Guide to Building a High-Performance Graphic Design PC

Building a PC for graphic design purposes may seem similar to regular builds, but there are nuances depending on usage. In today's PC building guide, Mytour introduces the fundamental knowledge for configuring a PC tailored to graphic design work.

Essentials for a Graphic Design PC Build

CPU and RAM

Just like any other PC build, a graphic design workstation requires a powerful CPU to handle the workload of graphic processing software. Unlike gaming, graphic design utilizes multi-core, multi-threaded CPUs. Focus on CPUs with the highest number of cores and threads for optimal performance.

After that, we'll need 2 or 4 RAM sticks to run in dual-channel mode. RAM has much higher speed than hard drives – including modern M.2 SSDs, used by software to store necessary data. Therefore, having ample RAM allows graphic processing software to complete tasks faster than when relying on limited RAM and reading data from the machine's hard drives. Hence, even with a tight budget, you should aim for at least 16GB RAM when building a graphic design PC.

Graphics Card

The graphics card (GPU) is quite important when building a PC for image processing purposes. While not mandatory because many CPUs nowadays come with decent integrated graphics chips that can handle simple graphic tasks, you'll want a discrete GPU for heavy-duty tasks like 3D modeling or video rendering.

In the current market, we have two types of graphics cards: those for regular users and those for graphic processing. For instance, NVIDIA produces the RTX series for gamers, while the RTX A series is for professional work. Normal gaming cards can fully serve graphic tasks, whereas professional cards...

Specialized GPUs can meet professional work demands much better but are significantly more expensive and practically... useless when you want to play games.

Storage Devices

Choosing the right storage device is also crucial in the graphic design PC building process. Until now, SSDs have become much cheaper, and you can find 2TB M.2 SSDs for just over 2 million. Meanwhile, HDDs still have a presence due to their advantages in capacity and price - at the time Mytour published this article, the largest HDD in the world is 20TB priced around 8 million VND. An SSD of the same price range offers only about 4TB of storage.

So, which type of hard drive should we choose for our rig? HDD is a good solution if you're only using it to store stock files, completed works, or future projects. Installing software on SSDs will provide high speed, ensuring high performance in work, as time is literal money in graphic design. If you must use HDD to run software, Mytour advises choosing high-speed types (at least 7200RPM, i.e., rotating at 7200 revolutions per minute) rather than 5400RPM ones.

When building a PC for graphic design, we'll continually expand our storage setup, so gradual upgrades are wiser than immediately buying a bunch of SSDs. You'll save money and have larger storage capacity by gradually progressing over time.

Display

Unlike gaming, graphic design requires a monitor capable of accurate color reproduction. You can't save money by purchasing monitors that use cheap TN panels; you'll need to invest in VA or IPS panel monitors. While these monitors are much more expensive, this investment is worthwhile because you'll get the highest image quality in your work process.

Additionally, Mytour wants to mention 'Retina', a term often associated with Mac computers. Essentially, this is a noun that Apple uses to refer to screens with higher pixel density (PPI - pixels per inch) than normal. For example, a 24-inch screen with 1080p resolution will have a density of 92 pixels per square inch, while a Retina screen will have... even more. Specifically, how much more depends on the type of screen, typically ranging from 218 to 401 PPI.

Another important thing that Mytour believes you should know when choosing a graphic design monitor is that the resolution and size must be large enough. Graphic processing software often has complex interfaces with many windows, and a large screen size will help you arrange and operate more conveniently. Monitors with resolutions of 1280x720 or lower will make your work process more difficult.

Mac or PC?

Finally, Mytour would like to address the Mac vs. PC debate. In the graphic design community, Mac has always had a good reputation and been the top choice for work purposes. However, this is now a thing of the past - indeed, Photoshop used to be created for Mac, but now all image processing software, 3D modeling software runs smoothly on both Mac and PC (Windows, Linux). Mac is also much more expensive than a PC with the same configuration.

Mac's biggest strength now is its unified configuration and user-friendly nature - just turn it on and it runs. However, Mac loses out in terms of repairability - if one component breaks, you'll have to send the entire machine for warranty repair rather than being able to diagnose and replace it yourself. Meanwhile, PCs are cheaper and more easily customizable. So when choosing between PC and Mac, make your decision based on purpose and budget rather than worrying about 'coolness factor'. Gaming + work and knowledgeable about components? Choose PC. Only work, prioritize convenience and have a fat wallet? Mac is a sensible choice.

Conclusion

The information shared by Mytour in this article has surely helped readers understand what to pay attention to when building a graphic design PC. In the next article, we'll share some configurations at various price points so that readers don't have to worry about what to buy that suits their needs and budgets. So, don't forget to come back with us!