Best desktops for design, graphics, video and photography in 2020: iMac Pro, Surface Studio 2, and more

There are many attractivelaptopsnow available for creative users, but often only a desktop computer can provide the compute power, screen size and expandability required for high-end graphics, design and video work.

In recent years, the elegant, all-in-one (AIO) designs of Apple'siMacandiMac Prohave proved popular with many creative users and -- as is so often the case -- have inspired many similar designs from manufacturers of Windows PCs. Many of these designs are slavish imitations, but some PC manufacturers have come up with interesting angles of their own, with features such as the adjustable, touch-sensitive displays of Microsoft'sSurface Studioand theLenovo Yoga A940, which 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 imposing32-inchandcurved 34-inchAIOs.

The great weakness with all-in-one designs such as these is, of course, their limited scope for expansion. It took Apple several years to revamp its ill-fated 'trashcan' Mac Pro, before finally launching anew Mac Proat 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.

And, with the future of the entire Mac range now looking uncertain -- at least in the short term -- following Apple's announcement of a two-year plan to transition to its ownArm-based Apple Silicon, many creative users may now be wondering whether this is the time to look at Windows alternatives.