Many people tend to buy the wrong laptop because some people rely on the popularity of the laptop rather than its capabilities. The best laptop for graphic design used by professionals won’t be the average laptop you will find all around the electronics store, plus it won’t be EEE-PC or a tiny Computer tablet; it must have specific features. A great deal of these characteristics are prized by heavy gamers and graphic designers together. Below are some of the things that you need to consider in choosing your best laptop for graphic design.

Factors in Choosing the Best Laptop for Graphic Design

Random Access Memory (RAM)

Just remember the most critical part of a great laptop is memory in case you are an entire novice to choosing a pc. Begin low at 4GB and aim higher, though an 8GB RAM is recommended. The more RAM you have, the more power-hungry software you can run. Graphic designers and gamers want a great deal of RAM.

Video Card

If you are using your laptop for graphic designing, your laptop should have a dedicated graphics card so applications and images for your graphic design run much faster than a laptop with an integrated (shared) GPU.

CPU

If possible look for laptops that have Haswell processors (Intel’s new breed of processors) on it, since most of the graphic applications nowadays require a minimum of 2ghz processing speed. You’ll want a more-than-reasonable CPU (anything with four cores or higher). Intel Core i5 is great but getting an i7 is much better. Having a great processor will avoid lagging and ensure continuous work on your designs.

Screen Size and Resolution

Being a visual artist you’ll need a place to work. If you pick a notebook having a 13-inch monitor, you will be having a hard time for sure. Go for a laptop that has a 15” – 17” screen, this will help you to easily spot errors and have great control over your visual creation tasks. As for resolution, you may go with 1600 x 900 or 1920 x 1080 resolution.

Portability

In the last few years, laptops are becoming light as well as their batteries could move an extended time between prices. They have become a lot more portable, which is often fun. There will be times that you might need to do a task in a café or away from your comfort zone, this is where portability comes in. On the other hand, if you do graphic design within an office or home location, portability may not be a significant concern for you.

And to help you choose which laptop for graphic designing you should buy, here’s our list of the best in the market.

Best Laptops for Graphic Design

Microsoft Surface Book 2

Even though it was released back in 2017, Microsoft Surface Book 2 still is one of the best laptop for graphic design. One of the reasons for this besides the specs (which are mentioned below) is the detachable screen of the Microsoft Surface Book 2. You can use it as a tablet or laptop, however, you want it and anywhere you want it.

Other good features are the use of the pen and the most important for the graphic designers is the lag. There is no lag between your creative output and the touch of the pen on the screen. This fix for the lag is a big relief for graphic designers. Graphic designers know how hectic it is to have lag on your setup.

Specs:

• CPU of 8th gen Intel Quad-Core i7-8650U, 4.2GHz “max turbo”.
• Graphics of Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060, 6GB graphic memory.
• 16GB RAM.
• The screen has a 15-inch display, with a resolution of 3240 x 2160, 260 PPI.
• It has a storage capacity of 256GB, 512GB, or 1TB SSD (depends on the model you choose).
• Although Microsoft has claimed the Surface Book 2 has a battery life of 17 hours but the reality is nearer to 7 to 13 hours (depending on the use)
• Weight is 4.2 pounds and 1.8 pounds in Tablet mode.

Dell XPS 15 2-in-1

Next on our list of laptop for Graphic Designers is the Dell XPS 15 2-in-1. It has a 360-degree pivot which allows the laptop’s screen to be folded back completely, making it look like a tablet. Do understand that the screen isn’t detachable like the Surface Book 2.

With its high-end processor, display and graphics, you’ll get the best service a laptop could provide you. Heavy apps like Adobe etc and their heavy projects run smoothly like never.

Below are the specs for the Dell XPS 15 2-in-1-

• It has a CPU of 8th Generation Intel Core i7-8705G Processor.
• Graphics of Radeon™ RX Vega M GL Graphics with 4GB HMB2 Graphics Memory.
• RAM of 16GB DDR4-2400MHz Integrated.
• The screen is a 15.6” display.
• Storage of 256GB M.2 PCIe NVMe Solid State Drive.
• Battery Life of 6 to 7 hours.

One of the bad reviews that this laptop has received is about Battery life. Users aren’t quite happy with the battery life, considering the price it has.

Apple Macbook Pro 16

Apple has always been a beast in providing the most smooth use among other laptops. It wouldn’t be considerate to not mention the Apple Macbook Pro in the Laptops for Graphics Designers. 

With the Macbook Pro 2019 model, It has upgraded some of its components and improved its functionality.

It also has a very much useful touch bar introduced by Apple and a fingerprint scanner to log you in quickly.

Another model of Macbook Pro is also available which is 13”, of course for a less expensive price than the Pro 16”, however, you might not get the use that you want to have which could be found with 16” Macbook Pro.

The specs are as below-

• CPU of  2.4GHz Intel Core i9 processor (octa-core, up to 5.0GHz).
• Graphics ofAMD Radeon Pro Vega 20.
• RAM of32GB.
• The screen is of15.4-inch, 2,880 x 1,800 Retina display (backlit LED, IPS, 500 nits brightness, wide color P3 gamut).
• A Storage of4TB SSD.
• And a Battery life of7-10 hours.
• Weight is 3.2 pounds.

Asus Zenbook 13 Slim

If we could say the most prominent aspect of the Asus ZenBook that is different than the rest of its competitors then it would be its touchscreen touchpad.

But, just like the Macbook Pro, your decision to buy this laptop shouldn’t be only based on the efficiency of its touchscreen touchpad.
You can use different applications at the same time on the Asus ZenBook but it might lead to a lag of the touchpad so getting a mouse would be highly recommended.

Another useful and different feature of this laptop is the elevation of the keyboard. It makes it easier for the user to function more efficiently.

Specs of the Asus ZenBook are as below-        

• CPU: 1.8GHz Intel Core i7-8565U processor (quad-core, 8MB cache, up to 4.6 GHz)
• Graphics: Nvidia GeForce GTX 1050 Max-Q graphics (2GB RAM), Intel UHD Graphics 620
• RAM 8GB
• Screen of14”.
• Storage of256GB.
• The battery life is of6-12 hours.
• Weight: 3.52 pounds.
• Battery life is6-12 hours.

Lenovo IdeaPad Y580

Lenovo IdeaPad Y580’s viewing angles are excellent, colors pop and blues are deep, creating a really rich viewing experience. The screen-resolution (1080p) is excellent and combined with the NVIDIA graphics card supplies a distinct and fresh aesthetic experience. Cooling factor is nicely-designed, with all the heat vent on the left-side of the computer, letting the heat of the device to go through one vent, therefore maintaining the coolness of the keyboard. One of its downsides however is its touchpad. It is somehow similar to an Apple notebook (left and right keys are within the touchpad itself). To resolve this a wireless mouse would come in handy.

[one_third]Lenovo Y580 15.6-Inch Laptop (Dawn Grey)[/one_third]

[one_third]Intel Core i7-3630QM 3.4 GHz (6 MB Cache) | 8 GB DIMM | 1 TB 5400 rpm Hard Drive | 15.6-Inch Screen | NVIDIA GeForce GTX660M | Windows 8 | 6-hour battery life[/one_third][one_third_last][button-red url=”http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B009AEPQDI/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B009AEPQDI&linkCode=as2&tag=stoexeforwom-20&linkId=BBVJKQ3COVX3BTJQ” target=”” position=”center”]CHECK PRICE[/button-red][/one_third_last]

MSI G Series GS60 Ghost Pro-052

And next on our list of best laptops for graphic design possess outstanding performance, Substantial frame rates in games, vivid and vibrant screen, Good audio quality and gamer-friendly keyboard. These are merely a few of the most remarkable top features of MSI G Series GS60 Ghost Pro-052. Although the notebook runs on Windows 8 OS it’s still a giant when it involves intense gaming and graphics creation thanks to NVIDIA GeForce GTX870M.

[one_third]MSI G Series GS60 Ghost Pro-052 15.6-Inch Laptop (Aluminum Black)[/one_third]

[one_third]Intel Core i7-4700HQ 2.4 GHz (6 MB Cache) | 12 GB DDR3L SDRAM | 1 TB 7200 rpm Hard Drive, 128 GB Solid-State Drive | 15.6-Inch Screen | NVIDIA GeForce GTX870M with 3GB GDDR5 VRAM | Windows 8.1[/one_third][one_third_last][button-red url=”http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00JKCHT1C/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00JKCHT1C&linkCode=as2&tag=stoexeforwom-20&linkId=XEB4WHGNGHNEW23Z” target=”” position=”center”]CHECK PRICE[/button-red][/one_third_last]

ASUS N550JX-DS71T

The ASUS N550JX-DS71T includes a Nvidia GTX950M GPU and lovely 1920 x 1080p display which will be ideal for gaming and your visual creation tasks, although somewhat heavier as compared to its competitors. Exactly like other notebooks on the list, its touchpad is certainly one of its drawbacks and you may choose to use its 10-point touchscreen or a wireless mouse in the place of it instead. Powered by Intel Core i7-4720HQ clocking at 2.6GHz, you will be certain that there will be no lag as you do your designs.

[one_third]ASUS N550 15.6-Inch Laptop [OLD VERSION][/one_third]

[one_third]Intel Core i7-4720HQ 2.6GHz (Turbo up to 3.6GHz) | 1TB Hard Drive | 8GB RAM | NVIDIA GTX950M 2G DDR3 | 15.6-Inch Full HD IPS Touchscreen Display | 720P HD Webcam | Aluminum body construction[/one_third][one_third_last][button-red url=”http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00TCULFJ4/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00TCULFJ4&linkCode=as2&tag=stoexeforwom-20&linkId=OKQMIGPLVVMZKEBN” target=”” position=”center”]CHECK PRICE[/button-red][/one_third_last]

Lenovo IdeaPad Y510p

The Lenovo IdeaPad Y510p has a stunning and sharp screen. The 15.6-inch LED-backlit display with a resolution of 1920 x 1080, dual GPU and JBL speakers considerably outshines its competition. Viewing sides, shades and distinction demonstrated are eye-popping. One of its downsides is its 1MP cam which is somewhat strange for a high-end notebook similar to this one. Definitely a superb multimedia, gaming, and graphic design laptop.

[one_third]Lenovo IdeaPad Y510p 15.6-Inch Laptop (59406636) Dusk Black[/one_third]

[one_third]Intel Core i7-4700MQ 2.4 GHz Processor | 8 GB DDR3 RAM | Dual NVIDIA GeForce GT 755M SLI | 1TB + 8GB SSHD | 6-Inch Screen | Windows 8.1[/one_third][one_third_last][button-red url=”http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00HIY8VLQ/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00HIY8VLQ&linkCode=as2&tag=stoexeforwom-20&linkId=R4FVYFNKMO35RQI2″ target=”” position=”center”]CHECK PRICE[/button-red][/one_third_last]

We are torn between the MSI Ghost and Lenovo Ideapad Y510p at first, but then we remember that we are looking for the best laptop for graphic designing and not the best laptop for gaming.

Unlike the others on the list, the touchpad of the Y510p is superb and fully optimized for Windows 8.1 OS, it enables easy to rotate, scroll and zoom functions for a more comfortable laptop use. Sporting a brushed steel exterior and interior, including a backlit keyboard (ideal for those low light situations), the IdeaPad Y510p combines NVIDIA GPU, 4^th-gen Haswell processor, 15.6” Full HD display, an extraordinary design along with premium JBL speakers; making this a true multimedia powerhouse.

If you are searching for the best laptop for graphic design, this feature-rich laptop that is great for intensive gaming, high-performance multimedia, graphic design, and other power-hungry applications, is the one. Graphic designers and engineering students will surely love this laptop.