The best computers for video editing in 2018

Looking to buy a computer for video editing? We can help. In this guide, you'll find our pick of the best video editing computers right now – at a range of different price points – to help make your footage sing, whatever your skill level.

Why choose a desktop computer instead of one of the best laptops for video editing? Well, assuming you have a permanent desk, you'll benefit from better specifications for less money. Also, being able to work on a broader display allows you to pick out minute detail more easily, and see what your film will look like on a bigger screen.

As well as highlighting our top choices of the very best Windows PC and Mac computers for video editing here, we've also got you covered if you're on a budget. (And if you aren't sure which program to use once your computer's sorted, then you can check out our favourite video editing software, too.) Read on for the best computers for video editing...

Once you go Mac, it's hard to go back. If you're used to cutting and chopping on an Apple machine and want an all-in-one setup for your desktop then the iMac with 4K Retina display is an absolute beaut – and it's a fraction of the price of the iMac Pro at number four on this list.

In fact, the price is pretty spectacular when you consider that a stunning 21.5-inch 4K retina screen is included. It features a wider range of colours than some competitors' monitors thanks to its DCI P3 colour space. Put simply, images can appear more life-like with accurate colours and a greater vibrancy, and this is the kind of little touch that can really add value to your projects.

One piece of valuable upgrade advice, though, is to customise the iMac's storage and switch from the Fusion Drive that Apple offers by default and switch to an SSD, which runs a lot quicker. It may increase the price a bit, but the extra speed you'll gain in everything you do on your Mac makes better long-term sense. Overall, this is our pick of the best computer for video editing right now.

Buy Chillblast Fusion Ryzen 2700X Custom Video / Photo Editing PC for £1,499.99

AMD's newest Ryzen 2700X processor features eight independent CPU cores, which really speeds up video encoding times, and comes at a fantastic affordable price. While the Chillblast Fusion Ryzen 2700X is a mid-range rig that won't break the bank, its nippy exporting of video will outperform more expensive computers. And the rest of the default specification won't hold back your video editing software either. It comes with 16GB of memory, a 250GB SSD and a 4TB hard disk for large video files, with an Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 graphics card, which can offer additional acceleration for specific tasks in all kinds of design software, including video editing applications.

The price doesn't include a display, mouse or keyboard, so you'll either have to purchase these separately or reuse old hardware you already own. Select upgrades like a bump to 32GB of memory or an even more powerful graphics card such as a GeForce GTX 1080 are all available through Chillblast's site, which do add to the cost, but even without any changes to its specification, the Chillblast Fusion Ryzen 2700X is a formidable video editing workstation.

Dell XPS 27 AIO

This is another PC that may stretch the budget, but hear us out. This astonishing all-in-one from Dell comes with a mighty 27-inch 4K Ultra HD touchscreen display and an ear-busting set of six speakers. That makes for the ideal platform from which to view – and hear – what you've shot and get the best from it in post-production.

The Dell XPS 27 performs admirably against industry-standard graphics-based benchmarks, no doubt thanks to the pacey 3.6GHz Intel Core i7-7700 processor under the casing. And this premium machine also gets premium peripheries in the form of a sleek and stylish wireless mouse and keyboard.

Apple iMac Pro

We know it's eye-wateringly expensive. But Apple's brand new iMac Pro is the new daddy of computers for designers: if you have the cash, this is the best video-editing computer currently on the market. (If you're after a more affordable model, try the excellent iMac at number two, above.)

So what do you get for your money? Firstly, there's the 27-inch 5K resolution, which is 43 per cent brighter than standard Apple Retina monitors and delivers up to an astonishing one billion colours. There aren't too many screens around that will flatter your footage more.

Starting with an 8-core Intel Xeon processor, the least expensive iMac Pro option is already immensely powerful, with an outrageous 18-core option for those who can afford it. 1TB to 4TB of SSD internal storage means that you'll be able to store tonnes of 4K footage before you need to think about additional external drives. And it's not short on ports, either, with four Thunderbolt 3.0 ports and a 10GB ethernet port. Plus, of course you get the benefit of the platform's formidable Final Cut Pro X editing software as well.