As a graphic design student or as a pro if you are planning to buy a laptop for graphics designing work then it requires specific hardware configuration to run all your heavy software such as Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe InDesign, etc. It is because the ordinary laptop can’t able to handle all these heavy software with ease.
The requirement for graphic design laptop is almost similar to a gaming laptop. If you love to play games on your laptop then listed below all the laptops are capable enough to handle almost all your favorite games. So a single laptop can fulfill your both the requirement.
Here in this article, I will provide you a proper buying guide on how to choose the perfect laptop for yourself. And also I have listed some of the best laptops for graphic design students or for a pro, to make your this task easier for you. But before we are going to check out the list of the laptops for graphic design, first I suggest you go through the below points.
Things You Need To Check
Before Buying A Laptop For Graphic Design Student
Operating System:-
The software which you will use on your laptop is for Windows or Mac OS that you need to know and then you need to choose the laptop as per the operating system.
Processor:-
The processor is also one of the important part for any of the laptop, and for a graphic design laptop I recommend you to go with 8th Gen Intel Core i7 processor but if you have not much budget or if you are a beginner then I suggest go with 8th Gen Intel Core i5 processor.
RAM:-
To handle graphics designing software I recommend minimum 8GB of RAM for beginners, but if you are a pro then I recommend you to go for 16GB of RAM for smooth multitasking.
Graphics Card:-
A dedicated graphics is also an important part for graphic design laptop as it provides better graphics visual and also it improves the overall performance of the laptop. And for professional graphic designers, a dedicated graphics card is the must.
Display:-
The display of the laptop is also the most important thing of a laptop selection process. Because the screen with a higher resolution delivers better color details and accuracy. And the size of the display is another important part and as a graphic designer, I suggest you go with at least 15-inch of the display.
The reason is if you will go with a smaller display like a 13-inch display then you can’t able to do your work comfortably. If you like to work on a bigger display then 17-inch is perfect for you.
I hope that after going through the above points now you have got a better idea about how to choose the perfect laptop for graphic design work. But here in this list, you don’t need to check all those things because I have checked all those things and then listed here.
Ok so now without taking too much time let’s check it out the below list of best laptops for graphic design.
Best Laptops For Graphic Design Students –
Top 10 Picks
1. Acer Aspire E 15 – Best Budget Laptop For Graphic Design Students
If you are a student or beginner and you don’t have much budget then this Acer Aspire E 15 is the best option for you. Under $600 budget this Acer laptop has got all the latest set of a hardware configuration which is good enough for a student.
It sports 15.6-inch of full HD widescreen LED-lit display with IPS technology which provides accurate colors from a wide-viewing angle. To deliver better graphics visual it is backed by 2GB of NVIDIA GeForce MX150 dedicated graphics card.
This laptop is powered by the latest 8th Gen Intel Core i5-8250U processor with turbo boost up to 3.4GHz. If you like this laptop but want with i7 processor then go with its another variant of the Intel Core i7-8550U processor. It is equipped with 8GB of RAM to handle multitasking of this device and 256GB of SSD drive. One of the best features of this laptop is it provides up to 15 hours of long-lasting battery life on a single charge.
Specifications
Display 15.6 Inch Full HD IPS Widescreen LED-lit Display
Processor 8th Generation Intel Core i5-8250U Processor
Graphic Card NVIDIA GeForce MX150 2GB Graphics
RAM 8GB RAM
Hard Disk 256GB SSD
Operating System Windows 10
Battery Up to 15 Hours Battery Life
Price
Acer Aspire E 15:- $573.29
2. Dell G3579-7989BLK-PUS – Gaming Laptop
If you are planning to buy a gaming laptop with a professional look then Dell G3579-7989BLK-PUS is a perfect match for you. And Dell is one of the most trusted laptop brands who build an affordable laptop with powerful specs. If we talk about the design of this laptop then it finished in black metal with blue accents.
This Dell laptop is powered by the latest and powerful 8th Gen Intel Core i7-8750H processor with 9MB cache and turbo up to 3.9GHz. To deliver smooth working experience this laptop is backed by the 16GB of DDR RAM, which is expandable up to 32GB.
For a smooth, realistic and more immersive on-screen experience, it comes with NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti with 4GB GDDR5 dedicated graphics memory. The storage of this laptop is backed by the combo storage compartment such as 256GB SSD + 1TB HDD drive that ensures faster performance and better reliability.
The display of this laptop is 15.6-inch of full HD IPS Anti-Glare LED-Backlit display which delivers stunning visual from virtually every angle. To keep the system cool in under pressure it has dual fans that deliver uninterrupted working or gaming experience.
Specifications
Display 15.6 Inch Full HD IPS Anti-Glare LED-Backlit Display
Processor 8th Generation Intel Core i7-8750H Processor
Graphic Card NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti 4GB Graphics
RAM 16GB RAM
Hard Disk 256GB SSD + 1TB HDD
Operating System Windows 10
Battery Up to 5 Hours Battery Life
Price
Dell G3579-7989BLK-PUS:- $1,099
3. Acer Predator Helios 300 – Amazon’s Choice Gaming Laptop
This Acer Predator Helios 300 is another laptop from Acer but this one is a pure gaming laptop. If we talk about the outer body of this laptop then it sports in red accents and black metal finish chassis. It has got 15.6-inch of full HD widescreen LED-backlit display with IPS technology which delivers brilliant color from any perspective.
It is powered by the 8th Generation Intel Core i7-8750H 6-Core processor and coupled with 16GB of DDR4 RAM, that provides powerful performance whether you are gaming, streaming videos, or working on CPU-intensive projects. If you like to play games on your laptop then this is the best option for you as it comes with mammoth 6GB of NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 overclockable dedicated graphics card.
If you are concerned about the storage of this device, then it houses 256GB of SSD drive which may be not enough for many but it has an extra empty accessible slot for adding 2.5 inches of hard drive or SSD.
Moreover, the keyboard of this laptop is full-size with iron red backlit that illuminates the keys making sure gamers are always striking the right notes during gameplay. To immerse you in better audio quality this laptop is powered by the Acer TrueHarmony and Dolby Audio premium. The battery life of this laptop is also good which provides up to 7 hours of decent battery backup on a full charge.
Specifications
Display 15.6 Inch Full HD IPS Widescreen LED-backlit Display
Processor 8th Generation Intel Core i7-8750H Processor
Graphic Card NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 6GB Graphics
RAM 16GB RAM
Hard Disk 256GB SSD
Operating System Windows 10
Battery Up to 7 Hours Battery Life
Price
Acer Predator Helios 300 Gaming Laptop:- $1,299
4. ASUS VivoBook K570UD – Thin & Light Laptop For Graphic Design
If you are looking for a thin and lightweight laptop then this ASUS VivoBook K570UD is a great option for you. This ASUS laptop has wrapped all the powerful specs in 0.86 thin profile which weigh 4.3 pounds of weight. It has got an eye-catching look with a smart and sophisticated Reaper Black finish chassis which is accented by Lightning Blue edges.
This ASUS VivoBook comes with 15.6-inch of full HD IPS display with ASUS Splendid display technology which provides richer, deeper and more accurate colors. The keyboard of this laptop is a full-size backlit keyboard with a numeric keypad which helps you stay productive in any environment even in the dark!
It has inside 8th-Gen Intel Core i7-8550U processor and for effortless multitasking, it is backed by 16GB of RAM. For flawless graphics visuals, it is equipped with NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 graphics with 4GB of dedicated VRAM. Thanks for providing dual storage segment of 256GB SSD + 1TB HDD to fulfill all your storage needs.
Besides this, it has an interesting feature which is ASUS fast-charge technology, that helps to charges a low battery to 60% in just 49 minutes. And the battery life of this laptop is also good, which gives up to 9-hours of long-lasting battery backup. Also, it has a few interesting features of this laptop is its fingerprint reader and backlit keyboard.
Specifications
Display 15.6 Inch Full HD IPS Display
Processor 8th Generation Intel Core i7-8550U Processor
Graphic Card NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 4GB Graphics
RAM 16GB RAM
Hard Disk 256GB SSD + 1TB HDD
Operating System Windows 10
Battery Up to 9 Hours Battery Life
Price
ASUS VivoBook K570UD:- $1,049
5. Apple MacBook Pro 15 With Touch Bar – Latest Model
If you will use iOS related graphics design software then the Apple MacBook Pro 15 With Touch Bar is just for you. If you are a student then I don’t recommend you to buy this laptop but if you like and the budget doesn’t matter then you can go with this. If we talk about the design of this laptop then its slim and sleek metallic look and the Apple logo on the lid, which attracts most of the people.
This new MacBook Pro delivers a whole new level of performance with its 6-core 8th-generation Intel Core i7 processor with turbo boost up to 4.1GHz. This device is handled by 16GB of DDR4 RAM for a faster performance during you are working on large files or running multiple applications at a time.
To deliver eye-opening graphics performance this MacBook Pro features with AMD Radeon Pro 555X Graphics 4GB of GDDR5 memory. If you are concerned about this MacBook, then it comes with 256GB SSD blazing fast storage.
The display of this laptop is 15.4-inch of diagonal LED-backlit IPS Retina display with True Tone technology, which delivers vibrant colors from a wide-viewing angle. One of the interesting features of this notebook is its touch bar, it is automatically changed to match the application you are using and bring the shortcuts. The battery life of this MacBook Pro is also good which lasts up to 10 hours on a full charge.
Specifications
Display 15.4 Inch Diagonal LED-backlit IPS Display
Processor 8th Generation Intel Core i7 Processor
Graphic Card AMD Radeon Pro 555X 4GB Graphics
RAM 16GB RAM
Hard Disk 256GB SSD
Operating System Windows 10
Battery Up to 10 Hours Battery Life
Price
Apple MacBook Pro 15 With Touch Bar:- $2,099.99
6. OMEN By HP 17-an110nr – Gaming Laptop
If you enjoy working on a bigger display then definitely you will like this OMEN by HP 17-an110nr laptop as it has got 17-inch of the big display. This HP laptop has got an aggressive gaming look with black metal finished chassis and red accents.
Let’s talk about the display of this laptop first, it comes with 17.3 inches of diagonal full HD anti-glare WLED-backlit display with an IPS panel which delivers crisp and clear visual from a wide-viewing angle. And its anti-glare screen will never distract you from during you are working on your graphic design project or anything. For the better graphics visual this laptop is backed by NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti graphics with 4GB of GDDR5 dedicated memory.
This HP gaming laptop is powered by the latest 8th Gen Intel Core i7-8750H 6-core processor with turbo boost technology up to 4.1GHz. To take care of the multitasking on this device it has got 12GB of DDR4 RAM, which is upgradable with its accessible memory slots. The storage of this laptop is managed by 128GB SSD and 1TB HDD to store all your graphic design software, games, videos, pictures, etc.
Apart from this, on mixed usage, this HP laptop provides up to 12 hours of full-day battery backup on a single charge. For every pulse-pounding moment, the audio of this laptop is powered by Bang & Olufsen.
Specifications
Display 17.3 Inch Full HD IPS Anti-glare WLED-backlit Display
Processor 8th Generation Intel Core i7-8750H Processor
Graphic Card NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti 4GB Graphics
RAM 12GB RAM
Hard Disk 128GB SSD + 1TB HDD
Operating System Windows 10
Battery Up to 12 Hours Battery Life
Price
OMEN by HP 17:- $1,049
7. MSI CUK GP73 Leopard – Gaming Laptop
If you are looking for a pure gaming laptop for graphic design work then this MSI CUK GP73 Leopard is the best option for you. Because MSI is known to build a dedicated gaming laptop with a powerful configuration. This MSI laptop comes with a 17.3″ inch of big full HD Wideview Anti-Glare display having a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels. And you will really enjoy doing your work on this 17-inch of the big display.
This MSI gaming laptop is powered by the latest and powerful Intel Core i7-8750H six-core processor with 9MB cache, and turbo boost technology up to 4.1GHz. This latest 8th Generation processor provides 20% more and better performance than its previous gen processor. To handle all the graphics intensive software and games on this device, it is equipped with powerful NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 graphics with 6GB GDDR5 VRAM.
For a smoother multitasking experience, this laptop is backed by 16GB of DDR4 RAM. If you are concerned about the storage of this device then it is housed with 500GB NVMe SSD + 1TB HDD, which fulfills all your storage needs. And the NVMe SSD is 4-times faster than the SATA SSD which helps to load applications faster and run all the demanding programs without any lag.
Moreover, the keyboard of this laptop is a full-size backlit keyboard which is designed for professional gamers needs. For the connectivity, it includes 1 x USB 3.1 Gen 2 Type C, 2 x USB 3.1 Gen 1, 1 x USB 3.1 Gen 2, 1 x Mini DisplayPort, 1 x HDMI, Killer E2400 LAN Ethernet Port, Microphone in, Headphone out, 1 x SD card reader.
Specifications
Display 17.3 Inch Full HD Wideview Anti-glare Display
Processor 8th Generation Intel Core i7-8750H Processor
Graphic Card NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 6GB Graphics
RAM 16GB RAM
Hard Disk 500GB SSD + 1TB HDD
Operating System Windows 10
Battery Up to 4 Hours Battery Life
Price
MSI CUK GP73 Leopard:- $1,399.99
8. Acer Aspire 7 – 17 Inch VR Ready Laptop For Graphic Design
By looking at this Acer Aspire 7 no one can tell that this is a high-config gaming laptop but its internal has proved that. So if you are looking for a laptop with a combination of high-config classic looking laptop then this Acer laptop is the perfect match for you. This Acer laptop sports 17.3 inches of full HD WLED IPS display with 1920 x 1080 pixels of resolution.
It has inside 2.20GHz Intel Hexa-Core i7-8750H processor with 9MB SmartCache and max turbo frequency 4.10GHz. This Acer laptop loaded with 16GB of DDR4 RAM to take care of multitasking of this device and accompanies with 256GB solid-state drive. Thanks for providing the latest and greatest NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 graphics with 6GB coprocessor inside, it can handle almost all the graphics software and games you throw at it.
As far as the battery is your main concern, then it has included 4-cell Li-Ion 3220 mAh battery that provides up to 6-hours of battery backup on a full charge. For better multimedia experience it has a full size backlit keyboard and Acer TrueHarmony Sound System.
Specifications
Display 17.3 Inch Full HD IPS WLED Display
Processor 8th Generation Intel Core i7-8750H Processor
Graphic Card NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 6GB Graphics
RAM 16GB RAM
Hard Disk 256GB SSD
Operating System Windows 10
Battery Up to 6 Hours Battery Life
Price
Acer Aspire 7:- $1,083
9. MSI CUK GF63 8RD – Best Value For Money (32GB RAM)
This MSI CUK GF63 8RD laptop is another laptop from the MSI in this list of best laptops for graphic design students. And this is a thin and light gaming laptop which has packed all the latest and powerful config in 0.85″ thin profile with 4.1 pounds of weight. It has got standard 15.6-inch of full HD eDP 45% NTSC display with IPS technology which producing brilliant color clarity and contrast.
It has Intel Core i7-8750H six-core processor with 9MB cache and max frequency up to 4.1GHz. This gaming machine is paired with massive 32GB of DDR4 RAM, which is powerful enough to handle all your heavy software and multitasking with ease. It houses with 500GB of SSD drive which is good enough storage space to store all the software, files and data.
For the graphics, this device has pack 4GB of NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti GDDR5 VRAM, which delivers better graphics visuals and if you are a gamer then it can turn your laptop into a true gaming rig.
Specifications
Display 15.6 Inch Full HD IPS Display
Processor 8th Generation Intel Core i7-8750H Processor
Graphic Card NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti 4GB Graphics
RAM 32GB RAM
Hard Disk 500GB SSD
Operating System Windows 10
Battery Up to 5 Hours Battery Life
Price
MSI CUK GF63 8RD:- $994.99
10. ASUS CUK ROG Strix Scar GL703GM – High Performance Laptop
ASUS has launched ROG series laptops especially for gaming and this ASUS CUK ROG Strix Scar GL703GM laptop also comes from that series. And this is why it can handle all the heavy graphics design software with ease. It comes with big 17.3″ inch of full HD 120Hz display, which delivers a multitude more frames within the same amount of time as compared to standard 60Hz displays.
This gaming machine is powered by the latest Intel Core i7-8750H 6-core processor with 2.2GHz of base frequency and turbo up to 4.1GHz. To handle graphics-intensive software this device is coupled with blazing-fast 32GB of DDR4 RAM, and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 dedicated graphics with 6GB dedicated memory. This gaming machine runs on the Windows 10 operating system and storage compartment of this laptop is handled by the 256GB SSD + 1TB HDD drive.
It has an advanced cooling system which keeps the system cool and stable during heavy multitasking and gaming. And its exclusive internal design which forces dust and debris to exit from the chassis through the fan module’s two anti-dust tunnels. If you are a gamer then its ASUS AURA SYNC customizable RGB gaming keyboard takes your gaming experience to the next level. For the connectivity, it has included all the essential ports and slots.
Specifications
Display 17.3 Inch Full HD Display
Processor 8th Generation Intel Core i7-8750H Processor
Graphic Card NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 6GB Graphics
RAM 32GB RAM
Hard Disk 256GB SSD + 1TB HDD
Operating System Windows 10
Battery Up to 5 Hours Battery Life
Price
ASUS CUK ROG Strix Scar GL703GM:- $1,449.99
Final Word
These are the top picks and all the above-listed laptops are hand-picked by me after checking the requirements which fulfill all the graphic designer needs. And I hope that in this buying guide of the best laptops for graphic design students will get the best laptop for you.
But still, if you need any help to choose the perfect laptop for you then feel free to ask me by just commenting below.
