If you’re in a creative field, you definitely need a machine that has both ample power and performance, with maybe a little style for good measure. CNET has tested these four models, which stand out for their performance, design and features for drawing, painting, designing, rendering, photo and video editing and other creative tasks.
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Microsoft Surface Studio
Product Review: https://www.cnet.com/products/microsoft-surface-studio/review/#ftag=CAD187281f
CNET rating: 4.0 stars out of 5 (Excellent)
The good: The Surface Studio has a fantastic 28-inch screen with excellent color, mounted on smooth hinges that fold down to an artist-friendly angle. The excellent Surface Pen stylus returns and the new Surface Dial shows promise. Every model has good-to-great dedicated graphics hardware.
The bad: Surface Studio is extremely expensive, and doesn’t include the flashy Dial accessory by default. It skips newer graphics chips that support VR hardware. Support for the Dial is limited right now, and even compatible programs don’t always use it in a practical way. A couple of front-mounted USB ports or a Thunderbolt connection would’ve been nice.
The cost: $3,220.00 to $3,699.99
The bottom line: Microsoft’s ambitious love letter to creative professionals is the touchscreen iMac of your dreams — albeit crazy expensive and running Windows.
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Dell XPS 15 (2017)
Product Review: https://www.cnet.com/products/dell-xps-15-2017/review/#ftag=CAD187281f
CNET rating: 4.0 stars out of 5 (Excellent)
The good: The Dell XPS 15 has a beautiful, high-resolution and accurate broad-gamut display, and it incorporates the Nvidia GTX 1050 gaming GPU, which raises playtime performance in general-purpose laptops.
The bad: The webcam is in a terrible location at the bottom of the display and the fan can get loud.
The cost: $1,999.99
The bottom line: Powerful with a great screen, the Dell XPS 15 delivers solid gaming and affordable mobile workstation-class performance in a relatively compact package.
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Apple MacBook Pro with Touch Bar (15-inch, 2017)
Product Review: https://www.cnet.com/products/apple-macbook-pro-with-touch-bar-15-inch-2017/review/#ftag=CAD187281f
CNET rating: 4.0 stars out of 5 (Excellent)
The good: The updated 15-inch MacBook Pro gets faster processing and graphics options. It’s still the biggest and most powerful laptop Apple makes. The giant touchpad is easy to use and battery life is excellent.
The bad: Having only USB-C ports can be a hassle. The super-flat keyboard is an acquired taste.
The cost: $2,149.00 to $2,399.00
The bottom line: Even if you’re not sold on the idea of the Touch Bar, this slightly updated MacBook Pro is still the king of high-end laptops, especially for the creative class.
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Apple iMac (27-inch, 2017)
Product Review: https://www.cnet.com/products/apple-imac-27-inch-2017/review/#ftag=CAD187281f
CNET rating: 4.0 stars out of 5 (Excellent)
The good: The Apple iMac’s 27-inch 5K display remains the most color-accurate monitor we’ve seen thus far in an all-in-one, and performance is much improved. Plus it’s got two USB-C/Thunderbolt connectors which can drive more external displays and faster file data transfers.
The bad: The overall design remains unchanged since 2014 — including the inconvenient rear-mounted ports and SD slot.
The cost: $1,599.99 to $1,799.00
The bottom line: The already impressive 27-inch 5K iMac gets some welcome spec upgrades for 2017, but rival Windows machines have closed the gap.
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The following CNET staff contributed to this story: Section Editor Dan Ackerman, Senior Editor Lori Grunin and Senior Editor Laura K. Cucullu. For more reviews of personal technology products, please visit www.cnet.com.
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