How do you choose a laptop for graphic design?
Choose a laptop for graphic design
First, consider which graphic design tasks you'll perform. Which laptop suits you best depends on how demanding the programs you use are. Also think about whether you'd rather use a Windows laptop or MacBook:
- Do you only edit photos?
- Do you edit photos and videos?
- Do you edit 2D and 3D designs?
- Do you work with AI?
- Which size do you choose?
- Which image quality suits your needs?
Do you only edit photos?
Windows: at least an Intel Core i5/AMD Ryzen 5 with 16GB
Do you mostly want to get started with photo editing and graphic design? You'll often work with programs like Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Lightroom, or Canva. For Windows laptops, we recommend at least an Intel Core i5 or AMD Ryzen 5 processor. You'll also need 16GB RAM, so you can smoothly edit large photo files. With 16GB RAM, you can also smoothly switch between various light programs. If you also want to edit RAW photos, we recommend 32GB RAM.
Apple MacBook: every MacBook is suitable
Every MacBook is suitable for working with graphic design or photo editing. You need at least an M2 or M3 chip with 16GB RAM. That way, your design and photo files render quickly. To edit large drawing or raw photo files, we recommend at least a MacBook Pro. Choose an Apple M3 Pro chip and 32GB RAM to be sure you can perform all your edits smoothly. Do you edit lots of details? Choose a 15 or 16-inch screen. You'll be able to see everything better because the screen is larger.
Do you edit photos and videos?
Windows: at least an Intel Core i7/AMD Ryzen 7 processor
Do you edit videos and work in programs like Adobe Premiere Pro? You'll need a more powerful laptop. Choose at least an Intel Core i7 or AMD Ryzen 7 processor, so you can smoothly work in demanding programs. If you want to get started on large video files, you need at least 16GB RAM. If you want your videos to render faster and edit them in a high resolution, we also recommend an NVIDIA GeForce video card.
MacBook: edit the most demanding video files with MacBook Pro
To edit light video files, a MacBook Air is powerful enough. You can mostly make short videos in iMovie, like vacation videos. If you edit large video files, you need a stronger MacBook Pro. For 4K video editing, you use software like Final Cut Pro. We recommend at least 16GB RAM, so your videos render quickly. You need at least an M3 Max processor with 32GB RAM for the largest 8K video files.
Do you edit 2D and 3D designs?
Windows: at least Intel Core i7/AMD Ryzen 7 with video card
Do you want to get started with industrial design in programs like AutoCAD? Choose a laptop with at least an Intel Core i7 or AMD Ryzen 7 processor and an NVIDIA video card. With this, you can smoothly create 3D designs, floor plans, and technical drawings. Do you also create 3D designs and animations? You need at least an Intel Core i9 or AMD Ryzen 9 processor with an NVIDIA video card. You can smoothly work in demanding programs like Blender and Adobe Substance 3D with this. Choose a 16 or 32GB RAM when you want to work on large designs.
MacBook: at least MacBook Pro with M3 Max
Do you work in IT as a software engineer, information analyst, or IT manager? Or are you an architect and make a lot of architectural designs? You need a powerful MacBook for that, which you can use to make 3D models in software like Shapr3D with. That's why we recommend at least an M3 Max chip with 32GB RAM, so your designs render quickly. You can also feel free to perform other tasks in the meantime. If you work with many details, a large screen is nice. You can see everything a bit better that way, which is why we recommend at least a 16-inch screen.
Do you work with AI?
Many editing programs have various AI functions, and more functions are coming. For example, Adobe Photoshop has functions like Generative Fill or Generative Expand. With this, you can let AI create images in an image or it'll expand the photo for you. Apple Intelligence is the name Apple gave to the new AI functions on Apple devices. Due to the strict EU laws, Apple's AI functions won't release in Europe until April 2025.
Which size do you choose?
The right size plays an important role in choosing the best laptop for you. For example, you can easily take a small laptop with you, but won't see details as well as on a larger screen. That's why we recommend an external monitor for small laptops. Medium-sized laptops are useful when you take them with you every once in a while. You can see details on the screen well and they're not too big. Large laptops are great when you often work in the same spot, like your desk. You can see details well on the large screen, but these laptops are less easy to take with you.
Which image quality suits your needs?
Windows laptops have various displays and image qualities. For graphic design, it's important that your screen displays colors well. That's why we recommend at least an IPS panel with 300 nits. Also keep the colors space of the scene in mind. The wider the color space, the more intense the colors on your screen are. DCI-P3 is the most extensive color space. Resolution is also important. With a higher resolution dan Full HD, details look sharper on your screen.
