There are many attractive laptops now available for creative users, but sometimes only a desktop computer can provide the computing power, screen size,andexpandability required for high-end graphics, design, and video work.

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The best computers: Which desktop PC alternative is right for you?

Instead of replacing a big old tower PC with an equally massive new one, why not choose one of these alternatives?

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Recently, Apple's iMac has proved popular with many creative users and has inspired similar designs from Windows PC manufacturers. But some PC manufacturers have also come up with interesting angles of their own. The adjustable, touch-sensitive display of Microsoft's Surface Studio can be lowered right down onto the desktop and used like a traditional drawing board for design and illustration work. Meanwhile, HP has outgunned the 27-inch iMac with its 32-inch and curved 34-inch  all-in-one desktops.

The weakness of all-in-one designs is their limited scope for expansion. It took Apple several years to revamp its ill-fated 'trashcan' Mac Pro, before finally launching a new Mac Pro at the end of 2019. But workstation-class tower systems are the bread-and-butter business of many PC manufacturers, so there's no shortage of powerful, expandable desktop systems available for Windows users.

Following the recent launch of the M1-based iMac, creators now have a wide choice of desktop platforms and form factors: Intel Mac (Mini, iMac, Mac Pro), M1 Mac (Mini, iMac), and Intel/Windows (mini-desktop, small form factor, AIO, tower). Here's a selection of 's picks for the best desktops for graphic design.

Also: The 5 best graphic design monitors

Apple Mac Studio

Best graphic design desktop overall

Apple Pros & Cons Pros

• Compact, power-efficient design
• Powerful M1 Max/Ultra processors
• Good connectivity

Cons

• Doesn't include monitor
• No internal expansion
• No user upgrades

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Tech specs: Processor: M1 Ultra; Memory 64GB  Storage:1TB SSD  Ports: 6x Thunderbolt 4, 1x HDMI, 2x USB-A (3.1), 1x 10Gb Ethernet, 3.5mm headphone socket, 1x SDXC card slot  Dimensions: 95x197x197mm Weight: 3.6kg

Apple's 27-inch iMac has long been a fixture on the desks of designers and other creative users, but Apple surprised everyone in March when it discontinued the 27-inch model and replaced it with the new Mac Studio desktop system (the rumor mill was expecting a laptop).

The Mac Studio is more like the "headless" Mac Mini, sporting a compact, low-profile design that is sold without a monitor, keyboard, or mouse. But, rather than the entry-level M1 processor used in the current Mac Mini, the somewhat larger Mac Studio steps up a gear, offering power-hungry creative users the choice of top-of-the-range M1 Max or M1 Ultra processors.

Prices start at$1999 for a model with the M1 Max, which includes 10 processor cores, 24 GPU cores, and 16-core Neural Engine, along with 32GB memory and 512GB solid-state storage. The M1 Max provides impressive performance for 2D and 3D graphics. For high-end video-editing work, you can step up to the M1 Ultra -- which is quite literally two M1 Max chips bolted together. This provides 20 CPU cores, 48 GPU cores, and a 32-core Neural Engine. 

Apple claims that it can handle 18 streams of 8K video simultaneously. That sort of performance certainly outstrips the older iMac it replaces, making the Mac Studio a good upgrade for many Mac users -- albeit an expensive one, as you'll need to budget for an additional monitor, too. The Mac Studio also lacks the internal expansion slots of the Intel-based Mac Pro - which is still on the market right now.

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Apple Mac Mini (late 2020)

Best budget desktop for graphic design

Apple Pros & Cons Pros

• Compact
• Relatively affordable
• Decent memory and storage

Cons

• Not user upgradeable

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Tech specs: Processor: Apple M1 Silicon  GPU: 8-Core integrated; 8GB memory, 256GB solid-state drive  Ports: 1x Ethernet, 1x HDMI, 2x USB-A, 2x Thunderbolt 4  Dimensions: 7.7 square inches

The Mac Mini has always been Apple's "low-cost" Mac for home users. The late 2020 release of a new Mac Mini based on Apple's M1 SoC gives the compact desktop system a considerable graphics boost that might attract the attention of creative users working from home.

Apple claims that the 8-core integrated GPU of the M1 processor provides a six-fold increase in graphics performance when compared to previous Mac Mini models, and our tests revealed very respectable performance for such a modestly priced system. Unusually for Apple, the M1 Mac Mini even came with a price cut, now starting at$699 with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of solid-state storage.

Developers need to update their software and apps in order to take full advantage of the M1's performance, but with Microsoft and Adobe already providing native versions of Office and Photoshop, that process is well under way. It's just a shame that Apple continues to charge such high prices for its RAM and storage upgrades. 

Read review: Apple Mac Mini (late 2020)

If you like macOS and the Mac Mini form factor but aren't convinced by the M1 platform, an alternative solution is to pair the Intel Mac Mini, which starts at$1,099 with an 8th-generation Core i5, 8GB of RAM and 512GB of SSD storage. You can also boost its integrated graphics performance with a powerful graphics card in a Thunderbolt 3-connected external GPU enclosure.

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Corsair One Pro i200

Best compact desktop for graphic design

Corsair Pros & Cons Pros

• Good graphics card
• Supports multiple 4K displays
• Supports 7.1ch audio

Cons

• Expensive
• Compact design makes accessing components difficult

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Tech specs: Processor: Intel Core i90-10940X4   GPU: Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 Ti; 64GB memory, 2TB solid-state drive  Ports: 1x headphone, 7x USB-A, 1x USB-C, 3x DisplayPort, 1x HDMI, 1x mic, 1x line in, 1x line out, 1x speaker, 1x subwoofer, 2x Ethernet  Dimensions: 200x173x380mmWeight: 7.38kg

Corsair is best known for its range of gaming PCs and accessories, but buried in the depths of its website is this solitary workstation system, theOne Pro i200 .

Contrasting with the bright, fluorescent lights that festoon Corsair's gaming PCs, the i200 is housed in a mini-tower chassis with a grey finish. The single configuration that's currently available has a 14-core Core i9-10940X processor running at 3.3GHz (4.4GHz with TurboBoost), 64GB of RAM, a 2TB SSD, and an Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 Ti graphics card with 11GB of dedicated video RAM. It costs$4,499.99 or