB DDR4-3200 XMP RGB MHz RAM and 512 GB WD Black PCIe NVMe TLC M.2 SSD storage. You will never run out of storage with the Omen 30L because it also supports a secondary 2 TB 7200 rpm SATA HDD storage. The computer comes with Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5 technology, so you can expect top-notch network performance from it. In terms of connectivity, the computer comes with six SuperSpeed USB Type-A ports, two SuperSpeed USB Type-C ports, one headphone/microphone combo jacks, two microphone ports, one audio-in, and one audio-out. The computer doesn’t come with a monitor yet, but you can easily plug any monitor since it supports HDMI/DisplayPorts. Its audio performance will impress you as well because of its 5.1 surround sound system that supports DTS:X Ultra. Customers will receive a one-year standard warranty, but you will still need to buy a keyboard and mouse separately.
Powerful CPU and GPU performanceModern and stylish designFantastic connectivityTons of storage
You'll still need to purchase a monitor, mouse, and keyboardCPU fan can be pretty noisyCooling system could be betterSome ports are hard to reachPricey
The Dell XPS 8940 is another excellent video editing computer for those who prefer Windows over macOS. The computer’s 11th Gen Intel Octa-Core i7-11700 processor guarantees a speedy performance, and its NVIDIA Geforce GTX 1660 SUPER 6GB GPU and Integrated Intel UHD Graphics 750 ensure that you get terrific visuals. Its 24GB RAM is more than enough for video editors who handle a ton of large files, and its 512GB SSD and 1TB HDD ensure that you can store all your videos, programs, etc., without the need for an external hard drive. Like most modern computers, the Dell XPS 8940 doesn’t come with an optical drive anymore, but you get a multi-format SD card reader. The computer has seven USB-A 3.1 ports, two USB 2.0 ports, one USB-C port, two DisplayPorts, one HDMI 2.0b port, one HDMI 1.4 (UMA) port, one Dual-Link DVI port, an Ethernet port, a microphone jack, a headphone jack, and an audio port. The computer already comes with a Dell keyboard and wired mouse, so all you need to purchase is a monitor. It’s advisable to get a monitor with a high resolution, wide color gamut, and high refresh rate to have the best editing experience possible.
11th Gen Intel Octa-Core i7-11700 processorNVIDIA Geforce GTX 1660 SUPER 6GB GPU24GB RAM512GB SSD and 1TB HDDPlenty ports
PriceyNo monitor includedFree keyboard and wired mouse are pretty basic
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